Chapter 1
Mia
"Mia!" Lexi screams and tackles me, before I even get out of my car.
"That's one hell of a greeting." I joke with her, returning her hug.
"You’re here earlier than we expected you," she says.
"I left just before six a.m. this morning and hit almost no traffic on the way here. Though, I didn't stop for lunch, and I'm starving."
"Well, Noah is making sandwiches. Let me show you to your room, so you can get settled, and then eat."
Noah is her husband, and they have just as sappy a relationship as my best friend, Ellie, does with her husband, Owen. They both give me hope that my own sappy love story is still out there.
I follow Lexi around to the side of the house.
"You have your own private entrance here." She says, as she unlocks the side door, and then hands me the key ring.
We walk into what is the basement of her house, only it doesn't feel like a basement. The one wall is all floor to ceiling windows, including a sliding glass door out to the backyard.
"This whole place is yours. There are two bedrooms, so take your pick," Lexi says.
"Wow, I was really just expecting a room. This is an entire apartment." I say, still in shock.
"It was like this, when we bought the house, so we figured it would be good for events like this," Lexi says.
“Can I come down? I have food." Noah calls from the top of the stairs.
"Yes, please!" I call back.
"This door closes and locks, so you can have some privacy. The laundry room is at the foot of the stairs, and you’re welcome to join us anytime for a meal," Lexi says, just as Noah enters the room.
"Take her up on that. She’s an amazing cook," he says.
Noah smiles at Lexi, and it slightly stretches the scars on his face. He was in an IED blast on his last deployment, and he saved Lexi's brother's life. In doing so, he was badly burned on the right side of his body.
It's what brought Lexi and Noah together, and Noah is the reason Lexi started Oakside Military Rehabilitation Home.
"I will, I promise," I tell them.
"Okay, well, you get settled. We’re going to head over and get some work done. If you want a tour, come on over. Just go out of the door we came in, and then go to your left. You’ll see a paved walking path, and that will lead you right over to Oakside. Go in the front door, and if I'm not there, just ask for me." Lexi leans in to hug me. "I'm so glad you're here! This is going to be a great summer."
With that, they both leave me alone in my new place. Taking a look around, I’m impressed with how bright a space it is for a basement. One corner of the large room is a kitchen with an island and bar stools. The other half is a living room with a TV and two couches.
The far side of the apartment has two bedrooms with a bathroom between them. When I peek in, they both seem about the same size, but one of them has one more window than the other, so I pick that one. Then, I set my bags in the room, before I go to my kitchen and eat the sandwich Noah made me.
While I eat, I text Ellie and let her know I made it.
Me: I’m here and settled. I have my own basement apartment, and not just a room.
Ellie: See! You will love Lexi.
Me: How was the trip?
Normally, I'm the nanny to Ellie and Owen's two little girls, but they decided, since it's summer break to take a two month family vacation. Owen insisted on paying me anyway, so I could have taken a vacation anywhere I chose. Perks of your best friend marrying a billionaire.
Instead, I decided to come down and volunteer at Oakside. This is a charity Ellie has been helping out ever since they opened about six months ago, and I wanted to volunteer as well.
Oakside is a rehabilitation facility for men and women wounded in action. Once they’re cleared from the hospital, they can come here to continue treatments. But instead of a hospital, it feels like a bed-and-breakfast.
I can't wait to learn more and see how they run it.
Ellie: It's great. We’re exploring Nashville today.
They left two days ago and are heading up to Chicago, and then they’re going to drive the old Route 66 to California. From there, up the Pacific Coast Highway and then back, all in this top-of-the-line RV that Owen bought. That thing is nicer than the apartments Ellie and I were living in, when she met Owen. It’s bigger than this apartment, too.
Me: Good. Send tons of photos. I'm going to unpack.
Ellie: You send photos, too! Talk soon!
I finish up my sandwich, go to my room, and unpack. I only have two bags of clothes with me, because I figured I'd want to be comfortable, while at Oakside and wouldn't have a reason to dress up, so packing was easy.
Once unpacked, I grab my phone, and the key Lexi gave me, and then head out of the door. The walking path is right where Lexi said it would be. It's a large sidewalk with benches and lighting along the way. It’s wide enough that four people could walk side-by-side and still have some room.
I round a curve, and Oakside stands in front of me.
Wow.
It's more magnificent than the photos give it credit for. An old, southern, plantation home stands in front of me. The massive two-story columns look like something from Gone with The Wind.
The original plantation home has a two-story L-shaped wing attached. But in the center, is a beautiful front porch, and I make my way there.
I step inside to the lobby, which looks like a massive living room with a ceiling over twelve feet tall. The center piece is this huge stone fireplace surrounded by seating areas with couches, chairs, and love seats.
On either side of the lobby, are glass walls that overlook small courtyards between the lobby and the added-on wings on the building.
Behind the front desk are Lexi, and another girl with dark brown hair, and a golden retriever dog at her side.
"Mia!" Lexi waves me over.
"This is Paisley, and the dog is Molly. This is Mia." Lexi introduces us.
"Nice to meet you." I smile at them.
"My Easton is walking around here somewhere. He's security and has a dog with him, too. Her name is Allie. If the vest is on, we don't touch, but if the vest is off, they’re free to play." Paisley smiles, and I nod.
"Let me give you the grand tour," Lexi says.
"Oh, can I come, too?" Paisley asks.
"Of course!" Lexi says.
"This is the lobby, and down this hallway is the dining room, library, and PT room," Lexi says, heading down one of the halls that leads to the side wing of the house.
"This is where most of the patients eat their meals. Some will eat in their room, but that's up to them. You’re free to eat here as well." Lexi hands me a badge. "This badge is your all-access key that allows you anywhere on the grounds. Also, you can use it to get meals."
She shows me the library with the desks and computers, which patients use, the PT room, and the therapist’s office, before going back to the lobby. There’s an elevator behind the original staircase that we take up to the second floor.
"Up here, we have ten rooms, and two more on the third floor," Lexi shows me an empty room. "Each room is decorated differently and has its own bathroom. There’s a staff bathroom on the basement level, where the offices and kitchen are."
"How many rooms are on the main level?"
"Six. Each room is numbered. You’ll mostly be visiting patients there. What we need is for you to keep them company, get them to their appointments, and help with that sort of thing. Always do as the nurses and doctors tell you. Don't get offended if patients don't talk to you, or don't want to be around you. They’re all in different stages of healing," Lexi says.
"When he first got here, my Easton didn't talk to anyone, or even allow people in his room," Paisley says, just as a man with a dog walks up accompanied by Noah. He wraps his arm around Paisley's waist and pulls her in for a kiss.
Even though my heart clenches, I smile. Another head over heels in love couple. While I’m happy for them, I can't help but wonder, if I’ll ever find that, too.
"This is my Easton," Paisley says.
Easton nods, but doesn't say anything. He’s a tall man and all muscles. A dark beard covers his face, as tattoos and scars cover his arms.
"You were a patient here?" I ask him.
He nods, "I was a prisoner of war, and it took me a while to come back from that. Noah never gave up on me, even when I had given up on myself. Then, in came Paisley, who was going to drag me kicking and screaming, if she had to from isolating myself."
"Did she get a tour?" Noah asks.
"Yep, we just finished." Lexi smiles up at him.
"So, what do you think?" Noah asks.
"This place is wonderful. I'm so happy to be here for the summer," I say.
"How do you feel about starting now?" Lexi asks.
"Oh, I'd love, too!"
"Good. There’s a guy in room three that I'd like you to sit with. He's healing well physically, but he's shut down and doesn’t want to get better. Though he's in a wheelchair, he needs to learn to walk again. Finding someone to talk to, would be a start, but don't push too hard. If you can figure out what’s triggering him, then that would be a huge help," Lexi says.
"On it!" I say, going down the hallway towards room three. I don't know what waits for me, but I just hope I can be of some kind of help.
