Keeping Claudia (Toby & Claudia Book 2)

by Suzanne McKenna Link

  Before I could respond, Liz answered. “Oh, you must’ve seen our staff doctor, Andrew Berger.”

  “Delicious,” Mom said. I wanted to shrink under my desk. “Why aren’t you making eyes at him, Claudia?”

  “Um, probably because he’s a coworker, and I have a boyfriend.” I yanked my purse from my desk drawer and slammed it shut.

  Liz whipped her head around at the noise. “Honey, you okay?”

  My mother’s presence had reduced me to acting like a sulky, hormonal teen.

  “Yes, fine. See you tomorrow,” I said, forcing a smile and hooking arms with my mother. “Let’s go, Mom.”

  As soon as we left the office, I saw Andrew near the exit, leaving work, too.

  “There he is. Introduce me.” Mom tucked into me conspiratorially.

  There was no possible way I could avoid him without being rude.

  “Fine, but please don’t say anything to embarrass me. He’s a coworker, okay? I have to see him every day.”

  My mother nodded, but her eyes were fixed on Andrew. I’m pretty sure she hadn’t heard a thing I’d said.

  “Claudia,” Andrew acknowledged me and held the door for us. “How is your father?”

  “Getting better every day, thank you,” I said. “Dr. Berger, this is my mother—”

  “Heidi.” Mom soared forward, holding out her hand.

  As I expected, he smiled his soap opera star smile at my mother, taking her hand in his smooth, manicured one.

  “Your mother?” he asked. I had a hunch what he was going to say next, and he delivered right on cue. “You two could pass for sisters.”

  Mom practically grew two inches, and her pursed lips rolled into a wide predatory smile if ever I’d seen one.

  My mother asked him about his work, where he lived, and even what his future plans were. Andrew folded his coat over his arm, conveying he was in no rush. He told us he was from Massachusetts and had been practicing for almost five years. I learned more about him in those few minutes than I had in the last few months of working with him.

  “I like Long Island, but unfortunately, I won’t be here much longer. Another associate and I are opening a facility in Boston,” he shared.

  Intrigued, I was pulled out of my silence. “For seniors?”

  “Yes.” He nodded. “A senior residence like Sterling, but with the comprehensive healthcare.”

  “Why Boston?” Mom asked.

  “My sisters and their families are up in Boston.” Andrew addressed my mother, but his gaze tipped to me, including me in on the conversation. “When I settle down, I want my kids to grow up around family.”

  “Family is important.” Mom’s head bobbed in agreement. I gave her a sideways look. “We love Boston, don’t we honey?”

  “Boston is a great town,” I agreed. “Went up there once on a middle school trip. I’m sure I’ll go back eventually.”

  He smiled at me. “When my practice opens, you’ll have to come visit.”

  “Of course, she will,” Mom said, practically foaming at the mouth.

  “Great.” He seemed unaware of her fawning or my growing annoyance of it. “Did you get the email about the company party?”

  “Yes, I sent it,” I said. The email was to remind employees of Sterling’s upcoming catered anniversary event in January.

  “You should go together. It’s always nicer to walk into those things with someone you know,” Mom said, and then pulled back. “Oh, unless there’s someone else you planned on taking, Andrew?”

  “Mom, really, we’re putting Dr. Berger on the spot.”

  “That’s okay.” He made eye contact with me, almost as if he was commiserating with me. “I don’t actually have anyone to attend with. I’d be happy to escort you to the party, Claudia, if you wouldn’t mind my company.”

  “I wouldn’t mind at all, but I already asked Toby to go.” I made a point of checking my watch. “Look at the time, Mom. We really have to go if we’re going to eat dinner and get to the hospital before visiting hours are over. Have a great weekend, Andrew.” I was grateful for an excuse to get away.

  “You, too,” he said. “Wish your father well for me. Pleasure to meet you, Heidi.”

  We all walked out together, and as I started my car, Mom watched Andrew walk to his black Lexus before she finally slid into the passenger seat next to me. “What a coincidence. He’s got a medical degree. You’re working on a medical degree. He’s extremely handsome, and you’re—”

  “Mother, stop matchmaking. I’m in a serious relationship.” Annoyance flashed like lightening. I took a deep breath to calm myself, but the air inside the car smelled absolutely delicious. “Do I smell dinner?”

  Mom smiled and brandished two bags of hot takeout from the back seat. “Dinner courtesy of the Thai restaurant in Blue Point.”

  My anger quickly dissipated. Despite her obvious attempt to meddle, she was trying. And I was hungry.

  At home, stomach rumbling, I hurried to set out dishes so Mom could dole out the portions. I nearly moaned over the first forkful of hot noodles and sauce I put in my mouth.

  My mother, however, pushed the food around on her plate. “How serious is this relationship of yours?”

  “There’s been talk of aligning our futures, and—” I hesitated only a moment before deciding to level with her. “We might be going ring shopping soon.”

  “Ring shopping? You can’t be serious!”

  “I am. I love him,” I said. “I’ve never felt this way about someone before.”

  “That’s because you’re young and the feelings are new to you. When I first met your father, I felt the same way about him. But, honey, those feelings fade.” She patted my hand. “I understand it’s kind of exciting to be with a guy who’s different from what you know, someone a little rough and unpredictable like Toby, but don’t do something impulsive you’ll regret. Toby seems like a nice young man, but you’d be better off if you found someone more suited to you like Dr. Berger. Years down the line, when the excitement fades, at least you’ll still have things in common.”

  I lowered my fork. “I’m not being impulsive. I know what I want.”

  “A career, of course, but what about marriage and kids?” My mother rested her chin on the back of her hand. “I might like to bounce a grandbaby on my knee someday.”

  The confession stunned me.

  “Marriage, yes,” I said, trying to picture my mother cooing at a baby. I warmed at the impression. “We’ll see about kids, but before anything, Toby will finish his computer program, and me, my degree. I’ll find work and Toby will build us the house of our dreams.”

  Pursing her lips, Mom rested her elbows on the table. “Does Toby know you have his future so intricately mapped out?”

  “I’m the planner of the two of us. He’s more of a take-it-as-it-comes kind of guy. It’s a Yin and Yang thing, and it works for us,” I said proudly.

  Mom didn’t look convinced. “I still think you should go to the office party with Dr. Berger. With him starting his own company, it never hurts to align yourself with the right people. By the way that handsome doctor looks at you, I’d say he’ll be more than happy to give you a leg up.”

  Chapter 13 • Claudia

  “Liz, I’m going to go down to the recreation room to post a flyer.” I stood from my desk and plucked out a small stack of the flyers I’d printed up. I’d gotten provisional approval to instruct a recreational dance program at Sterling outside of my regular hours and on my own time. Toby had complained that I was cramming more into an already packed schedule and taking time away from spending it with him, but I loved working with the residents. If I weren’t going to get paid to work with them, I’d volunteer. I only needed enough participants. “Then I’m running into town to fill a prescription for my father.”

  Mom had only stayed a few days before flying back to the West Coast, and after two weeks in the hospital and another two in a rehabilitation center, Dad had come home. I’d gotten my way and
convinced his doctor we could continue his recuperation at home. I worked with the hospital to set up a schedule that included in-home visits from a nursing service who provided the rigorous physical therapy that had been ordered for him.

  “Okay, but hurry back. I’m literally afraid I might get plowed under by all that paperwork.” She pointed to a giant pile of files on her desk. It was the first time I’d seen Liz noticeably stressed.

  I liked Liz a lot. We had an amazing working relationship that bordered on friendship. She looked exhausted, and I took pity on her.

  “Of course. It won’t take me long.” I sped-walked to the rec room and tacked the information and signup sheet to the corkboard near the entrance. It drew immediate attention. On my way out, I ran into Andrew in the hallway.

  “Playing with the residents, are we?” he asked, getting into step with me.

  “That’s the plan,” I said. Since the conversation with my mother, I’d felt a bit stiff around Andrew, but he was so easy to talk to, the pretense slipped away. “I’m trying to drum up some interest for a dance class I’ve been wanting to do for ages. Instructing a dance lesson is small potatoes in comparison to the level of care I’d like to achieve with the residents, but until I finish my degree, it gives me a way to work directly with them.”

  “Good for you. You add tremendous strength to Sterling. They’re lucky to have you.”

  His compliment spurred me to confide. “I’ve been thinking more about what you said—about continuing my schooling to get a doctorate degree—and since gerontology is your specialty, it’d be helpful if I could shadow you on your rounds.”

  “That’d be fine by me, and we can certainly talk to Bill about it. However, being a temporary staff member, I’m afraid I don’t have much pull around here,” he said, letting me down gently. “Now if you like Boston, that’s a whole other story.”

  I wasn’t sure what he was getting at. “What’s not to like about Boston? Good food, lots of history. Why?”

  “This might sound presumptuous, but remember I told you about opening a practice in Boston? I have to hire staff for my new office,” he said. “Write up a proposition about what you want to do, and I’ll convince the board to create the position and put you in it.”

  “Seriously?” My eyes widened.

  He nodded.

  “Wow, that’s an incredible offer.”

  “You’re enthusiastic and bright, the kind of person I want working with me.” He put a hand on my shoulder. “UMass has a good geriatric PhD program. I know it’s a lot to think about, a big move, so think on it and get back to me.”

  “I will. Thank you,” I said, and left the building. The sun hit me as soon as I exited the door, and I smiled. Move to Boston for a position created just for me? Doing exactly what I wanted to do? It almost felt like a no-brainer.

  I sent Toby a text:

  How do you feel about Boston?

  On a high, I drove into town to fill my father’s pain prescription. I strode down a store aisle to get to the pharmacy counter, noticing even drug stores took advantage of the early commercialization of Christmas. We were still a few weeks away from Thanksgiving, but already the shelves were brimming with an assortment of red and green décor, string lights, and stocking stuffers.

  I had too much on my plate to think about the holidays this early. Multitasking, I called my mother for one of our weekly chats.

  “Uncle Vinny and Aunt Giana have been amazing,” I said. Dad’s family was a tremendous help, everyone pitching in to stay with him during the hours I was at work and class.

  “What about you? How are you?” she asked.

  The question caught me off guard. I’d been so consumed with everything revolving around Dad’s care, work, and school I hadn’t thought much about myself.

  “I’m fine, just a little tired.” I refused to divulge that taking care of my father on top of everything else had turned out to be more than I’d anticipated. Dad had a walker, but he needed help getting up and sitting down. It’d only been a few days, but each night I tumbled into bed without a shred of energy to spare. I was even cat napping in my car before classes. To tell her was to concede that she might’ve been right—that I’d burdened myself unnecessarily. I wasn’t sorry I’d done it, so I blamed the weather instead. “The temperature dropped. Had our first flurries last night.”

  “You’re welcome to come stay with me anytime. San Diego is a beautiful seventy degrees,” she said.

  “I can’t leave Daddy. Things should be better in the spring. Maybe then,” I said, and I heard her sigh.

  She suggested a couple of herbal supplements to help boost my energy, and we said our good-byes. As I headed over to the supplements aisle, I passed the feminine hygiene and a shelf of pregnancy tests.

  I stopped. My stomach dropped, and I broke out in a cold sweat as I dug my phone out of my bag and pulled up the calendar app.

  I was a week late.

  I was tempted not to go back to work, but the office was prepping for annual audit. With the holidays bearing down on us, there was an undercurrent of stress mounting. Liz had taken to talking to herself out loud, punctuating sentences with audible groans. I sat at my desk, idly flipping through paperwork without seeing it, questions ransacking my thoughts. I didn’t know what to do first. Call Toby? Call April? Take a pregnancy test? The door to the director’s office opened, distracting me from my unsettled state.

  “Claudia, would you please come into my office?” Beckoned by the executive director, Bill Ramsey, I unclutched the armrests of my chair and crossed to his office.

  He shut the door, motioned for me to sit, and then sat behind his desk. “First, how is your father?”

  I gave him the update and thanked him for his concern and for how supportive Sterling had been during my father’s hospitalization.

  “Liz said you’re doing extremely well in the office. She’s thrilled to have such competent help,” he said. “I’m pleased that you decided to pursue your degree with an emphasis on management. I want you sitting in on our board meeting next week. It will be good for you to see how policies and procedures are put into effect.”

  Bill’s plans were going to take me further away from working directly with the residents. He’d opened the door for me to tell him what I really wanted, but I only looked over his shoulder out the window to the landscaped grounds where an aide was walking with a resident in the bright afternoon sun. Since I began volunteering at Sterling over four years ago, I’d known what I wanted to do, and that was to work with the seniors. But with my future now in danger of being radically altered, I was in no position to ask anything.

  “Maybe one day when I retire, you’ll take over my position,” I heard Bill say, and when I finally pulled my eyes away from the window, he was grinning broadly.

  He appeared so pleased with the situation all I could add was “It would be an honor.”

  I plodded back to my desk. A cold flush of realization washed over me. I’d arrived at a pivotal crossroads. Everything I wanted to do, everything— all my goals, dreams, and plans—now hung in the balance.

  Chapter 14 • Toby

  I arrived in the parking lot of the adult learning institute, turned off the Jeep’s ignition, and leaned back in my seat. I was already skirting being late, but I was struggling to drudge up the smallest bit of enthusiasm to go to the class. The software was amazing, and I had started the course pumped to learn. Now, a few months in, the exacting details of the design program had become tedious. There was so much to learn. The designs hinged on my ability to know the software inside and out. It meant hours upon hours on the computer.

  I loved working with my hands, the smell of sawdust, the interaction with my co-workers, and the building of something lasting. The work I was doing in the houses we were renovating offered visible, tangible evidence of my skill. That’s how I wanted to spend my days. A future of having my butt in a chair staring at a computer simply didn’t excite me. Finishing the course had bec
ome more about my commitment to Joe and Sal and my promise to Claudia than about my interest in continuing.

  My cell pinged with a text alert from Claudia. We hadn’t seen much of each other since her dad came home. Our schedules were full up, me with the AutoCAD class and band practice and performances. I offered to help and felt bad when she refused. She said El Capitán was cranky and difficult and didn’t want company.

  She was kind of in lockdown with him, and there was no chance for us to move forward. No talk of her moving in with me. Until Pops was getting on and off the crapper himself, we were on hold.

  I snagged my cell from my pocket and saw she’d messaged me:

  How do you feel about Boston?

  Then a second one:

  Call me ASAP!

  I dialed her number, reclined my seat, and put my feet up on the dashboard, glad for an excuse to delay going into class.

  “Hey,” I said when she answered. “I think Boston is pretty cool—”

  “Forget Boston. I have something very serious to tell you.”

  I worried something was wrong with her dad. “What is it?”

  “I didn’t get my period.”

  I huffed out a sigh, relieved. “Claude, that doesn’t necessarily mean you’re pregnant. We use protection.”

  “Not that one night, Toby.” She didn’t have to say any more for me to understand she meant the night after her father had been shot. The night she’d needed me to take care of her, to be her guardian.

  And now, somehow I might’ve fucked that up.

  “I’m never late. Never,” she said.

  “How late?”

  “A week.”

  “It was one time. Your body is stressed out from doing too much. You don’t ever rest,” I said, trying to convince myself as well as her.

  I heard the release of her breath on the other end. “God, maybe you’re right, but still, I think I should do one of those at-home tests to be sure. Don’t you think?”

  Sweat beaded on my forehead, and my tongue felt thick and spastic in my mouth. Fifty-fifty chance that this would go the right way for us.