He sighed. “Why did you stop by the office today. I was surprised to see you.”
“Dad had given me a hard, time about being so grumpy. I just wanted to see you.”
Josh frowned at her and laid his fork on his plate. “That isn’t good. You’re going through a lot.”
She smiled at him. “It’s fine babe. I know I’ve been a bear.”
She was eating oatmeal with bananas and apples pureed mixed in. Josh leaned over a little and looked in her bowl. “What is that?”
“Oatmeal with what I would swear is baby food, but your mom said is pureed fruit.”
He chuckled. “Dad said she’s been trying different things on him to give to you. Some not so good.”
Sophie took a bite while she shook her head at Josh. “Your poor dad. I feel sorry for him being your Mom’s guinea pig on my account.”
“She’s worried about you. Thinks you’re getting too scrawny. Mom said losing too much weight is not good.”
Sophie laid her spoon down. “Do you guys just sit around and talk about me?”
“No,” Josh frowned at her. “Sophie, we’re all worried about you. We’ll be glad when this is over.”
“No one more than me.” She took another bite. “Some people don’t lose weight. Some gain. I’m just lucky I guess.”
“How much have you lost?” Josh asked.
“Madge weighed me today. I think maybe when I was twelve I might have weighed what I did today.”
Josh breathed in and blew the air threw his lips. “That bad.”
“One O eight,” she told him.
“Damn, Sophie,” he whispered.
“Well, we have something else I can eat to relieve poor Marcy of keeping me in rice pudding. I love this oatmeal with pureed fruit and the mac and cheese, your mom made.”
Josh glanced across at his wife. “I’m certainly glad something is appealin
g to you. I know it hasn’t been easy. Want to try some of this?” He extended his fork to her.
“I’ll stick with my oatmeal.”
They were quiet for a while. Then she told him what she was thinking about Russack Landscaping and how it felt being there today.
Josh laid his fork on his plate. “Sophie, you’ve been my partner for fifteen years. That is still your spot, and no one can replace you.”
She laid her hand on his thigh. “I understand what you’re saying but I feel like this was an awakening for me. I stopped doing anything creative that I used to do.”
Josh looked away.
“Would you be upset if I didn’t come back?”
He turned back to her. “I miss you not being there,” he admitted. “It’s not the same but Soph, it’s about what you want now.” Josh covered Sophie’s hand where it rested on his leg.
“I don’t know what that is yet, but I’ll figure it out.”
He leaned over, and she met him halfway. His lips brushed across hers. “I love you, Sophie. I just want you to be here when I come home at the end of the day. That is most important to me.”
She frowned at him. “I’ll be fine, Josh.”