Текст книги "Unmistakeable"

Автор книги: Abby Reynolds

сообщить о нарушении

Текущая страница: 3 (всего у книги 11 страниц)

CHAPTER SEVEN

Ash

I knew I had a new neighbor, but I had no idea it was her.

The hottest girl in the damn world.

I made such an idiot out of myself last time we spoke. She probably loathed me and thought I was a creep that had no game. Now I had to see her every day. I might run into her on Sundays when I went outside to grab the paper. We might check our mail at the same time.

I was doomed.

I had my clinical shift in the afternoon, so I decided to do my laundry in the morning. I usually got too distracted during the day, and a week would pass without getting it done. But I was out of gym clothes and underwear, so something needed to be cleaned.

I went down to the laundry room then opened the washer. There were delicates inside—woman’s delicates. A lacy black bra and a few thongs were inside. They were dry and abandoned. I looked around and realized no one was around. Perhaps they forgot their things?

I shrugged then pulled everything out, putting it off to the side. I wrapped my hand in a towel so I wouldn’t have to touch anything directly.

Gross.

Then I threw my stuff inside.

“Excuse me?” A beautiful voice reached my ears. It made the hair stand up on the back of my neck. Without turning around, I knew who it was. Only one woman could sound like that. My body had become entranced to her presence and appearance. Even if I were blindfolded, I would know it was she. The smell of lavender was heavy.

I turned around. “Hey there.” Hey there? God, I sounded like a douchebag.

She didn’t look happy. “You can’t wait your turn?”

Huh? “Sorry?”

“My clothes.  You just decided to move them and do your laundry instead? Sorry, doc. Other people have places to be too. Maybe we don’t save lives, but we’re still important.”

I was pretty sure she hated me. “I…I didn’t know they were yours.”

She put her hands on her hips. “Regardless of who they belong to, you were still rude.”

“I didn’t know if the owner was coming back.”

She held up her laundry soap. “I just ran back to pick up this. I was gone less than a minute.”

Her attitude was starting to get on my nerves. “I’m sorry. I did what any other person would do.”

“Not me.” She walked over to a different machine and put her laundry soap on it. “I would have just used the other machine.”

“It’s out of order,” I snapped.

“No, it isn’t,” she hissed. She threw her clothes inside then started it. “See?”

It wasn’t working last time I was down here. “I didn’t know, geez.”

“Looks like someone cheated on their MCAT…”

I had a very short fuse and it was hard for me to hold my tongue. I said whatever came to mind and didn’t hold back. And I couldn’t keep my attitude in check with her. “Are you on your period or something?”

She turned to me, her eyes wide. “I just don’t like jerks.”

“Jerks? When was I ever a jerk to you?” I clenched my fist while I stared her down.

She started to mimic me. “Oh, I’m in medical school. Look in my wallet and see how much money I have. Oh, look at my flashy car. Okay, now that you’ve seen my resume, can we cut the shit and fuck at my place?” She rolled her eyes. “Despicable.”

Okay, I did come off bad. “I politely asked if you wanted to hook up. So what? People do that.”

“I don’t.”

I had to admit I was disappointed. “Maybe you wouldn’t be such a bitch if you got laid once in a while.”

She flashed me a look of hatred.

Damn, why did I say that? “I take it back.” I said it before she could open her mouth and reciprocate. “I’m sorry.” I held up my hand. “Sorry.”

She growled then moved to the chair in the corner, taking out her laptop. She didn’t look at me again.

After I stared at her for a moment, I threw my stuff in the washer and started it.

Then it became awkward. She stared at her laptop and ignored me. I stood in the corner and played with my phone. When I got tired of standing, I sat in a chair, a foot between us. Curious to see what she was going, I peeked at her screen.

I expected her to be on Facebook or looking at her own selfies but she wasn’t. She using Photoshop to crop and enhance an image of the foothills. A silhouette was in the background, a woman’s silhouette. “Did you take that?” I blurted.

She flashed me that same look of annoyance. “Maybe you should mind your own business.”

“I was just curious, geez. It’s not like you work for the government.”

“How do you know I don’t?” she challenged.

“Then I really want to know what that picture is for.”

She turned her gaze back to the screen.

“If that is a picture taken by you, you are very talented.” Maybe a compliment would douse the heat between us.

She glanced at me from the corner of her eye. “Thank you.” There was no venom.

Phew. We made some progress. “When did you move in?”

“About a week ago.” She changed the color of the background slightly, and cropped a rock in the distance.

“You like it so far?”

“I did until I realized you were my neighbor.”

I smirked. “Well, I’m a nice guy. I’ll get your paper for you when you are on vacation and I’m pretty quiet.”

“No roommates?” she asked.

“I’m alone.” I wanted to make sure she knew that. “Are you alone?” Say yes.

“I don’t have any roommates.”

“Cool.” Cool? “So, what do you do for a living?”

“I’m a photographer.” She saved the image then exited out of the program.

I wasn’t expecting that. “Oh.”

“Oh?” She eyed me. “Why are you surprised?”

“I just assumed you would be the subject of the picture, not the person behind the lens.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“I thought you were a model or something.”

She chuckled. “No, definitely not.”

Why was that funny? “How long have you been doing it?”

“For a few years. I do free lance stuff but I’m trying to get better gigs.”

“Judging that picture, I’m sure you’ll go far.” I wasn’t feeding her a line.

“Thanks…”

I wanted our conversation to keep going. “My sister is an artist.”

“Really?” She seemed interested. “What does she do? Paint? Sculpt?”

“She’s a painter. And she’s very good.”

“I guess you’re the analytical one of the family.”

I shrugged. “She’s way smarter than I am. She just applies it in a different way.”

She looked at me again. “You’re fond of her?”

“I hate her but I love her. You wouldn’t understand my meaning unless you had a sibling.”

“I do. I have a younger sister.”

That must have been her friend at the bar. “Then you do.” I leaned back in the chair and crossed my foot at my knee.

“A little too well.” She laughed lightly.

Silence ensued again. Talking to her was nice. Most of the time I was annoyed with girls. They talked too much and said things I didn’t care about. I had to pretend I was listening most of the time. But Alaska seemed cool.

She was wearing yoga pants and a yellow t-shirt. Her legs looked nice but I hadn’t gotten a look at her ass yet. I’m sure it looked fucking wonderful. Being near her made me think dirty thoughts. I wanted to pin her to my bed and pound her pussy hard and fast. I was a good-looking guy. She must be attracted to me too. “The laundry is going to take awhile…”

She didn’t pick up on my hint.

“We could go to my place and pass the time…”

She looked me straight in the eye. “Doing what?”

I had a feeling she already knew. I sat up and leaned toward her, giving her my best smolder. “Whatever you want, baby.”

She cringed. “You’re gross.”

What…?

“Why do you do that?

“Do what?”

“We were having a great conversation and then you tried to have sex with me. I made it pretty clear I’m not a one-night stand kind of girl. And you ask in such a sleazy way. I’m sure you get girls to do it all the time, but call me old-fashioned or call me classy, but that’s not how I roll.”

She should have just slapped me in the face. It would have hurt less.

She rolled her eyes then turned her attention back to her computer.

That blew up in my face. I stayed silent while I waited for my laundry. She didn’t try to make conversation and neither did I. My pride was wounded and now I was in a bad mood. I could score any girl that I wanted, but then when a really spectacular girl came along, I couldn’t have her. It wasn’t fair.

When her laundry was finally done, she pulled it out of the dryer, giving me a gorgeous view of her ass.

I shoved my fist in my mouth because it looked so nice.

She folded her laundry, keeping her back to me.

I let myself fantasize about her. Her legs were thin and toned, and she had a tiny waist. Her shoulders were slim and her hair reached down her back.

When she finished, she didn’t turn around. “Are you done staring at my ass?”

Fuck, how did she know that?

I looked up and noticed the mirror on the wall. The angle was perfect for her to see my face on the other side of the room.

Just shoot me.

She grabbed her basket and walked out.

Yeah…she hated me.

It was another night at the hospital. It wouldn’t be so bad if I were getting paid. Doing this for free wasn’t exactly fulfilling. I checked my patient’s lab work before I walked inside. Her blood thinners weren’t helping. Heparin didn’t work and her D-dimer was still through the roof.

Surgery was looking like a greater possibility.

I avoided such drastic measures as much as possible. No matter how simple a procedure was, it was still surgery, and the side effects were usually worse than the procedure itself. She could get an infection or worse. In terms of medicine, I was a conservative. I always postponed serious decisions as long as possible, hoping something else would come up.

I walked inside and began my work.

She didn’t look happy to see me. She glanced at me then ignored me.

“Hello, Mrs. Patelo.” I said it right this time.

Her eyes turned to me. “Wow. You finally remembered.”

I smiled. “Or did you prefer the other name?”

“What do you think?” she challenged.

I got to work and took care of my patient. When I sat on my stool at the foot of the bed, I checked the swelling of her leg. It was still greater than I wanted it to be. In my line of sight, I noticed the book on her nightstand. It was untouched.

I pulled her gown back down and made my notes. Then I stood up. “Is there anything you need before I leave?”

Here it comes.

She stared at the soap opera on the TV. The volume wasn’t working so she was watching the subtitles. “No.”

No? She wasn’t going to bug me?

“Bye, Dr. James.”

Okay. That was too easy.

She seemed down today. “Mrs. Patelo, is there something on your mind?”

She shrugged. “I’m stuck in the hospital. That’s about it.”

I flipped through her chart quickly. “Where’s Mr. Patelo?”

“He died a few years ago.” She said it without sadness, just calm acceptance.

“Oh. Your children?”

She was quiet for a while. “I don’t have any children.”

“I thought you said you have a granddaughter?”

“I do. Actually, I have two. But their parents are worthless and horrible people. I want nothing to do with them, and they better not come near my grandbabies.” She said it calmly, without any rage.

I didn’t realize she was so lonely. I sat back down on the stool. Silence stretched for a while as I sat beside her. The pity rose in my heart, something I hadn’t felt in a long time.

Then I grabbed the book on her nightstand. “Can I read to you?”

For the first time, she smiled at me. “I would love that.”

I examined the cover. “Harry Potter?”

“It’s one of my favorite books.”

“I’ve never read it.”

“Now you will.”

I smiled then opened the book. Then I began to read.

She stared at my face while I read through the pages. The reading level was low, so it was easy to get through. I felt awkward at first but it became more natural as time went by.

When I got a page from my supervising physician, I shut the book. “I have to go.”

“Okay. Thank you for reading to me, Dr. James.”

I smiled. “No problem.”

She kept staring at me. “I don’t believe the façade you put on. You act like you don’t care about anyone but yourself but I know it isn’t true. Deep down inside, you’re a sweetheart.”

This woman was more observant than I gave her credit for. “Don’t tell anyone.” I gave her a wink.

“Why don’t you want anyone to know?” Her voice became serious.

I shrugged, not responding.

“Come on. You can tell me, dear.”

I didn’t know this lady very well, but I felt strangely comfortable around her. She was honest and blunt but she was also gentle and loving, very maternal. Plus, she didn’t know who I was, and after her visit was over, I’d never see her again. “I guess I don’t want anyone to like me.”

She examined my face, watching every time I blinked and every time I breathed. “Why?”

“Because if they like me, they’ll get close to me.”

“And what’s bad about that?”

“Because if you care about someone, they can hurt you.” It was something I knew too well. “If you’re never close with anyone, you’ll be safe.”

“Who hurt you?”

Why was I telling this lady this? “My sister…something horrible happened to her. I was always withdrawn before but now I want everyone to stay away from me. My heart has already been broken. I couldn’t bare it if it broke again.”

She processed my words for a moment. “Your sister passed away?”

“No. Worse.”

“What?” she asked gently.

I hated saying the words. It made me sick. My sister was happy with Scotty. She didn’t seem haunted by her past, but it still killed me inside. I should have protected her. I was at that party. If I wasn’t busy being a jackass, I could have protected her. But I didn’t. “She was raped.”

Sadness came into her eyes. Then she reached out and grabbed my hand. “I’m so sorry, dear.” She seemed genuine. Her eyes squinted and her lip quivered.

“Thanks…I love her a lot. And I feel responsible for not protecting her.”

“Sometimes things are out of our control.”

I regretted a lot of things afterwards. I was a dick to her, constantly putting her down for becoming so reclusive to the world. Instead of helping her get back on her feet, I pushed her down. Even if I didn’t know why she was behaving that way, I should have been more sensitive. “She’s better now but…it still gets under my skin. I have nightmares about it.”

She rubbed my knuckles. “Your pain will pass in time.”

I had a feeling it wouldn’t.

My pager went off again. “Sorry, I have to go.”

“It’s okay,” she said. “Until our next meeting.”

“Yeah…”

CHAPTER EIGHT

Alaska

When I got a call from Livia, I didn’t know what to expect. All she said was she wanted to meet me. She didn’t explain why. What could a renowned artist have to say to me? We dealt with different mediums, but she was still a much better artist than I was. She captured images from her mind, not from reality. And that was an accomplishment in itself.

She walked into the coffee shop, wearing a purple sundress. I knew it was she the moment she stepped through the door. All the guys turned their heads, looking at her legs. Even I was looking.

She came to my table and greeted me. “Thanks for coming.”

“Thanks for inviting me.” I expected to shake hands, but she hugged me instead. I was surprised by her warmness. Artists tended to be cold and withdrawn.

She sat across from me. “So, how’s it going?”

“Great. I’m just trying to pick out my favorite pieces to put in the gallery.”

“That could take a while,” she said with a laugh. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”

I hoped this wouldn’t be bad news.

“I know this is a little weird, but I was inspired by your pictures.”

Okay…

“What if you took a picture and then I painted it? We could sell the photograph and the painting side by side. People would see an artist’s interpretation of reality, and they could have two opinions of the same idea.”

It was very unorthodox.

“I thought it would be cool to do for a showcase, not forever. It could be a collaboration of two artists, something that hardly ever happens. I ran the idea by Rydell and he liked it. He’s always looking for new ways to attract new people to his gallery.”

It was an idea I never would have conceived in a million years, but that didn’t make it a bad one. “I think we should do it.”

She smiled. “Really? That would be so much fun.”

“It would be an art project.”

‘Then let’s do it.” She clapped her hands excitedly. “I don’t know where you live but I have a house and there’s a lot of room there. We could work on it there. Unless you preferred your place, of course?”

“No, that sounds great,” I said immediately. “I live in an apartment so space is definitely limited.”

“Cool. Do you want to come over tomorrow?”

“Sure.”

“By the way, I live with my boyfriend so he’ll be hovering around somewhere.”

“I assumed he would be there based on your painting.”

She blushed. “Well, I’m glad you don’t have a problem with it.”

Not at all, other than jealousy.

“Then I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Definitely.”

Jace picked me up at eight. “Are you ready?” he asked.

“It wouldn’t matter if I wasn’t. I’m starving.” I grabbed my purse then stepped out the door.

He chuckled. “Then let’s go.”

Since we were outside my door, I grabbed the front of his shirt and kissed him. I hoped my perverted neighbor would see it and lay off.

“What was that for?” he whispered.

“Just because.” I slapped his ass then walked away.

We drove to our favorite Italian place then walked through the entrance. We went here pretty often, at least twice a month. It was where we had our first date, so it held a special place in our hearts.

“Reservations?” the host asked Jace.

“Yes, for two.”

The host looked at the list.

Jace suddenly had a pale look on his face. He didn’t react overtly, but I noticed his eyes were wider. “Actually, nevermind. Thank you anyway.”

Huh?

The host looked just as confused as I did. “Sir, we have a table ready for you.”

“I’m actually not feeling well.” He grabbed my hand and practically dragged me out of the restaurant. Once we were outside, he let my hand go.

“What’s wrong?” I asked immediately.

He kept walking to the parking lot. “I just don’t feel well…”

That was random. Jace never got sick and he never complained about pain. It must be serious. “Do you need to go to the hospital?”

“No, I’m fine,” he said quickly. He got my door opened and waited for me to sit down. He looked over his shoulder, like he was searching for someone, and then turned back to me. “Come on, baby.”

Why was he acting so weird? I did as he asked and sat down.

He got into the driver’s seat then pulled out of the parking lot, heading back to my apartment.

“Are you sure you don’t need to see a doctor?”

“No.” He kept glancing in the rearview mirror.

“What is it? Is it your stomach?”

“It’s…yeah, that’s it.”

“We can get some saltines and soda at the store.”

“No, I’m good.” He headed back to my apartment then parked the car. “I hate to bail but I think I’m going to head home.”

All of this happened so suddenly. “Is there something I can do?”

“No. I’ll be fine.” He leaned over and kissed me on the cheek. “But I should probably get home.”

“Okay. Well…call me if you need anything.”

“Sure.”

I got out of the car then watched him drive away. Once he was out of my line of sight, I processed what just happened. He was so jumpy and skittish. I’d never seen him act that way before.

Then the familiar white BMW pulled up.

I rolled my eyes, knowing exactly whom it belonged to.

He got out of the car and locked it. He was wearing his scrubs so I knew he just got off work. “Why are you standing outside like that?”

“Because it’s a free country,” I snapped.

“Ooh. What a good comeback.” The sarcasm was heavy in his voice. “We live in a nice neighborhood, but you really shouldn’t stand in the dark alone. That’s just some friendly advice.”

“You’ve never been friendly to me.”

He stood on the sidewalk, staring at me.

“What?” What was he looking at?

“I’m waiting so I can walk you to your door.”

“I can walk myself.”

“I realize that…but I’m trying to be a gentleman.”

“You couldn’t be one if you tried,” I snapped.

“Geez, are you this hostile to everyone?”

“Just to people I don’t like.”

“Hitler was nicer to people he didn’t like.” He stared me down.

“You’re comparing me to Hitler? Seriously?”

“The similarities are striking…”

I turned away and headed to my stairs. “You’re such a jerk.”

“No, I’m not. You just have unrealistic expectations of people.”

“I really don’t,” I said sadly. I got my key in the door. “Good night, Ashley.”

“Don’t call me that.” His voice filled with anger.

“It’s your name, right?”

“It’s Ash,” he said firmly. “And that’s how I liked to be referred.”

“Then why did you tell me your real name?” I questioned.

“I don’t know…I just did.”

“Ashley, it is.”

He growled at me.

“Well, goodnight.” I walked inside then slammed the door in his face before he could get another word in.

Once I was alone, I thought about Jace’s peculiar behavior. When he was sick, I usually stayed with him and made him soup. But now he wanted nothing to do with me. Maybe he had food poisoning…I wasn’t sure.

I lay on the couch and stared at the ceiling. My thoughts started to drift, and I eventually fell asleep.

“You’re such a fucking dick!”

My eyes flashed open at the sound of a woman’s voice.

“You think I care?” I recognized Ash’s voice. “You came over here to fuck and that’s what we did. Now leave.”

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes. It was midnight.

“I never should have called you.” The woman was clearly upset.

“You say that now…”

I walked to my front door and looked through the peephole. An attractive blonde girl was slipping her heels on. Ash stood in front of the door, only wearing his boxers. His chest and legs were bare.

“Go fuck yourself, Ash.” She stormed off.

“Why should I when I have whores like you crawling all over me?”

She threw her shoe at him then kept walking.

Not sure what I was thinking, I opened the door and scowled at him.

His eyes locked to mine. His chest was hard and defined, and his legs were thick like trees. His brown hair was tasseled, like a woman had been running her fingers through it. There was no shame in his eyes. “Can I help you?” The annoyance was in his voice.

“Pig.” I turned around and walked back inside my apartment.

“Don’t judge my life. You know nothing about me.”

“I know what I need to know.” I slammed the door and went back to bed.

I used the GPS on my phone to find the house. It was a three-bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood. A truck was in the driveway, and so was a small car. This was the place. I killed the engine then walked to the front door.

After I knocked, a man answered. I recognized him from the painting. He had brown hair and green eyes, and he was over six-feet tall. “Hey.” He extended his hand to shake mine. “You must be Alaska.”

I shook his. “It’s nice to meet you. Sorry, I didn’t catch your name?”

“Scotty.” He opened the door wider and let me step inside. “Livia is excited for you guys to work together. She hasn’t stopped talking about it.”

“I’m excited too.”

He led me into the living room, where an easel stood and a table sat covered in newspapers. I set myself down and opened my case.

Livia came down the hallway. “Hey, you’re here!”

“Hey.”

We hugged each other before Livia set up her stand. “What do you think we should work on?”

Scotty came to her then kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll be in the bedroom.”

“You don’t have to run and hide just because we’re working,” she argued.

He smirked at her then rubbed his nose against hers. “I don’t mind. I just want to stay out of your hair.”

The deep love was in both of their eyes. It shined bright and was unmistakable. I hated to admit it, but I was extremely jealous. Even though Jace and I had talked, things weren’t back to normal. He didn’t look at me the way Scotty looked at her.

He walked away and disappeared into the bedroom.

“Sorry about that,” Livia said as a blush filled her cheeks.

“Don’t be. You guys are so cute.”

“We are.” She smiled and let a sigh escape her lips.

My jealousy grew.

She flipped through my book and selected a picture. “This is amazing.”

It was a picture of my sister lying in stalks of grass. She wore a purple dress with matching mascara. I liked photographing her because she was so beautiful. I never told her that because I didn’t want it to go to her head, but she really was. My nana said it all the time.

“Who is this?” she asked.

“My sister.”

“I see the resemblance.”

It was hard not to.

She set up her easel and began to paint. I directed her so she would stay true to the piece. Sometimes she would make the picture darker than necessary, or forget to add shadow. But we worked well together.

Hours later, we were both covered in paint.

“Is this fantastic or what?” Livia asked.

It looked so similar to my photograph that it was frightening. “You’re the best at what you do.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

She smiled. “Thank you. But you’re the true artist here. You can capture something in real life and make something ordinary extraordinary.”

“We could do this all day,” I said with a laugh.

“That doesn’t sound bad. I like compliments.”

“Me too.”

Scotty came back out, wearing running shorts and a t-shirt. “How’d it go?”

“Babe, come here,” Livia said excitedly.

He came to her side, his shoulder touching hers. “Wow. That’s impressive.”

“We make a good team,” I said.

“You’re going to do well at this showcase.” He kissed her forehead.

“Thanks.” Her cheeks blushed.

“I’m going to play ball with the guys.” He walked away and grabbed the basketball from the floor.

“Alright. Give them my love.”

“I will. But I have a feeling a few of them wouldn’t want it.” He winked at her then walked out.

“How long have you been living together?” I asked.

“A few months.”

“You like it?”

“It’s great,” she said. “It’s nice being with him all the time. Besides, I’m here all the time anyway. It just makes more sense to move my stuff.”

I wish Jace and I were that way.

She moved the painting toward the back door so it would dry. “Now we’ll do one more and we’ll be ready for your debut.”

“I’m nervous,” I admitted.

“Don’t be. You’re an amazing photographer.” She stared at me for a moment then her eyes widened.

“What?” I asked.

“You’re a photographer!”

Was I missing something?

“My best friends are getting married and they are looking for someone. Are you interested?”

“Of course,” I said. “But my schedule is pretty packed. It depends on when their wedding is.”

“I’ll set up a time for you guys to meet,” she said. “And I’ll ask when their big day is. They’re a bit indecisive about it.”

“Cool. I look forward to it.”

Nana took a bite of the tortellini I brought her. “If photography doesn’t work out, you can always be a cook.”

That was a huge compliment from my grandmother. “Thanks.”

She finished it then put it aside. “For lunch, we had tuna sandwiches with pickles…why would you put pickles on a sandwich that already has pickles in it?”

I tried not to laugh. “Maybe you should take over the cafeteria.”

“Nah. I’d put a lot of people out of a job.”

“Cocky, much?” I said with a chuckle.

“The Patelo women know how to cook—that is something that can’t be denied.”

I smirked while I listened to her.

“So, how did your conversation with Jace go?”

“Well. Really well. He apologized and said he would be better.”

“Then why do you sound sad?”

I couldn’t hide anything from this woman. “We went out to dinner the other night and he just…acted weird.”

“What did he do?”

“He was about toask for our reservations when he said he needed to leave. He pulled me out of there and said he wasn’t feeling well.”

She stared at the opposite wall, lost in thought. “Did he go to the hospital?”

“No. He didn’t really say what was wrong. He dropped me off and went home.”

She fell quiet again. “Maybe he saw someone he didn’t want to see.”

“Like who?” I asked.

She shrugged. “An enemy, an old girlfriend…”

He did have a lot of old girlfriends, or old flings would be a better way to describe it. “I guess that makes sense. Maybe he just didn’t want to make me uncomfortable.”

“Possibly.”

“I can’t think of anything else.”

My grandma handed the Harry Potter book to me. I picked it up and noticed we were in a different place than last time. “Who’s been reading to you?”

“One of the medical students. I’m his patient a few times a week.”

“That was nice of him. I’m sure he’s busy.”

“Yeah, he’s a sweetheart.” She leaned back and waited for me to read.

I found the page and began the story. Like always, after reading for half an hour, my nana fell asleep. I sat with her until visiting hours, and then I went home, wishing she would come with me.