AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Dad: We just wanted to check on you. I told your mother you said it wasn’t a big deal, but she doesn’t believe us.
Graham had sent it as a group text with his mom’s cell, too, dammit.
Graham: I’m good. It’s mostly my leg, but I’ll be back to normal in no time. My roommate is a nurse, so she’s taking good care of me.
Mom: I’m the queen of downplaying medical issues and I want more information. What kind of leg injury, and what kind of nurse is your roommate? Is this Claire or Reagan?
Why did he think he’d be able to slip this past them? He was in a different state so it shouldn’t have been that difficult, but he’d never been good at lying to his parents. A twinge of guilt hit him in the gut but he stuffed it down because really, hewasfine. He tried to be truthful but give as little information as possible.
Graham: I have to stay off it for a few weeks, which you know is driving me up the wall. It’s Claire and she’s an ER nurse, but is doubling as my babysitter and is keeping me on track. She could probably even get you to follow directions.
Mom: Sounds like a woman I’d like to meet. Why don’t you come visit and bring her along?
Graham nearly choked. His mom was forever trying to get him to settle down.
The one time he’d brought a woman home had been a disaster, but that didn’t deter her in the least.
As if she felt time was running out for her only child to get married and give her grandchildren, she’d been relentless these last couple of years. She’d clearly been paying attention anytime he mentioned his roommates, and taken note of their names.
Graham: Roommate, Mom. Not girlfriend.
Dad: She sounds like a great catch if she can keep you in line.
Graham: It’s only been a few days and when it comes to pushing the boundaries of medical advice, I learned from the best.
Mom: My situation is completely different. Besides, you’re my son and you should do as I say and not as I do.
Graham: Yes, Mother.
He dropped his phone to the bed and leaned his head against the headboard with a sigh.
“Everything okay?” Claire asked.
Keeping his head against the wood, he rotated his head to regard her, his dad’s words scrolling through his mind.She sounds like a greatcatch. With those big, hazel eyes and wild hair that seemed untamable, she’d certainly caught his eye from the moment he met her.
She was also fun, independent, and tough. A force of nature.
So yeah, she was a great catch. Which was why he’d befriended her rather than dated her, because the latter was a surefire way to sever her from his life.
As he looked at her he tried to remember the last person he’d told about his mom. Or anything about his life growing up, for that matter. It had been several years...maybe even more than a decade. He’d learned quickly to leave that stuff off the table, especially with women.
But Claire was different, wasn’t she? She was his friend, and a good one at that. They had an understanding. She didn’t expect anything more from him, so what harm would it do to give her some? She wouldn’t take it any sort of way, and he felt strangely calm at the prospect of telling her.
That was a first.
He unlocked his phone again and sent her a text.
Graham: I didn’t tell my parents the details of the accident. I made it sound like it wasn’t a big deal.
She read the message and frowned. “Why?”
I didn’t want to worry them. My mom has multiple sclerosis and now that she’s older, she has flares pretty often. She struggles with being sick and my dad does his best to take care of her on his own. They don’t need the added burden.
He watched her face as she read. She looked over at him when she finished. “I’m sorry, I had no idea.” Did he detect a hint of accusation in her tone? “MS is a terrible disease.”
He nodded his agreement, careful to keep his expression even. Telling her was one thing; letting her see how much it tore him up inside was another.
“So what did you tell them?”
