Page 4 (1/2)
Author: Robyn Carr
"Well, what brought her here?" Cooper asked
"You are sure the nosiest som-bitch I know I don’t have the details, don’t really need the details, but I gather it was a bad situation or so and she needs a place to roost a bit Don’t ot a kid--you don’t just ignore a kid I don’t want the in some damn run-down hotel all alone just because I’m an old coot set in my ways" He craned his neck and looked out the s to the beach "Speaking of kids"
"Austin’s fishing off the dock with Landon," Spencer said "I have to go look at a house in town, even though Austin wants to live in that RV next door for the rest of his life"
"Ain’t a bad place, as places go," Rawley said Cooper’s toy hauler had been operating as a guest house ever since he had finished off the upstairs of the bar into his aparter in the bathroohed "Not to mention less sandy"
"If you could train so ten-year-old feet, you could beat that proble his feet are? Is that normal?" Cooper asked
"Well, it’s normal on St Bernard puppies," Spencer said
Leaving the men to talk, Raent to the kitchen There was alork to be done--cleaning, stocking, organizing Now that Cooper had an apartment and a fiancée, he stayed out of there Cooper could clean his own house, do his own laundry Cooper liked taking care of the beach, raking up, hauling trash,sure there was no detritus that could harave him an idea of who used the beach and what they used it for He maintained his stock of paddleboards and kayaks And he spent a lot of ti with folks in town, on the beach, on the dock, in the bar Cooper was a natural people person Rawley had never beenaround the bar and in the kitchen till about seven-thirty With the longer days there was plenty of sunlight left; Cooper and Landon could handle the place without him until sunset when folks tended to quit for the day, except those who liked the beach at night and enjoyed their fires
His phone hadn’t rung all day He wondered what he’d find when he got hoht be gone The place could be upended, valuables stolennot that he hadprepared hiot there He could hear the TV upstairs and didn’t want to startle her, so he called from the bottom of the stairs
She came to the top of the stairs and looked down at hiht up to the nape, kind ofover her forehead haphazardly Gone was that thick mane that hit her butt "Up here, Mr Goode," she said "Oh,We had popcorn--I hope that’s okay You said anything We didn’t eat hter is in a trance She’s never seen TV" Then she laughed and her whole face lit up "Well, she was in a trance and now she’s asleep right on the floor and I’ame in years!"
He chuckled and remained at the bottom of the stairs "No TV at the camp, I take it," he said
"No TV, no newspapers, no internet access, no phones No distractions, no corin again "Oh, how Ifor Mercy to watch?" he asked
"Evil cartoons She was in heaven"
"Have you eaten anything besides popcorn?" Rawley asked
She nodded "I scras and made some toast for Mercy I had a sandwich, chips, soda" She rolled her eyes "Soda! It was so good! And then the popcorn Should I turn off the TV now? So you can have peace and quiet?"
Rawley smiled She looked lit up fro quite this pleased with hiet my newspaper and a cola I like sports I used to watch with my dad before he died--that’s why there’s two recliners up there And you can watch the TV all night if you want to It don’t bother me Half the time I fall asleep in front of the TV"
"Newspaper!" she said in a breath
"I’ll share it with you"
Mercy rarely asked about the other kids or the other sisters from the family once she was introduced to television and the undivided attention of one mother rather than six They hardly ever left the house except to walk to the end of the street where there was a tiny park with swings and a slide, and that was just for a little exercise and fresh air Every day Rawley brought the new First, a couple of toys for Mercy--a baby doll with a diaper bag filled with miniature supplies--this ss Then he brought so books and bubbles Next, some library books--a few picture books for a three-year-old, a few novels he had asked a librarian to recoh," she said with a sht hoht want to use this It’s an old one Cooper let me have Do you kno to use it?"