AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“There’s food and cake down at Bay Bank. They’re throwing Palmer a going-away party.”
“Uh . . . that’s extremely disturbing.”
Kent realized his mistake and shook his head. “She told them she’s moving. It’s a long story, but Palmer’s alone in more ways than you think. I’m pretty much the only person in her life who knows what’s going on.”
“Well, I’ve never been a man who says no to cake.”
The men made their way over to the bank. Their entrance seemed to scare everyone. The tellers and customers frantically tried to figure out who’d called 911. Palmer came forward and greeted them. Kent couldn’t take his eyes off her. He smiled as she approached.
“The food is in the back. Follow me.”
Damian fell in step behind Kent, and he could hear his partner saying hi to everyone. They both knew how women felt about seeing a man in uniform, even though they wore pants and a short-sleeved button-down.
Kent caught his breath when he stepped into the back room. What would normally be a generic break room had become a room with streamers, balloons, presents, and a sign wishing Palmer good luck. Kent’s heart broke at the scene in front of him. He went to Palmer’s side and whispered in her ear: “Are you okay?”
She nodded, but the movement was ever so slight. He hardly knew her yet could read the emotions on her face clearly. Palmer strained to keep her emotions in check. That was why she’d called him—to give her coworkers something else to look at and talk about. Kent was going to make sure her coworkers never forgot about him after this.
FOURTEEN
Kent wanted to be Palmer’s person. Deep down, she knew he wouldn’t leave when the going got tough—and it was going to be tough—but she expected he wouldn’t want to deal with the mundane tasks of what would happen after she was gone. She wouldn’t ask him to either. Her life was hers to clean up, and as odd as it was, she had time to get her affairs in order. Few had an opportunity such as this.
Palmer went around her apartment and pulled the curtains back to let the natural light in. The gray sky and slight drizzle of rain matched Palmer’s mood perfectly. “Somber” was the word she used to describe herself. She couldn’t quite grasp the magnitude of what lay ahead of her. She was dying. There would not be some breakthrough medicine or some state-of-the-art technology that would miraculously save her. Palmer had an end date. If she went past the six-month mark, she’d be lucky, especially since she was refusing treatment. The pills she would do, and if they gave her four or five months, then she’d take it. The chemicals, the radiation, and losing her hair, only to die anyway, didn’t appeal to her. Palmer wanted to go out with some grace and dignity because she was going to die in the company of strangers. There was still a chance she’d end up in hospice.
Palmer pulled a garbage bag from the box she’d bought at the store and shook it open. She started in her closet, pulling each suit out and laying them on her bed. She carefully folded the skirts and trousers, then the blazers, and bundled them with a rubber band. Palmer wanted the pieces to stay together and felt like if she’d haphazardly tossed them into the bag, no one would take the time to match the pieces together. Her plan was to donate her work clothes to the women’s shelter. She wanted them to be free. She wanted someone to benefit from her clothing without it costing her anything.
Suit after suit, she folded, bundled, and set the items in the bag. When the bag was half-full, she’d open and fill another one. By the time she got to her dresser, she had half a dozen bags near her front door. She’d ask Kent to take her or ask him to drop them off for her.
Her casual clothing she would hold on to until the end and leave a note for the hospice. Or maybe even Kent, if he wanted the responsibility. She wasn’t sure about their budding relationship, even though she’d called him to come to her going-away party a day after she’d agreed to travel with him. Palmer considered him a friend, and that day, she needed someone. With him and his partner in the room, everyone focused on them and not her. Palmer’s coworkers gushed over the medics, often causing them to blush. She appreciated Kent coming to her rescue. Later, after she’d gone home for the night, Kent called to check up on her. He thanked her for inviting them to the party and thought that Damian might have a crush on Laura. Kent and Palmer laughed about it for a bit. She offered to give Damian’s number to Laura if he wanted. Kent asked the standard questions and reminded her to call if she needed anything.
