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“Something tells me that might not be the case, Rick. Why aren’t you being honest?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
“My brother is a junk food eater. We’ve always known that and we love it about him. He’s got a cart full of healthy things. He’s dating a dietician that he happened to meet at the doctor’s office? We aren’t idiots, Rick. Mom and I do talk and see the same things.”
This time he felt his shoulders slump. “Why haven’t you said anything?”
“Because it’s not our place. We figured if it was anything serious you’d tell us.”
“That’s right. It’s not. It’s better now and nothing at all. It should be perfect in another three months.”
“That appointment was at the doctor’s today again?” Robin asked. “You can tell me to mind my own business. That’s fine. But we care about you and are concerned.”
“Nothing to be concerned about. I went for my physical when I moved here because Mom was bugging me and found I had high blood pressure but nothing crazy that they were worried about. My cholesterol was another thing. And because the blood pressure was high, they weren’t sure if it was related or something else.”
“The move and your job?” she asked.
“Exactly. I bought a blood pressure cuff and I’ve been monitoring it. It was fine within a few weeks. It was perfect today. I didn’t want to go on any medication. I’m too young for that. As you said, I didn’t eat the best and when I was living alone it got worse.”
They moved out of the way of someone looking to get broccoli. It reminded him this wasn’t the place for this conversation, but he felt better getting it off his chest too.
“But you’d lost weight,” she said. “When I saw you last before you decided to move.”
“And you pointed that out. I was working so much and food wasn’t on my mind. When it was, it was chips and sandwiches, takeout. Donuts,” he said, laughing.
She rolled her eyes. “And now it’s much better. We noticed it at Thanksgiving and at Christmas too.”
“I’m not a freak over it. I’ve had desserts,” he said.
“As I’ve seen. I was concerned but then told myself everything you’ve been doing is normal, just not what you normally did before.”
“I’m not the teen I was. I’m older and it’s not healthy. I know it. I’ve changed. I want to live a long healthy life.”
“And we want that too,” Robin said. “I’m glad it’s nothing serious. I won’t say anything to Mom. If you want her to know, you can tell her.”
“Thanks,” he said. “I don’t want her worried, but it’s not like it’s anything to worry about.”
Harper started to kick her feet. Her patience at its end he could see. “I should get a move on. This one has no patience.”
“I seem to know that feeling lately,” he said.
Robin winked at him. “It will come when it comes,” she said.
No use asking what she meant by that. His sister seemed to know him as well as he knew her.
25
Loving It
“I’m glad we could meet for lunch today,” Gillian’s mother said to her the next week. She didn’t often get to leave for lunch, but she had an open window and she knew her mother was always willing to meet so she called her.
She did miss not seeing or talking to her mother as much as she used to. It was times like this she wished she had more friends. She always thought she did but found they weren’t the ones she wanted to confide in.
Some were still single and either wanted to stay that way or wanted a man and didn’t care how many they went through to find the right one.
No way she was telling them about Rick and that she’d found “the one.” They’d make some comment about being jealous of her catch. They were the same ones that said how lucky she was to have Mike for years until they realized it wasn’t going anywhere, then were in her ear to drop him.
She didn’t do it because of that. She did it for her. After giving him chance after chance.
