Page 348 of John + Siena: The Complete Duet

SEVEN

Rosewood Central—a new park located outside the city limits and popular for those living in the upper scale suburbs—was quieter than it would usually be on a Wednesday. John would know considering he spent every Wednesday walking through this park with Leonard because it was what his therapist liked to call a middle ground for them both. Instead of a session at Leonard’s office or the man’s house, or even John’s, the two of them met here.

Very few joggers passed John by on the pathways. Only a handful of dog owners had been milling in the dog park section. He wouldn’t complain about the lack of people, however, considering the man he would usually be meeting here would not actually be showing up today, though the plan had been for him to be here, because—

“Johnathan, you’re looking well. It’s been what, a few years since we last spoke?”

John found the source of the question sitting on a nearby bench under a rather large oak tree which provided a good spread of shade for anyone sitting underneath its heavy branches. Cara Guzzi smiled his way and that alone felt welcoming even if every inch of him radiated with hesitance and wariness. It wasn’t because of her—or her presence, really—but it just was.

New things could be … tricky.

Especially for John.

This would certainly be that.

“A few years for sure,” John replied, making a careful effort to keep his tone pleasant and measured. He didn’t want Cara to feel uncomfortable at being the middleman here—as Leonard liked to say—because she was simply doing a friend a favor. “Are we—”

“Come sit,” Cara said before he could say another thing. “And we’ll have a chat for a minute before we do anything else.”

John dragged in a burning lungful, filling his chest to capacity before letting the air out just as fast. If the woman on the bench noticed his discomfort and stress, she didn’t say anything one way or another. He was grateful.

Taking a seat on the right side of the bench and leaving lots of space between him and Cara, John busied himself with undoing the two buttons on his Armani blazer while he peered down the pathway leading toward the small lake. “Quiet today.”

“Oh, is this not the norm here? Shame, I liked it.”

“Well, it’s never overflowing,” he replied, “so it’s quiet enough that you can enjoy yourself.”

“Hmm.” Cara passed him a look, adding, “And I’m sorry Leonard couldn’t make it today. Seems his chemo ran later than usual, did it?”

“Apparently. Things happen, though.”

Life had taught him that.

John rarely expected anything to go as planned regardless of how much he wished for that to be the case. Things in his world would be far easier to process if everything was exactly how he wanted it to be. And yet, he was the one who still learned daily how to adapt to the fact that nothing was perfect. Including himself.

It was a process.

As were most things.

“Has he discussed his illness with you?” Cara asked. “Since I was the one who made the call to Cree, and both he and Leonard knew you and I were acquainted, Leonard thought you wouldn’t mind me being here. I hope he was right. I wouldn’t want to make you feel out of place, John.”

“You don’t. Mostly. The whole day does but that’s not unusual for me.” John swallowed thickly. “And Leonard and I spoke briefly about the cancer—the important parts and what’s happening now. How it looks, and all of that. I think he realized I was not taking it well and decided it was better we didn’t get too particular about it.”

A soft smile stared back at him.

“You consider him a friend, yes?” she asked.

“One of the few I do have.” John clasped his hands in his lap, needing the tight control of his fingers wrapped around one another to keep his tone level when he added, “And I haven’t discussed the fact he is sick or in treatment with my family yet. Not even my wife.”

“Why not?”

“They’ll worry. Partly. It’s just … Leonard is sick. It’s him. And he’s my therapist, not theirs. So, these aren’t issues of theirs. They’re issues of mine, that’s all. I would like to keep them as my issues to handle and not theirs.”

Then, John turned to her and asked, “So, Cree, hmm?”

Cara nodded. “Yes, Cree. I think you’ll like him.”

“Oh?”