Page 11 of Stronger Than Blood
Her eyes lit up. “Do you know their names? You could be related to my husband’s family.” I wanted to chuckle at how unlikely that was, considering she was white, and I assumed the rift between my grandparents and this bunch of Kennedys was because of their biracial marriage, but I shrugged.
“I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I was told by a family friend that the Kennedys ran the drug store in town. I-I need to do a little more research, but I’m hoping—”
She reached over and took my hand. “Do you think Elias Kennedy is the family you’re talking about? Where are you from?”
I blushed again. “Um, I grew up on a farm between Brentwood and Franklyn.”
“Oh, that’s you then. He’s going to be so excited. He said he didn’t think any of his people were left. That his cousins had owned a farm, but it’d been sold after they passed away.”
I stared at her, speechless. Could this really be happening? I hadn’t even been a hundred percent sure it was real until now. “Um, well… like I said, I’m not totally sure.”
She must’ve seen my hesitation. “Are you staying in town, or are you only here today?” she asked.
I probably should’ve lied and said I wasn’t staying. It was becoming too much for me. I usually avoided people and spent my days in the dark recesses of Madam Bellamy’s shop. “I… well, I’m staying at the local hotel.”
She beamed. “Well, if you want, my husband is Elias Kennedy, and he has breakfast here every morning before work. You can meet him and see.”
I nodded and pulled my wallet out to pay. “So, um… well, I’ll do some research tonight.” Then I thought if he was Rebecca’s dad, he might be suspicious, so I said, “Here, let me write down my family’s names. That way, he can do his own research. If it all works out… well, then we’ll know.”
She handed me a pad and paper, and I wrote my parents’ and grandparents’ names down. Then, I put the address of the farm, which we no longer owned, but I’d never forget that address as long as I lived. “This is my family’s information. I’ll look up Elias’s name and then meet you here tomorrow. You said around eight?” She nodded happily. “Well, thank you, Mrs. Kennedy,” I said and left. I should just go home. Leave now. I wasn’t ready. I wasn’t even sure I believed what Madam Bellamy had said. Maybe I was grasping at straws. I went back to my hotel room, thinking I might pack and disappear, but then I remembered the look on Madam Bellamy’s face when she mentioned the evil man who wanted us dead.
Was it possible that my extended family was at risk? The code, according to Madam Bellamy, was to do good and never look the other way. So, with that thought in mind, I closed the curtains, brushed my teeth, and crawled into bed. I hadn’t brought anything to read, so I figured I’d watch TV until I fell asleep—if I could fall asleep after the weird day I’d had.
Chapter eight
Mick
“She’s recovering, thank you, ma’am,” I said at Mrs. Kennedy’s, Brenda’s, questioning. Somehow, Brenda was related to us through her Hensley side. Hell, it seemed like I was related to everyone. But Brenda was Granny Ida’s great-niece or great-great-niece on her husband’s side—I wasn’t quite sure.
“Do you think you’ll be able to provide us with any produce this year? I know your Granny isn’t going to be up to much.”
I shrugged. Brenda had been buying fresh tomatoes from Granny Ida long before I moved here. “I’ll be keeping up with the garden, but…” I hesitated. The doctor had said Granny would likely recover, but that she shouldn’t live alone.
“Well, bless her heart and bless yours. I’m sure she’s fit to be tied,” she said, and I laughed.
“Well, you know her. Luckily, her stroke was minor, and she’s regained use of her arm, and her face is back to normal, but they’re going to keep her for a while. The doctor wants her to go to Chattanooga skilled nursing.”
“That’s a decent place. My mom was there for a while,” Brenda said with a sigh. We both knew Granny Ida was gonna hate it,but what could I do? I didn’t know how to take care of her, and she needed physical therapy, occupational therapy, and a variety of other services I didn’t understand.
“Anyway, I’m gonna go over and keep the garden going, but I can’t guarantee we’ll be able to do it after this year.”
Brenda smiled sadly. “Son, it’s been a miracle your granny’s done as well as she has at her age, but you don’t reckon you’re gonna move back to her place? I mean, it’s such a sweet little home.”
I shook my head. “No, I can’t see myself living there, not without Granny Ida.”
Someone came in behind me, and Brenda smiled and patted my hand before she said to let her Aunt Ida know she’d be coming by to see her soon. I turned to go and felt a warm sensation dance through me. I looked up into a pair of the most beautiful light brown eyes I’d ever seen.
The man was tall—six feet at least—probably a few inches more. I’d never been good at guessing that sorta thing. He smelled… like the forest right after a gentle rain, and even though I knew I was being creepy, I couldn’t pull my eyes from his.
“Mr. Kennedy, I’m so happy you made it back.” Mr. Kennedy? He must be related to Brenda’s husband’s family. He was probably one of the most handsome men in the world, which was no wonder, considering he shared the same genetics as Rebecca, who was renowned for her beauty.
He smiled at me as Brenda led him toward the back of the café. I stared after them, unsure why I felt so… strange after seeing the man. It wasn’t just attraction; there was something else underneath that I couldn’t quite put my finger on.
It made me think of the house. Holy shit, that house. We’d just been talking about it. Now it made sense why my reaction to the sexy man had been so mixed up with that. Had I just had anotherspell? Oh well, no point in pondering that now. I’d be avoiding the damn place anyway, and when Granny Ida was settled, I’d address what needed worrying about then.
I glanced one last time toward where he and Brenda had disappeared and shook my head before leaving the café and heading back to my car. If I got home soon, I could at least get four hours sleep and still have time to get to the hospital to see Granny before I had to be at work.
***
