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“Yeah, but he was so excited and?—”
“Would you relax?” she laughed. “You know, your entire life is not about pleasing others. You’re allowed to have bad days, and considering what happened to you, a headache is more than a valid reason to pass out on the couch.”
I liked the way she didn’t tiptoe around what happened. I didn’t have to explain that my brain had been fried. She already knew that. It made things easier.
“Still, I wish I could have spent some time with him last night. He seemed pretty excited to see me.”
“He was,” she grinned. “And I’m glad you got some sleep. You really looked like you needed it. So,” she said, shifting on the couch. “How often do you get headaches?”
“Still most of the week. It depends on how bright it is outside. If I keep my sunglasses on, it usually helps.”
“And work? Have you gone back yet?”
I shook my head. I didn’t want to talk about this. It was bad enough I went to a therapist and spilled my guts, but talking to her…letting her see how fucked up I was…I hated that. But if I couldn’t be honest with her, how would I ever get her back?
“I don’t know if I will.”
“Go back to OPS or go back to Rafe?”
“Definitely not to Rafe,” I grumbled. “It took a lot for me to see how fucked up that was.”
“Why not OPS?”
Again, this wasn’t something I wanted to talk about. How did I admit to her that I wasn’t sure I could do the job anymore?
“You know what? It’s none of my business.” She stood, heading for the kitchen. “Do you want some breakfast?”
“Are you sure about that?”
“About eating? All the time.”
I pushed off the couch, grateful I didn’t get dizzy when I stood. “I meant about being here when Parker wakes up.”
“Well, the great thing about little kids is that they don’t understand the meaning about another adult being in the room in the morning. So, there’s nothing to explain. Besides, you fell asleep on the couch and he saw that. It really is that simple.”
I walked over to her kitchen table and sat down, enjoying my cup of coffee as she grabbed whatever she was making. It didn’t escape my notice that her house was still just as clean as she kept her old house. But it was so lifeless around here. All the things she had at the old house that made it a home were absent. I doubted she’d had time to replace any of it when she came here.
“Have you found a job yet?”
“Yeah, actually, I’m going to be working as a nurse for the doctor in town. One of his nurses just retired, so it was perfect timing.”
“And that works with Parker’s schedule?”
“A lot better than before,” she admitted. “Plus, he’s going to start kindergarten this year, so I just have to find a sitter for him after school until I get off work.”
“And what about Rico? Have there been any problems there?”
I already knew that Rico was in prison, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t stirring up trouble.
“No, he’s been silent. His lawyer reached out. Can you believe he actually wanted me to bring Parker to his trial? I think it was some desperate plea for leniency.”
“I hope you said no.”
“I didn’t even answer,” she smiled. “His trial went pretty fast. Much faster than I expected. The prosecutor told me it could take up to six months, but given his crimes and the evidence they had, they pushed for an early trial. And from what I understand, he’s being transferred to a maximum security prison later this month.”
That was a relief, and something Johnny failed to mention. As she whipped breakfast together, I zoned out, thinking about what things might have been like if I had met her at a different time. I might not have even looked at her. I’d always been so focused on my job that women were replaceable. But how could I ever see this woman in that light?
“Jack!” Parker screamed from the top of the stairs. He rushed down the stairs and ran into my arms for the second time in two days. I didn’t hesitate to pull him in for a hug. I missed the little guy, and being able to hold him reassured me that he was okay.
