Clem, or it’ll tear you apart. Right now, tell me about Dad. Tell me what makes him strong.”
“He is strong. If it wasn’t for the fucking cancer eating away at his organs, he’d be in the fields at the farm with his dogs beside him, checking on the crops or harvesting or giving an elementary school class a field-trip tour. He loves kids.”
“He sounds like a great person.”
“He is,” I said, my stomach churning. I turned to look out the window, and Zach seemed to sense that I needed some quiet time and privacy. He put on some bluesy jazz. I listened to the music and focused on the passing scenery.
Just after ten thirty Zach pulled up to the hospital’s emergency room and told me to go, that he’d find me. I took his hand, said a fast “Thank you,” and then ran.
Pneumonia. My dad would be fine. For now, anyway. The thousand-pound weights lifted off each shoulder as my mom said he might have to stay for a few days but would be all right. I kissed my dad’s cheek, hugged my mother, who sat down at his bedside, then I quietly left the room to see if Zach had come up yet.
Down the hall, Elizabeth was waiting for the elevator for a Starbucks herbal tea run when the doors pinged open. Zach stepped out; Elizabeth went in. I’d make the introductions later.
“Any word?” he asked.
“He’s going to be all right—for now.”
He squeezed my hand. “Glad to hear that.”
“My sister went on a tea run to Starbucks. My mom’s expecting the docs back with my father’s test results in the next half hour or so. Looks like a waiting area over there,” I said, gesturing across the hall.
Zach sat beside me in the otherwise empty waiting room. He didn’t touch the stack of magazines scattered on the table. He didn’t pull out his iPhone and check his messages. He just sat there, next to me. “Zach, thanks for being here. For bringing me. I couldn’t even think straight when my sister first called me. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Except maybe to admit I might have been a little wrong about you,” I said.
He smiled and slung an arm around my shoulder. “Oh, wait, you do owe me that mushroom burger. Someone clearly doesn’t want me to ever try it, though.”
I laughed—and I didn’t think I was capable. “Who knows what’ll happen the next time I attempt to audition it for you?”
He smiled and took my hand, holding it between us on the armrest of his chair.
At midnight, Zach and I were in the bar of the Mayfair Hotel, which was right across the street from the hospital.When he’d heard that my dad would need to stay the weekend, Zach had booked three hotel rooms for my mother, sister, and me through Sunday—and paid for them in advance, which we were stunned to discover when we’d checked in.
“You two must be serious,” my mother had said with a prompting smile at the registration desk.
“He’s sort of a client, actually. Maybe the tiniest bit more. We’ll see. He’s dating all of L.A.”
“Well, all I know is that he’s incredibly generous. He drove you here and he took care of your family’s hotel arrangements with your dad in the hospital?”
“He seems like a nice guy, but don’t have expectations,” Elizabeth said as she’d pocketed her room key.
“He eats meat anyway,” I mumbled.
“So do I. And we get along fine.”
“Yeah, but I have to get along with you.”
Elizabeth yanked the ends of my hair, then she and Mom headed to the elevator, both looking as exhausted as I’m sure I did. I went to find Zach; he was waiting for me at a little round table by the window in the hotel bar. He looked so damned gorgeous under the low lights, a half-moon in the high window above his head. We had a glass of wine and made small talk, mostly, about hospitals, about this part of California, about how you just never knew what life would throw at you.
“So now I owe you even more,” I said. His generosity had almost knocked me on my ass. There was
“He is strong. If it wasn’t for the fucking cancer eating away at his organs, he’d be in the fields at the farm with his dogs beside him, checking on the crops or harvesting or giving an elementary school class a field-trip tour. He loves kids.”
“He sounds like a great person.”
“He is,” I said, my stomach churning. I turned to look out the window, and Zach seemed to sense that I needed some quiet time and privacy. He put on some bluesy jazz. I listened to the music and focused on the passing scenery.
Just after ten thirty Zach pulled up to the hospital’s emergency room and told me to go, that he’d find me. I took his hand, said a fast “Thank you,” and then ran.
Pneumonia. My dad would be fine. For now, anyway. The thousand-pound weights lifted off each shoulder as my mom said he might have to stay for a few days but would be all right. I kissed my dad’s cheek, hugged my mother, who sat down at his bedside, then I quietly left the room to see if Zach had come up yet.
Down the hall, Elizabeth was waiting for the elevator for a Starbucks herbal tea run when the doors pinged open. Zach stepped out; Elizabeth went in. I’d make the introductions later.
“Any word?” he asked.
“He’s going to be all right—for now.”
He squeezed my hand. “Glad to hear that.”
“My sister went on a tea run to Starbucks. My mom’s expecting the docs back with my father’s test results in the next half hour or so. Looks like a waiting area over there,” I said, gesturing across the hall.
Zach sat beside me in the otherwise empty waiting room. He didn’t touch the stack of magazines scattered on the table. He didn’t pull out his iPhone and check his messages. He just sat there, next to me. “Zach, thanks for being here. For bringing me. I couldn’t even think straight when my sister first called me. I owe you.”
“You don’t owe me anything.”
“Except maybe to admit I might have been a little wrong about you,” I said.
He smiled and slung an arm around my shoulder. “Oh, wait, you do owe me that mushroom burger. Someone clearly doesn’t want me to ever try it, though.”
I laughed—and I didn’t think I was capable. “Who knows what’ll happen the next time I attempt to audition it for you?”
He smiled and took my hand, holding it between us on the armrest of his chair.
At midnight, Zach and I were in the bar of the Mayfair Hotel, which was right across the street from the hospital.When he’d heard that my dad would need to stay the weekend, Zach had booked three hotel rooms for my mother, sister, and me through Sunday—and paid for them in advance, which we were stunned to discover when we’d checked in.
“You two must be serious,” my mother had said with a prompting smile at the registration desk.
“He’s sort of a client, actually. Maybe the tiniest bit more. We’ll see. He’s dating all of L.A.”
“Well, all I know is that he’s incredibly generous. He drove you here and he took care of your family’s hotel arrangements with your dad in the hospital?”
“He seems like a nice guy, but don’t have expectations,” Elizabeth said as she’d pocketed her room key.
“He eats meat anyway,” I mumbled.
“So do I. And we get along fine.”
“Yeah, but I have to get along with you.”
Elizabeth yanked the ends of my hair, then she and Mom headed to the elevator, both looking as exhausted as I’m sure I did. I went to find Zach; he was waiting for me at a little round table by the window in the hotel bar. He looked so damned gorgeous under the low lights, a half-moon in the high window above his head. We had a glass of wine and made small talk, mostly, about hospitals, about this part of California, about how you just never knew what life would throw at you.
“So now I owe you even more,” I said. His generosity had almost knocked me on my ass. There was
Similar Books
