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Standing up, she didn’t know what to do.
“Do you have the appetite to eat something? I’ll keep bringing you food if you can get it down.”
“I’ll eat again. Right now, I just want to think out loud.”
“Think away,” she said.
“I thought AIDS would kill me, not having been on a ship in the Navy.”
“Is that what caused it?”
“Mesothelioma is caused from exposure to asbestos, and older warships are a source. I’m of the older-warship generation.”
He climbed back into her bed. “I can’t stay here,” he said. “I mean, I will this weekend because of the party, but indefinitely, no.”
“Jake, I want to be with you.”
“Bring the dogs to my place, then. I really want to be home. I’m going to work when I feel up to it. I have to find a way to tell my mother, which I’m not looking forward to.”
“Oh, how sad. I’m so sorry, Jake.”
She knew firsthand what it would do to Jake’s mother. That kind of grief, losing a child, you never get over. Especially if the child was integral to your day-to-day life like Jake was to his mother’s. He would be sorely missed. They talked daily, he contributed to her income, and family dinners were sacrosanct.
“Will you have dinner with the family on Sunday?”
“Yes. I wish you’d come,” he said.
“Maybe this time I will. I’m sorry I haven’t been.”
It seemed kind of pointless to get involved now; she didn’t want to put the effort into having a relationship with his family when he was healthy. But she’d do it for him.
“I get it,” he said. “It’s kind of a throwback. You’ll see. But it’s refreshing. You can set aside all the formalities we’re used to. It’s more relaxed in Brooklyn, at least at the Stevens household.”
She wondered if that meant his brother, who still lived at home with mom, came to the table in his underwear.
Lying back against the pillow, he reached for her arm and pulled her up onto the bed with him. They embraced, Jake’s arms around her body, holding her so close she could feel his heart beating.
“Thank you for everything, Pam.”
Chills went down her spine, hearing the finality of his expression. It was more than the end of Jake, it was the end of them as a couple.
Chapter 2
Down the beach from Pam’s house, Lisa got her little cousin Miranda settled in with Megan. Lisa’s half-sister, Alison, who lived across the street, would bring her daughter, Diana, over as soon as she had dinner. There would be a little-girl sleepover at the Maddox cottage.
While Lisa dealt with the girls, Ryan stood in front of his easel out on the enclosed porch with a view of the water.
“Wow, look at that! Why’s it so red? It looks like it’s on fire.”
He turned to see the nanny, Daniela, standing behind him. “The sunset behind us is reflecting on the water. I have to work fast because it doesn’t last long.”
“You’ve been working on that painting for a couple of days now, haven’t you?”
“Yep,” he said, filling the brush with paint. “I love it when the days are so long.”
“There you are,” Lisa said, obviously perturbed. “The boys are in desperate need of a bath. Can you manage, or do you want me to get them in the tub?”
“I’ll do it right now,” Daniela said, leaving the porch.
