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He nodded but more as a response to something going on in his mind than in our conversation. “I’ll get tested.”
Nora and I both deflated into our seats. The only thing that had been holding us up was our bated breath.
“But I do need to talk to Drake. That’s the trade-off.”
We nodded, smiled, nearly cried.
“I don’t have anything going on this weekend. Gives us a few days to work out logistics? You ladies gonna be able to pull that off?”
I wasn’t sure if I should say the next thing that came to my mind. What if Drake didn’t agree and wouldn’t see his dad? Would Myles still get tested? It wasn’t as though he wasn’t allowed to donate. God, I couldn’t ask such a thing without making him feel like a piece of meat.
I kept my thoughts to myself. Sometimes, you had to trust the process. Trust the outcome. Trust that life was unfolding exactly as it should.
Nora leaned forward and placed her hand on Myles’ forearm. “Thank you. And I certainly hope we can make it happen.”
I did, too. Just one meeting. That’s all we needed Drake to agree to. “In the meantime,” I said, “would you like to go to lunch or something? Maybe we can update you a little bit more as to what’s been going on with Drake lately? Might make it less…”
“Less awkward?” Myles beamed, amused. “That will not be possible, my friend. It’s gonna be awkward. It’s gonna be real awkward. But that’s what we gotta go through to get to where we’re going.”
Myles’ desk phone rang. He picked it up. “Hey, Chris, I’m done here, just give me a minute. When you see the ladies come out, send Mr. Paul back.” He hung up. “I’d have loved to do lunch but I have a meeting. If only that guy knew how being ten minutes late has changed my life. Damn. Life never ceases to amaze me. Even at my age.”
We neededto get Drake to agree to meeting his dad in several days’ time, and that meant fessing up.
We had an hour to make a plan before our story of lunching in Malibu wouldn’t hold up. When we got back to the car, I took off quickly, and we discussed our options in the car.
“Nora, I really think we need to talk to him together.”
“Agreed.”
“I have to say that you telling me the background story actually softened me. It kind of brought me around to the idea that maybe Myles would be a decent guy. Maybe if you tell Drake what you told me, he’ll be more open to it.”
She fiddled with her temperature control and turned it down.
I didn’t blame her. This situation was hot. “I think we might not get past the scheming and lying to begin with. Drake has always been principled like that.”
I turned onto the highway, trying to pay attention to the road, but my mind was miles away. “Shit. I know. I shouldn’t have asked him if he wanted to contact his dad. I should have just done it without bringing it up.”
“Wouldn’t have mattered. He still would have said you went behind his back because, let’s be honest, that’s exactly what this is. And that’s why my son is so damn difficult because he’s pretty much always right.”
I felt her arm on mine.
“Don’t e-ver tell him I admitted to that.”
“Trust me. I won’t. But you’re right. We’re going to have to play the guilt card. How’s your mom game? You good at the guilting? Dixie is a pro.”
Nora chuckled. “Yeah, I could see that. I don’t know. I’ve never wanted to make Drake do anything just because of me before.”
Wasn’t she noble? If I ever got a chance to have kids, I’d certainly play that card. “Well, that’s all we’ve got right now. If he doesn’t do it for us, I already know he won’t do it for himself. He’s a freaking knight of the Crusades. Literally dies for his beliefs. I started the guilt talk last night but didn’t take it too far.”
“Well, Maeve, you’re right. It’s all we have. We need to have the ‘do it for me’ conversation.”
“And lay it on thick, Nora. You need to highlight—you’re getting older and all alone, he’s all you’ve got. That kind of thing.”
“Geez, Maeve, when you say it like that it’s kind of a bummer.”
We arrived at our drive, and I waited for the gate to open. “Sorry, Nora.” I turned to see her wide eyes and dark circles. She probably hadn’t been sleeping for the past few weeks. “I want you to know that none of that is true anyway. You’ll always have us now. No matter what.”
Her eyes glassed over. A tear escaped down the side of her nose, and she wiped it away quickly. “Thank you. Let’s pray to God this works.”
