Page 78 of Tempting the Heart

“It’s definitely different from Marigold.” I wandered to the bedroom and the connecting bathroom. “This seems nice. Their couch would fit.”

Tyler nodded. “It’s great. We’ll take it.”

My eyes widened, knowing the wrath he might face for this decision, but it seemed like a good fit.

“Nancy mentioned Mr. Grant was still in the hospital and would be transferred to a rehab facility. We do have a shuttle service to both locations.”

A little bit of tension lifted from Tyler’s gaze as a smile finally approached his lips. “That’s great.”

I nodded in agreement, realizing what this might mean.

Marigold Island wasn’t off-limits any longer.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Tyler

Everything had happened so quickly that I hadn’t had the chance to ask Bethany what it was that my dad said to her that made her make the initial call. It didn’t even fully occur to me that she’d mentioned him saying something that set her off until after I’d returned to the hospital and assured my mom that it was a lovely place.

My dad was still groggy, and we’d decided not to mention anything about the temporary nursing home until we knew for sure.

But it was Monday afternoon, and I was extremely exhausted. Instead of transporting my dad to his next physical therapy appointment, I tried to guess which items to pack for my mom.

Truthfully, once my mom saw the apartment last night, she never uttered another word about returning to Marigold.

I’d found a recliner at a local furniture store, hauled it in the back of my rental truck, and moved it to my parents’ new apartment last night with Mae’s help.

I couldn’t have done it without her.

My mom slept in the recliner, and we ordered a new bed and mattress online that should arrive sometime this week.

Even though I kept offering to bring some of her furniture to the new place, she refused, which was fine with me. Maybe this fresh start would help make her kind.

I chuckled to myself and shook my head.

No. That was pushing it.

As I zipped up a bag for my mom, I looked around their home and knew why the medics had reported the place. It was as if someone had been on a rampage, the place imploding with just… stuff.

I didn’t know what to think about this place as I walked to the front door. I looked around and shook my head, knowing Paul and I could deal with it later once the dust settled.

Closing the door behind me, I smiled at how good the new porch looked. The fresh paint on the house made the home look great. It was amazing how a few little tweaks could help the appearance. It was just a shame that once a person opened the front door, it looked like an avalanche of junk.

But as I climbed into my truck, my heart sank because I still wasn’t sure about Marigold or being only a ferry ride away from my mom and dad. It took everything I had not to come unglued when my mom slung insults left and right at Mae. All I wanted to do was protect Mae and shield her from the nastiness, but I was the one bringing that cruelty to her life.

It didn’t sit well with me.

I’d tried so hard over the years to be better and do better, but the moment the viciousness came out of my parents’ mouths, it was like it threw me right back to where I didn’t want to be.

Guilt by association.

Mae continuously laughed off the comments, but it wasn’t right. She should never have had to deal with that stuff.

Ever.

I let out a defeated sigh and placed the bag for my mom on the passenger seat. The next ferry didn’t come for an hour, and I planned on killing some time at Mae’s, grabbing some coffee for the road.

As I turned on the engine and slowly backed out of the driveway, I wondered why I would ever consider staying.

---