Treasure Me (Rough Edges 4)

Chapter 13

Raquel

My mother doesn’t seem to get my point from last night. Instead of egging it on, I just let it be, and invite them over for dinner tonight, without Eli. If this is going to go well, he doesn’t need to be present. If she expects me to apologize for my outburst yesterday, it’s not happening.

The front desk clerk is typing away on her phone and looks up at me as I come back from making my morning rounds.

“What did you do yesterday?” she asks.

“Dealt with family. You?”

She shows me her hand. “Holy crap. Congratulations.”

I don’t want to stay in the same room with her for too long, because I’ll have to hear about wedding planning for the next decade, so I make up an excuse of needing to check on a resident and get out of there. It’s not a total lie, because I plan on checking on Don, anyway. I’m sure Jeremy will ask how he is doing when we meet up.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

“Come in!”

Out of all the residents I’ve had the pleasure of overseeing, I think he has had the easiest transition of them all. This could be because he didn’t have any socialization besides family since his diagnosis.

“Just wanted to check in on you. Jeremy and I are meeting up for a coffee and you know he’s going to ask about you.”

He shoots me a funny look. “Are you and my son dating?”

I cross my arms. “No, just friends. Nothing to worry about.”

“I’m not worried. You seem like a nice woman, and Jeremy would be lucky to have you.”

His father doesn’t seem to have a problem, and it puts me at ease to know that. I’m surprised Jeremy hasn’t mentioned our meetups at all to him. Did he think his father wouldn’t approve?

“Well, I’m heading out for lunch. I’ll tell Jeremy you said hi.”

I don’t meet up with people to talk about their problems, but with Jeremy, it’s different. I’m a part of this ride now and if I can use any of my knowledge to make this difficult time in his life any easier, then I will do it tenfold.

I wave to the clerk and walk out the door to the coffee shop down the street. It’s not always had the best food, but with the new management, the sandwiches are decent.

“Glad to see you could make it. I know you have better things to do on your lunch than be stuck here with me,” Jeremy says.

I smile, and stand next to him in line to order, while trying not to stare at him. He is in his uniform, and some women aren’t able to keep their eyes off of him. Not that I can blame them, but here he is, standing next to him in all his glory.

“Work treating you well today?” I ask, just trying to make conversation.

He leans into me. “It’s work. Been slow. You?”

I toss around the idea of mentioning his dad’s comment, but decide to wait.

“Welcome to MoJoe’s,” the barista says.

We both order a turkey club and a caramel latte, and then find a seat until they call our names. He stares out the window, almost with sad eyes, and I can tell something is bothering him. The fact that he talks to me about these things says something. He trusts me.

“So, what did you want to talk about? I’m all ears for the next forty-five minutes.”

Jeremy half smiles, and expresses his concerns about Donald. The fear of losing him too soon, and how life is going to be without him. “I just don’t feel like I have a purpose anymore. You know, with him, he depended on me every day, and now it’s just me. Idle hands have never been my strong suit.”

The transition to having the patient out of the home is hard on the family members who were taking care of them. They question if it’s the best place for them, but Jeremy knows I’m taking good care of Don.

“Maybe you should find a hobby. Something to keep your mind busy while you are home,” I suggest.