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GettingDadtoMarylandwasn’t the nightmare I had worried it would be. He had been uncharacteristically relaxed on the plane, reading his book and occasionally looking out the window to see if we were flying over anything interesting. It had been a relief, and I had dared to hope that maybe this trip would turn out okay after all. Maybe it would even be fun. Dad loved history; maybe we could visit Fort McHenry while we were in Baltimore.
And then I lost Dad at baggage claim.
It was an excruciating ten minutes before we finally located him outside the airport, trying to convince a taxi driver to take him to 21 Ridgeview Lane. I apologized to the driver, and reminded Dad that we were now in Baltimore, not Hart’s Ridge. Dad couldn’t seem to wrap his brain around that information, but hey, at least he remembered his home address? For now, anyway. How much time did we have before that disappeared, too?
Because that’s what it felt like. Like my dad was disappearing, right before my very eyes. And I was helpless to do anything to stop it.
But for now, I would settle for stopping Dad from taking a taxi from Baltimore to North Carolina and making the whole thing a little bit easier on Mom. It wasn’t much. It gave me an uncomfortable glimpse of what her life must have been like lately before I returned to Hart’s Ridge. How the hell was she going to manage when I left again?
She shouldn’t have to.
But that was a worry for later. Right now, I needed to get my parents to the hotel. One thing at a time, one foot in front of another.
Two hours later, we were checked in to the hotel and settled into adjoining rooms. We vetoed the hotel restaurant in favor of room service. Mom managed to convince Dad to eat half a burger and a few bites of salad before going to bed. Now Mom and I were enjoying our dinner, listening to the comforting sounds of Dad sleeping in the adjoining room.
Comforting because if he was snoring, it meant he was safe in bed, not trying to hail another taxi.
“I don’t know how you’ve been managing all this on your own.” I rubbed the knot of muscle between my neck and shoulder. “It’s exhausting.” It was a subtle hint. If she asked me to stay in Hart’s Ridge, I absolutely would without a second thought.
“Well, I’m not managing all on my own,” she said bluntly. “Suzie helps. It’s not ideal for her, with all the children, but she does it. These appointments with specialists are so hard to get, you know, and time matters so much in HD. We didn’t want to wait, even though the timing with Andy was terrible. We had a plan, in case you couldn’t come back from Peru. Sam was going to come with me, and Nora was going to stay with Suzie and the kids. So, that’s how I manage. Bynotdoing it alone.”
Hearing Nora’s name unexpectedly tossed out like that knocked me off kilter and sent a wave of longing through me. It had been such a hard day, and it was only going to get harder from here. I wanted her. Not in a sexual way, either, although I wouldn’t say no to naked time with Nora. Everything felt better when she was around. More bearable.
I justwantedher.
As though she was reading my mind from six hundred miles away, my phone buzzed with a text from her. I opened it and found myself staring at a photo of her and Brandon making goofy faces.
From Brandon: I hope the plane ride wasn't ruff!
I snorted at the pun. I was typing a response when a second text came through.
I’m sorry. I tried to stop him, but Brandon insisted. He thinks he’s hilarious!
I couldn’t help myself. I laughed out loud, then typed back a quick response.
Aww. Tell him I laughed. Puns are the best!
“What’s so funny?” Mom asked.
I looked up to find her watching me with a curious expression. “Nora. She texted me a photo of her dog and…anyway. It made me laugh.”
“Nora? Suzie’s Nora?”
My Nora.
But I couldn’t say that to my mom, so I nodded.
“I didn’t know you were friends.” She studied me, a small smile playing on her mouth. “I haven’t seen you look this happy in a long time. You must really like her dog.”
I shoveled some fries into my mouth to give me a moment before answering. After I swallowed it down and followed that with a gulp of soda, I said, “He’s a good boy.”
“Nora is a nice girl. I like her.”
I made a noncommittal grunt of agreement.
“Doyoulike Nora?” she pressed hopefully.
I gave her a warning look. “Mom.”
