Secrets and Lies | ✔️

Chapter 31 - Enid

Ch.31 - Enid

"Your father is one stubborn man. Always has been, ever since he was a child."

Enid Wilson bounced her granddaughter on her hip as they walked through the back garden. The flowers she'd planted at The Ivy House that spring were ablaze with color. Pinks, yellows and blues poked up from the landscape, turning their blooms toward the afternoon sun. She knelt down, hugging Carter to her, and plucked a wilted blossom from a zinnia, her favorite annual in the garden.

"The doctor wouldn't have given him pain medication if he didn't think he'd need it. But I saw him grimace when he and your mom dropped you off," she continued. She tossed the withered flower to the side and brushed a blonde curl from Carter's forehead. "I bet he hasn't even taken one. Has he?"

Carter cooed happily and Enid kissed her cheek. "I figured as much. He's just going to ride out the injury and suffer needlessly. Just like a man. You know, he's lucky that tree didn't hurt him anymore than it did. If that limb had poked him anywhere else he could have really been in trouble." She shook her head, still perplexed by the story Charlie had told her. "Such a freak accident. Trees don't normally fall down for no reason. I suppose if it was old and weak, maybe..."

All she knew was that Charlie was lucky he hadn't gone hunting alone, like he did often times. If he had, he could have been stuck out in the woods for hours before someone came looking for him. Injured and isolated. That was a scary thought. If anything ever happened to him, she didn't know what she would do. Her family was her life. It was a stroke of good fortune that Ryan had been with him. If anyone would know what to do in an emergency it would be Ryan. With his military background and keen sensibility, he was a handy man to have around. Sure he was brash and self-assured, but it was all part of the facade. Ryan had it tough growing up, everyone in town knew that. Nothing had been handed to him on a silver platter, he'd had to fight tooth and nail for everything he possessed. And he's a stronger man today for it. He might act like a tough guy, but underneath all that bravado was a heart of pure gold. For all they knew, he may have saved Charlie's life.

Enid needed to thank him. She made a mental note to bake Ryan a cherry pie, made special with her top-secret homemade pie filling. She knew it was his favorite.

She glanced at Carter, relaxing against her. They'd spent the morning inside, reading books and sorting foam shapes, and now they came outdoors for some fresh air. The sun was high in the sky as it blazed down on top of them, but a soft breeze made the afternoon pleasant. It was days like this Enid enjoyed most. Summer was winding down and all was right in the world.

But beautiful days could be very deceiving.

"Your mom seemed so sad this morning," she said softly. Enid walked to the terrace and sat down in the shade, adjusting Carter in her arms. Charlie and Talia had dropped the baby off to attend a memorial for Janice. Since there would be no funeral, the women at Healing Hearts decided to honor her in their own special way. They'd had a brass plaque made, engraved with Janice's name, to be planted next to a baby Spruce Pine in her honor. And afterward they would celebrate her life.

"I feel so bad about your mom's friend. The way she died, it's just not fair..." Enid and Carter swayed back and forth in the wicker rocker and Carter's big blue eyes begin to droop. "But I guess no one ever said life was fair, right? Sometimes the world is an ugly, hateful place."

Enid brought her fingertips to Carter's forehead and swept away the curl that continued to spill over. She spoke softly, soothing, as if she were reading a bedtime story. "How someone could hurt another human being... Treat them as if they meant nothing..." She looked down at Carter, her eyes misting over. "I would do everything in my power to protect you, baby girl. I hope you know that."