Alara squeezed her hand tightly and whispered, "But what if it's not?"
"It will. I refuse to believe otherwise. Even if it's something that needs treating, even if it's something… I don't know. But whatever it is, we'll get you fixed up." She glanced back toward the house. "I know you don't want to hear this, and you know that I understand better than anyone where you're coming from. But if it comes down to it, you can have the best doctors, the best treatment, the best everything. Ollie would want to pay for it. And honestly, I don't think you'd be able to stop him."
Alara squeezed her eyes tight shut. She didn't want to think about it. It was all too much.
Callie gave her hand another squeeze before letting it go. "But I can see what you're thinking. You don't want to talk about it today, do you?"
She shook her head. "I'm sorry, Callie. I just… I can't. And I know you're only trying…"
"What you mean is, you know that I care. I hope you know that Ollie cares too. And we both know damn well that Reaves does." She sat back. "I'll let it go. We can do our best to keep your mind off it today if that's what you want." She stopped and jerked her chin toward where the guys were setting up the grill. "What have you told him?"
"Not a lot. Only the basics. About the bloodwork and the going back in a week."
Callie met her gaze and held it. "You know what I think; I think you should let him in. He wants to be there for you."
"I am. I'm doing better, Callie. I promise."
She turned to look at them, and her throat tightened when she found Reaves looking right back at her. He smiled and nodded, and she nodded back.
"Girl, he is so far gone it's not even funny," said Callie. "You know I'll never push you. But you know what I think too. He's a good man. One of the best I've ever known. You know he loves your daughter, and…" She shrugged. "I'm not going to say the rest, but I bet you can guess what I think."
She couldn't even let her mind go near the thought that Reaves might… No. She just couldn't.
"And that's my preaching done," Callie said with a smile. "We have a beautiful day, a wonderful pool, your adorable daughter, and two big, sweet dogs to keep us entertained." She glanced over at Ollie with a smile. "Not to mention those two gorgeousmen. So, I give in. I'll do my best to help you forget about it all today. On one condition."
"What's that?"
"You have to promise me that when you need a friend, you'll remember that you have one."
Alara swallowed as she nodded. "I don't need to remember. I'll never forget."
"Good. And you're sure you don't want to talk about it anymore? Sure that you want me to distract you?"
She nodded eagerly. "Please."
"Okay then. Tell me how things are going with the House of St. James rebranding. I know Delaney hasn't been on your case for the last week, because she's been on mine."
The way she rolled her eyes made Alara smile. "Then you have to tell me all about it. Take the spotlight off me for a while—and I know you're going to want to vent. Delaney's…" She hesitated. "I mean, she's a good person and I like her, but…"
Callie nodded. "I know. She's amazing and she's really growing on me, but that doesn't make her easy to deal with. I'll tell you one thing, though. With her in charge of my branding, I've made more in the last month than I did in the last year." She leaned forward. "I know she's working with you on the House of St. James stuff right now, but I’ll bet you anything she'd be able to rebrand you and your own work the same as she's done for me."
She glanced over at Ollie again. "As much as I love that man, I need to be able to pay my own way." She made a face. "And I always could. Just like you could." She let out a short laugh."It's just that spending time around here means that paying my own way costs more. But I don't have to worry about that with Delaney on the case." She held Alara's gaze. "And you wouldn't have to either. If you'd let her help you."
Chapter Eight
Reaves rubbed a towel over his back as he watched Zia plop her soggy little self down on Alara's lap. They'd had a great time in the pool. He and Ollie had played a game of catch with Zia, who had spent more time laughing and splashing and letting the dogs catch for her. The kid was a blast.
He watched Alara rub a towel over Zia’s hair, not seeming to mind at all that her daughter was soaking her even though she was fully dressed. He wished that she'd wanted to come in. In her few unguarded moments—like the way she'd laughed about her guilty secret Rolos in the glove box—she seemed like she'd be a lot of fun.
He turned away, knowing that fun had to be a long way down her priority list. Even before she'd gotten sick, she'd had bills to pay and a daughter to support.
Ollie grabbed a beer from the fridge next to the grill in the outdoor kitchen and handed it to him. "You look like you could use one of these."
"Thanks. I almost wish I could say I can’t, because I'm driving. But I'm not. Alara insisted." That brought a smile back to his face—and not because it meant he could have a beer.
"So how did things go with Henry?" Ollie asked.
"I don't really know."
