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“I liked her very much, Oliver. She was poised. Even with Joanne being so rude to her, she was gracious.”
“I didn’t notice because I don’t think I knew where I was that day. You’re saying Joanne was jealous of my nurse, but she’s already seeing someone from her theater group. That’s weird. Anyway, we said we would be friends because we’ve known each other since high school.”
“That won’t work,” Clare said, looking through Charlie’s cupboards for crackers. “Trust me, the second she finds out you are really seeing Wendy, she’ll try to cause trouble. It’s just human nature, Oliver. I don’t want him; you can’t have him.”
“More reason to stay in Michigan, I guess.”
“Don’t let her keep you away from home, please.”
“I’ll just have to see, Mom. If they don’t offer me something challenging to do with the team, I’m going to leave. I’m already bored. And nothing may come of Wendy and me. She might always just be my nurse.”
“I’m not sure about that,” Clare said doubtfully. “There was a lot of chemistry between you two. I think that was Joanne’s problem. You’d have to be unconscious to miss it. Ha! Youwereunconscious!”
They could finally laugh about it.
“It nearly ruined my life. Or so I thought at the time,” Oliver confessed. “Everything I wanted, dreamed about, everything I worked for gone in a minute.”
It hit Clare, they’d taken what he’d lost lightly, and now he was spelling it out for her. She had to take it seriously. “I’m so sorry, Oliver. All I cared about was that you were safe. That injury still might cause issues down the road. But you did lose a lot. I’m sorry I’m being flippant about it.”
“I’m worried they’re going to fight me for a settlement if I leave on my own,” he said.
“Well, don’t look too far in advance,” Clare replied. “You’ll fight for a fair settlement if you decide to leave.”
“I’m trying really hard not to make my mind up now. When I was packing to come here, I took my photos off the refrigerator. I was that sure that I was going to move back here permanently. But then when I talked to Wendy—”
“Yes, don’t make any decisions based on a woman. At least not yet.”
His phone beeped. “It’s Leon,” Oliver said, reading a text from his cousin, firefighter Leon Saint. “They’re all going to Barnacle Ben’s tonight after dinner at Aunt Bertie’s. Thanksgiving Eve is the biggest drinking night of the year.”
“Oh God, don’t go out, then!”
“I don’t usually drink. And this wine is giving me a headache.”
“It’s the tannins.”
“Whatever it is, I can’t drink it.” He pushed the glass away. “I might take a nap.”
“Go ahead. I’ll clean up. Roberta invited Harry and me for dinner tomorrow, too, but I think I’ll beg off.”
“What are you doing, then?” Oliver asked, hoping he didn’t have to go to Harry’s for Thanksgiving dinner, as well.
“We’ll go to Milton’s Deli like we did last year.”
“Truthfully, I’d rather do that.”
“Your father might have something planned,” she said, standing in front of his fridge with the door open. “This thing is packed with party food.”
“It’s probably stuff he’s taking over to Aunt Bertie’s.”
“Go nap. I’ll cork this thing back up and stick it in the fridge. I’ll tell him I opened it, don’t worry.”
“I’m not worried, Mom. Charlie has never been a bottle marker to my knowledge.”
He kissed her and went back to his room. The invitation to go out with his cousins came at a good time, just as he was preparing to slip into feeling sorry for himself. Lying down on the bed again, he fell right to sleep. At six his phone beeped with a text from Charlie.
Dinner at seven at Big Mike and Aunt Roberta’s.
He answered backokayand got up, yawning. The temptation was to stay in bed and sleep, but he knew it wasn’t good for him. Everything he wanted to do after the accident that meant hiding or withdrawing needed to be fought, avoided, shunned. He didn’t need to fly across the country to sleep. Besides, he always had fun with his cousins, and tonight would be no different.
