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ChapterTwenty
“I’m taking Mom up to her room to get her settled in,” Andrea informed her sisters as soon as they walked through the front door.
“Okay,” the other two sisters agreed.
As they moved from the foyer toward the stairs, Jo and Cora watched as Andrea carefully guided their mother up the stairs, a firm hand under her casted arm to prevent it from hitting against the wall.
Cora released a heavy sigh as she headed toward the back door, and Jo followed suit.
“Hi, sweetie. Luke told me what the doctors said. Where is she?” Aunt Maria rose from the chair she’d been sitting in to come and hug Cora, then Jo.
“Andrea took her to her room to get some rest,” Jo told her.
“Okay, I’m just going to say hello to her before Luke comes to get me,” Aunt Maria informed them before heading inside.
“Hey.”
Jo looked over the railing to see Jamie looking up at Cora with a mixture of affection and concern.
“Hey,” she heard Cora answer with a smile on her lips.
“I’m gonna head inside and start washing up,” she said to Cora, wanting to give the two some privacy.
“All right. I’ll be in shortly to help,” Cora turned to say.
Jo gave her a slight nod before heading inside. She headed for the kitchen and started transferring the leftovers to sealed containers before placing them in the refrigerator. After rinsing the gravy from the dishes, she placed them in the dishwasher and then started it. She rested her back against the counter and her head against the cabinets before releasing a long sigh.
“Tired?”
Jo lowered her head to her sister, who had just walked into the kitchen, giving her a sympathetic look. “More like drained,” she confessed as her shoulders fell.
“Maybe after we’re finished here, we can sit out on the porch and unwind,” Cora suggested, moving to take up a dishtowel.
“That’s not a bad idea,” Jo agreed, reaching for a towel, and joining her sister by the dishwasher that had chimed, indicating the cycle was done. “Where’s Jamie?”
“He just left. He has an early morning tomorrow. He’s driving to Seattle to look at a job,” Cora told her.
“You two are getting really serious, huh?” Jo asked, giving her a knowing smile as she took the dish she offered and began drying it.
An instant grin painted Cora’s lips. “I don’t know, Jo… it’s like I’ve never felt this way about anyone, not even with Joel when we first started dating. It’s exhilarating… it’s, it’s scary.” She chuckled at the last sentence. “But it’s also freeing. With Jamie, I can be myself without fear of judgment, and he makes me want to… I don’t know. It’s hard to explain.”
“It sounds like you’re in love with him, Cora,” Jo offered.
Cora stopped drying the plate she held in her hand to look out at the darkness behind the windowpanes. After a good ten seconds, her face softened. “I think I am,” she confirmed, still looking outside. “Oh, wow!” she exclaimed, startling Jo. “I’m in love with Jamie Hillier.”
“I’m happy for you, Cora,” Jo responded with a sincere smile. “You deserve to be happy. You deserve all of it and so much more.”
With her support, Cora pulled Jo into a tight hug. “Thanks, Jo,” she spoke against her temple. At this, Jo’s smile broadened.
“What are we celebrating?”
The two sisters pulled apart and turned to Andrea, who looked at them with a quizzical yet excited expression.
“Cora’s in love,” Jo blurted.
Andrea’s face lit up even more from the news. “Finally! I was wondering how long it would take you to admit that little fact… that you burn for the man.” She smirked, a mischievous glint in her light blue eyes.
Cora stuck her tongue out at her before breaking out into laughter. The other two joined in the euphoria.
