by Natalie Ann
“I planned on it,” Justin said.
He was going to make sure his father was in the house, then leave and go see his mother. He’d explain it all to her and Ashley, then go to the bar and get some lunch and a beer. He figured he’d have to do something with his time here and though he’d said he’d help out at the course, his father had said absolutely not.
Actually the words were, “You wanted no part of it years ago so you aren’t getting your hands on it now.”
Whatever. He’d figure it out and though Dr. Willis mentioned that maybe the hospital would take Justin on loan, he’d brushed it off. He had a job he planned on going back to.
“Justin,” his mother said when he found her in her office. Normally she was walking around doing a million things at once. “How did it go?”
“Can I get a beer first?” he asked.
“That bad?” his mother asked, her eyes filling up.
He felt bad over that. “The appointment was everything I thought it’d be. Pretty much what I’d told you it should be from my colleague. It has more to do with Dad and his attitude.”
“Let me call Ashley in. I’ll have her bring you something to eat too.”
“Don’t worry. This won’t take too long and I’ll go to the bar when I’m done and get something.”
He waited for his sister to be found and come in. “How bad was Dad?” Ashley asked right away.
He laughed. “As you would expect.”
He spent the next ten minutes telling them everything the doctor said and that he’d be bringing his father to all the appointments and making sure he was fine for the few days after the treatments. The first three days would be the worst and then he’d get better gradually. His father should be able to stop in at the course and check on things but not overdo it on the second week.
“You’re going to go nuts with nothing to do,” Ashley said. “Are you sure it’s okay for you to be gone this long from your job?”
“It’s fine. I took a leave of absence. You’re getting into the busy season and you need to be here. You heard Dad. He doesn’t want the business to suffer. The only way I can see him doing what he’s told and not stressing about this place that means more to him than anything is if I’m here to deal with him.”
“You know that isn’t true,” his mother said. “He loves his family.”
“He has a funny way of showing it,” he said.
His father had always been all about the resort, but the older he got it was more so. Justin was surprised Ashley had no problem working for him, but the truth was, Ashley ran the resort end and the restaurant and events with his mother. His father just focused on the course.
“I’m thrilled that you are willing to put your life on hold. Maybe while you’re here you and your father can make amends.”
“I’ve tried twice since we’ve found out about his diagnosis. I even said it again this morning and he brushed it off and said I didn’t need to be here, that he could figure things out on his own.”
His mother dropped her shoulders. “Let’s play it by ear.”
“I know. My sanity is going to get the best of me. I might be desperate enough to look into what Dr. Willis said.”
“What’s that?” Ashley asked.
“He thought I was the new ER doctor at Saranac Hospital. I told him no. He said there is an opening, and it’s hard to fill. Maybe I could be on loan.”
“I think that is a wonderful idea,” his mother said. “The CEO of the hospital is a member here.”
“I’m sure he is, but I can figure my life out just fine,” he said. “I’ve been doing it for years.”
Ashley laughed. She’d been hearing him say that for years too.
“I’m glad you’re here,” his sister said. “I don’t get to see you much.”
“I’ve missed you both,” he said. “Hopefully something good can come out of this.” He turned his head and saw something on the table. “Is that a cake?”
“Yes,” Ashley said, getting up. “Want a piece?”
“Shit yeah,” he said. He was starving and had a wicked sweet tooth on top of it. He walked over and looked at it. “That’s the tenth, eleventh and twelfth holes,” he said as he picked up the knife and cut a big piece. He could see a few had been cut out of it already, but he was still able to recognize the course. “What’s the occasion?”
“No occasion. Remember Chief Miles?”
“Trevor now, right?” he asked as he put a piece of the lemon cake in his mouth and closed his eyes and moaned. Damn, he might eat the whole thing.
“Yes,” his mother said. “His sister is starting up a new business and brought it over as a sample with her business card.
“Kennedy?” he asked. Trevor was a year younger than him. He knew his sister Kennedy too who was a few years younger than Trevor. In this small area that he couldn’t wait to leave, you knew pretty much everyone in school.
“No, Taryn,” Ashley said.
“I didn’t remember him having two sisters.”
“She’s a few years younger than me. My guess is she is about twenty-eight.”
“That makes sense why I wouldn’t know of her. She’s eight years younger than me.”
“She’s really nice,” his mother said. “She’d been living in Florida for years and decided to move back. Now that Trevor’s wife is pregnant and Kennedy just got married, she wanted to be close to her family.”
“Trevor is married?” he asked. “And Kennedy?” He didn’t keep up with much of the news anymore.
“Trevor is married to the new dentist in town,” Ashley said. “And Kennedy married Trevor’s best friend. Both Riley, Trevor’s wife, and Logan, Kennedy’s husband, are from the New York City area. Riley’s brother is a plastic surgeon that relocated here a few years ago too. He’s remarried and has two kids from his first marriage and then one from his second.”
“I didn’t realize I was going to get the town residential bio update,” he said, cleaning up the plate and wanting a second slice. He’d wait until he got some real food in him though, then sneak back in for more if his mother didn’t take the cake home with her first.
“You never were one for keeping up on the gossip,” his mother said.
“No need to when I don’t care. Anyway, I’m going to head to the bar now, then go back to my new home for the next four to six months.”
“Are you staying that long?” Ashley asked.
“That’s the plan. But like I told Dr. Willis, if you hear I’m missing, check the ninth hole. Though Dad corrected me and said he’d just toss my body in the pond.”
His mother gasped. “He didn’t say that to his doctor.”
Ashley laughed. “You know he did, Mom. Dad says that all the time.”
“Yeah, but only to friends and family that know he’s joking.”
Justin laughed. “I’m not sure he was.”
3
Totally Worth It
“I heard you scored a new gig.”
Taryn turned to see Trevor standing there while she set up cupcakes in Kennedy’s spa the following Monday. Her sister always had sweet treats for her clients and normally bought them at the bakery. With Taryn living upstairs, it was easy enough for her to make things for her sister’s business a few times a week. Plus she stuck her business card with them. Maybe it’d get her some future business.
“How did you hear?” she asked, then slapped his hand when he went to pull a cupcake off of the three-tier stand she was arranging them on. “Here, if you want one, but not from the display.”
He took the mini cupcake out of her hand, pulled the wrapper off and broke it in half. They were about two to three bites worth. Full-sized cupcakes would be too much, but she had fun decorating them.
“I don’t know where or how I hear so much shit. It just happens and I lose track of it all. Man, these are killer? Ginger?”
“Yes. Ginger cupcakes and cream cheese frosting. I figured I’d try different flavors out.”
“Which one is that?” he asked, reaching for a different one.
She sighed and handed it over to her sweet tooth brother. “Orange vanilla with lemon buttercream. It’s a light citrus one.”
“Where’s the chocolate?” he asked as he ate that one in two bites.
“Another day,” she said. “I’m going lighter and trying new recipes and combinations. The citrus one is new.”
“It is a nice summer one,” he admitted. “So it went well at Collins’s Lodge on Saturday?”
“It did. The bride was pretty easy to work with. I think she was thankful I was able to do it since it was last minute.” She pulled her phone out and showed her brother the picture of the groom’s cake she made. “He wanted double chocolate with a chocolate gauche filling.”
“Doesn’t look like chocolate frosting to me if it was double chocolate,” Trevor said, pulling her phone out of her hand and looking at the topsy-turvy cake with a football field decoration on the bottom and a pool table motif on top. Two of the groom’s favorite things.
“That’s because there is fondant on top for the decorations. The groom loved it and so did the guests. Erika, Zeke and Kendall were pleased and said they would definitely be recommending me for future parties and weddings.”
“That’s great,” Trevor said.
“It’s a start. I’ve got a job lined up in Saranac this Saturday. A Memorial Day party. It was last minute, but I got the business from leaving a cake at Cambridge Golf Resort last week. Guess giving out samples in town is helping. I’m going to hit up a few more places, but there is only so much time to do things and work too.”
“Is Logan a hard boss?” Trevor asked of his best friend.
“No. He’s pretty easy and flexible and I feel like I’m the one taking advantage of him. It’s nine thirty and I haven’t even gone into the office yet. I’m heading there as soon as I finish setting this up.”
Trevor laughed. “He isn’t going to say anything if you are here setting up for his wife’s business and I’m pretty sure you are bringing some goodies to him too.”
She smiled. “Of course. The adventure park doesn’t even open until ten, but I don’t have set hours. He’s there, I know that. And though he doesn’t care as long as the work is done, I’ve never had an employer like that either.”
Sure, she knew her brother-in-law was laid back, but she didn’t want to take advantage of it.
“Logan’s a good guy.”
“I know. He’s giving me a chance to try to do what my dream is and still earn a living on top of it. I can’t thank him enough.”
Trevor snuck one more cupcake and then turned to leave. “You can thank me too,” he said. “He is my best friend. Both you girls are lucky I’m your brother and brought Logan into your lives.”
Kennedy had just walked into the room after finishing up a pedicure. “Get out of here,” Kennedy said. “Stop trying to take credit for my husband and stealing my clients’ treats.”
Taryn watched her brother leave, then waited until Kennedy rang out her client. “You’re all set now. Half are ginger and cream cheese and the other half orange and lemon citrus.”
“Thanks. This is great and saves me from going to the bakery.”
“I’ve got more upstairs that aren’t frosted. I can bring them down tomorrow if you want,” she said.
“How many did you make?” Kennedy asked, stealing one of them to eat.
“A few dozen of each. They are fast since they are small so a normal batter makes a lot.”
“I appreciate it,” Kennedy said. “But don’t feel like you have to do this daily.”
“I won’t,” she said. “But I know you like to have things here daily so I’ll keep you posted the days I’ve got stuff to stop you from buying.”
“Are you sure I can’t pay you for this? At least for the ingredients?”
“God, no. I’m already not paying what I should for rent and you know it. And if it gets me more business it’s totally worth it.”
“A write off for you, isn’t it?” Kennedy asked.
“Once an accountant always an accountant.” She turned her head when she heard Sally coming in the back door. “I’m going to run now before Sally stops to give me the local town gossip.”
“Smart,” Kennedy said. “Tell my hubby I love him.”
“You can tell your hubby you love him yourself.”
She left to go out the front door, then put the security code in to get to her apartment upstairs, grabbed the rest of the cupcakes and left for work.
Across town Justin was wishing he had something sweet like a cupcake in his hand rather than his sour father giving him shit about going for his first chemo treatment.
Sure, he knew his father was scared and nervous but heaven forbid he’d admit that. Nope. Bruce Cambridge wasn’t letting his guard down to his own children or wife.
His mother had called him last night in tears, then stopped over so they could talk. She was upset because his father was debating on going through with the treatment now and said he felt fine and didn’t think he needed it. That even the doctor said he’d probably had the start of this for years, so what’s the big deal in his father’s eyes.
It’d taken everything he had not to yell at his father for being so selfish and to look at the woman he’d been married to for forty years and see what he was doing to her.
But that would only cause more problems, so he tackled it the only way he could. He told his father he was strong enough for it. It was a short period of time. That if he didn’t, he’d die. It was that simple. So instead he had to decide if six months of his life being uncomfortable was worth many more years of making the rest of them miserable.
His father’s lips actually twitched into his form of a smile toward Justin and he agreed. Whatever it took, Justin didn’t care.
Though he and his father were at odds, Justin wasn’t about to let his father not even start treatment when his cancer was very curable. The odds were in his father’s favor and he made sure his father was aware of that.
That didn’t change his father’s attitude or his griping this morning on the short drive to the clinic. “Dr. Willis said it should only be a few hours,” his father said. “I don’t know why they said to plan on being there all day today.”
Justin bit back a sigh and explained again. “Because it’s your first treatment and there is a chance you could have an allergic reaction to one of the meds. You’ll get a combination of them today. Each one will be a slower drip to watch for any issues or concerns. If you tolerate them without any immediate reactions, then the next one will be faster.”
“They had me take enough damn steroids in the past twelve hours,” his father said.
“That’s right and they will give you more today too. That will help with reactions.” He turned to look at his father to see if he could read what was on his mind. Nope. He couldn’t and probably never would be able to.
“Think of Mom and Ashley. I’m taking you because Mom would be a wreck with the way you are right now. She wouldn’t be able to get you to see reason. You can hate me all you want, but I’m the best choice for this and you know it.”
“I don’t hate you,” his father said gruffly.
“Then you just hate the decisions I’ve made in my life because they weren’t what you wanted them to be.”
There was no response and he didn’t expect it. It was the last thing he wanted to even bring up. “What are you going to do today? Just sit there and watch me for every little reaction too?”
“Yes,” he said. “Just like Mom or Ashley would have. The difference is they are more emotional than me. They react and they might drive the nurses nuts even if you say you’re fine.”
He snorted. “They would.”
“At least we are in agreement on something. There will be TV’s there. They try to make it as relaxing as they can.”
“How does this port thing work?” his father asked.
He’d had a chem
o port implanted after his oncology appointment last week. “Rather than trying to find a vein in your arm, the port is attached to a vein. Did you use the numbing cream this morning like they prescribed?”
“I did.”
“I’ve heard some say it’s like a bee sting when the needle goes in, others say they don’t feel a thing. Since you are still healing, it might sting for a second and then they will tape it down and you shouldn’t feel it anymore. You’ll be able to get up and move around, go to the bathroom. Eat. Whatever you feel like doing. You might just want to sleep.”
“I doubt it.”
But three hours later his father had his eyes shut and looked to be resting.
He’d see the doctor and get blood work drawn before treatment each time to check his blood counts. Today was a good baseline and everything was exactly as it should be.
Surprisingly, his father was actually nice to the nurses and it just reminded him that his dad could be a people person in public, but he just didn’t want to be that way with his own son.
The first drug showed no reaction, but the Benadryl was getting to his father and making him sleepy. He wanted to stop him from napping so he could watch for a reaction but then told himself if his dad was tired it was best. The second drug started thirty minutes ago and they said if there was a reaction, he’d have it within twenty minutes. So far so good. This drip would last about ninety minutes today but should be down to sixty minutes next time. He’d consider this a win at the moment, but the next few days would be telling.
They’d pumped his father full of anti-nausea meds for today, but if his father was stubborn and didn’t want to take prescriptions for the others he was given, it might be a long few days. Either way, he’d be sitting there with him this afternoon until his mother got home, then would go back in the morning tomorrow and keep an eye on things.
On the drive home, he asked, “Feel okay?”
“Are you going to ask me this every ten minutes?” his father asked.
“Until I can trust you to tell me if you don’t feel good. Yes.”