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“Sure. I’d like that.”
“Great!” He beams at me, leading me across the road to the diner.
We take a seat near the window, ordering quickly. We are a little early for lunch, so the waitress is waiting for us to sit down.
“I’ll have a bacon cheeseburger and a coffee.” Dr. Jessup turns to me expectantly.
“Uh. The BLT and coffee, thanks.”
“It will be right out, folks!” the waitress chirps at us, dancing her way back across the diner. Dr. Jessup studies me for a moment.
“How are you truly doing?”
I hesitate, blowing out a breath. Shrugging, I fidget with my purse in my lap.
“I miss Mama.”
He nods, compassion in his eyes. “That’s understandable. She’s only been gone for a little over two months.”
“Yeah.”
“Have you gone through her things?”
I smile at the waitress as she sets down our coffee mugs, eagerly reaching for mine.
“I had to. My sister was moving into the house, so I had to clear the master bedroom.”
If Dr. Jessup is surprised by my admission, he hides it, nodding. “That’s often the hardest part. It may have been a blessing to have done it quickly.”
“It was hard. But I think about her every day.” My fingers find her wedding ring on the fine chain around my neck, toying with it. Dr. Jessup’s eyes follow the movement, and he smiles.
“And you have found more caring work?”
“Of a sort. I’m an assistant in a creche.”
His eyebrows raise. “That’s a change. Are you enjoying it?”
“More than I imagined possible,” I laugh. Nodding, he sits back as the waitress lays our plates on the table.
We eat as he asks more questions about my work, showing me the book he bought for his wife for her book club. As the waitress returns to clear the table, Dr. Jessup offers another smile.
“I should get home. Miranda will want to get started reading this. How did you get into Downtown?”
I reach for my purse, throwing him a smile as he leaves cash on the table. “Oh, I walked.”
“In this heat? I’ll give you a lift home. It would be against my Hippocratic oath to let you walk in that sun. You would expire before you reached the South Side.”
“If you’re sure? It’s a little out of your way.”
“It’s no trouble at all.”
Offering him a smile, I follow him out of the diner and over to a fancy Porsche, sliding into the seat as he gallantly holds the door open for me.
“Why are you being so nice to me?” I blurt out as he punches Viper’s address into his inbuilt GPS. Dr. Jessup looks across at me in surprise, his eyebrows raised. He chuckles, pulling away from the curb as he ponders my question.
“I meet a lot of unpaid carers in my career. You stood out. You never complained. You never tried to override your mother’s wishes. You put your life on hold for her, and you didn’t seem to resent it. I have a lot of respect for you.”
I duck my head to hide my smile. I think that’s the first time anyone came close to vocally appreciating what I did for Mama.
