"No problem." Hayley slipped on her jacket and headed out of the house.
"Nice that you don't have to drive her home," he commented.
"Yes, it's very convenient." She pulled out her phone as it began to ring, her brows drawing together. "It's my father. He never calls me."
"Take it."
She answered the phone. "Hello? Dad? Is something wrong?"
As Jessica moved into the living room to speak to her father, Brandon came down the stairs in his pajamas, a sleepy look in his brown eyes, but he got more alert when he saw Reid, giving a happy and surprised smile.
"Hi, Reid," he said.
"Hey, Brandon. Did you have fun tonight?"
Brandon nodded. "Where's Mom?"
"She's talking to your grandfather." As he finished speaking, Jessica came back into the room, her face pale. Whatever her father had had to say hadn't been good.
"Brandon," Jessica said. "Are you ready for bed?"
He nodded. "Can you read to me?"
"I'll be up in a minute. Why don't you go upstairs and pick out a book?"
"Okay. Good-night, Reid," Brandon said, as he ran up the stairs.
"Sleep well," he said, thinking Brandon was a lot easier than Tara when it came to going to bed. At that age, his sister used to fight like crazy for even an extra minute past her bedtime. When Brandon had disappeared up the stairs, he glanced at Jessica. "What's wrong?"
"My mom is in the hospital. She felt dizzy, so her friend took her to the emergency room. My dad's plane is delayed. He's been in LA the last few days. He wants me to go to the hospital and check on Mom. But I have Brandon. I can't ask Hayley to stay late into the night. Maybe her mom could do it, but I don't really know her that well yet."
"I can stay here and watch Brandon while you're gone," he suggested.
She hesitated. "I can't ask you to do that, Reid."
"I offered. I'm here. I'm willing. Let me help."
"Are you sure? I know it's a huge favor to ask."
"Jessica, it's not a big deal. I'll stay here as long as you need me to. I don't work tomorrow, so I can get Brandon to school if you need me to."
"I'll be back tonight, but it might be late."
"Don't worry about it."
"Okay. I'll tell Brandon I have to go see my mom but I won't mention anything about the hospital."
"Sounds like a plan," he said following her up the stairs.
Jessica walked over to the bed where Brandon had surrounded himself with a pile of books. "I have to go out for a while to see Grandma," she said. "Reid is going to stay with you until I get back."
"Why do you have to go there now?" Brandon asked with annoyance. "You just got home."
"I know, but Grandma needs my help," she replied.
"I could go with you."
"It's past your bedtime. You have school tomorrow."
Brandon's eyes grew stubborn. "I can stay up late. I'm not tired. I want to go with you."
"Well, you can't," she said a weary note in her voice.
Reid saw the storm clouds gathering in Brandon's eyes. "You know," he interrupted, "I'm not tired, either. What do you say we read one of your favorite books, Brandon?"
Brandon debated his offer for a minute. "Can we read two books?"
He laughed. "You're going to be a good negotiator."
"What does that mean?" Brandon asked, wide-eyed.
"It means, yes, I will read two books with you, if it's okay with your mom."
Jessica nodded. "But that's all. Then you go to sleep, Brandon. No pushing Reid to do one more."
"Okay."
"I love you," Jessica said, giving Brandon a hug and a kiss.
Reid felt a rush of unexpected emotion watching Jessica and her son. There was a lot of love between them. Brandon had no idea how lucky he was.
"Thanks again," Jessica said, giving him a grateful smile as she moved toward the door.
"Drive safe."
"I will. I'll be back as soon as I can."
"We'll be fine. Don't worry."
As Jessica left the room, Reid moved around the bed and sat down next to Brandon, who handed him a three-ring binder.
"What's this? I thought we were going to read some books."
"It's Mommy's book," Brandon said. "She drew the pictures, and I helped her write it."
"Okay."
He opened the binder and saw a colorful illustration of a little boy about Brandon's age who was carrying a backpack and walking along a garden path with a leprechaun peeking out from behind a rock. The lines were precise. The characters felt very real, and the colors were amazing. "Your mom drew this?"
Brandon nodded. "Yes. I wanted to read a story about a leprechaun, so she made one for me. It's about a little boy who needs to catch a leprechaun so he can get three wishes. So he goes to Ireland to find one. Have you ever been to Ireland?"
"I have not, but I'm curious to see what happens in this book."
Reid turned the pages as Brandon basically read the story to him. It was clear that Brandon had it memorized.
Reid wasn't as much caught up in the words as he was in the pictures. Jessica was clearly talented. And it was a shame that this story was just in a three-ring binder by Brandon's bed. It should be published and be in schools and libraries. He wondered if she had those kinds of plans for it.
He suspected she didn't want to think that big, didn't want to do anything that might infringe on her time with Brandon, her job as a mom. She was trying to be a superwoman: a mom, a dad, a teacher, and now a good daughter. He doubted being an illustrator was too high on the list, but maybe it should be.
He wished he could take some of the burden off her shoulders. He wanted to do more than just babysit her kid, and it was a rather shocking feeling.
He'd spent half his life taking care of his sister and his mother, and it was almost time for him to be completely free of those entanglements. Why would he want to take on more responsibilities now?
And it wasn't like Jessica wanted him to volunteer. She was doing everything to push him away.
Maybe he should listen to her.
He liked her. He was attracted to her. He wanted to spend more time with her, but was he really looking for this kind of life? Did he want to be in a relationship with a woman who had a child? Did he want nights of story time and needing to find babysitters so they could be alone? He'd never had to deal with any of that in his social life. But then he'd never met anyone like Jessica before.
He tried not to think about it. He didn't like putting too much worry into the future. He'd learned a long time ago that he couldn't necessarily stop what was coming, so he should just live in the moment and deal with problems when they actually occurred.
Jessica was the opposite. She spent a lot of time trying to avoid potential problems. Which was why she'd said no more dates.
Was he just being obstinate? Competitive? Trying to change her mind to see if he could?
No, it was more than that. Because if he wasn't really interested, he would back off. Brandon was important to him, too.
He suddenly realized that Brandon was no longer talking. He'd fallen asleep.
He slipped quietly out of the bed, put the books on the desk and then tucked the covers around Brandon's small body.
"Reid," Brandon muttered.
"Yes?" he asked.
Brandon gave him a sleepy look. "Will you come back another time and read to me?"
"Sure," he said.
He didn't know if Brandon had heard him, because his eyes were closed again, but he did know he would keep the promise no matter what Jessica said. She didn't want to disappoint her son; he didn't, either. Beyond that, who knew?
Nine
"I want to go home. I don't need to be here," her mom said, waving her hand around the hospital room. "I feel fine now. It was just a dizzy spell. Tell the doctor I want to leave."
Even in a hospital gown, her mother was a force to be reckoned with. She'd always had a demanding
personality, which was why she pretty much ran every group she was in, from the PTA to the country club and the library board. But Jessica couldn't let her mother's dislike of hospitals prevent her from getting the best possible care.
"They want you to stay until the morning just to be sure," she replied.
"Well, I don't want to stay. So tell them to release me."
"It's only for a few hours. You'll go to sleep. In the morning, Dad will take you home. Is it really that bad?"
"Yes, it is. I'm not sick."
"Why do you think you fainted?"
"Because I stood up too fast and Gwen gets hysterical at the least little thing," she said, referring to her longtime friend. "She insisted on bringing me here, and as soon as those doctors found out I was on chemo, they made me go through all kinds of uncomfortable tests. And where is your father?"
"I told you, his plane was delayed. He'll be here as soon as he gets back. I'm sure he won't even go home first."
"He better not. I don't like this, Jessica."
For the first time, she heard a note of fear in her mother's voice, and she impulsively put a hand on her mom's arm. She couldn't remember the last time they'd touched. She was also shocked at how thin her mom had become. "It's going to be okay," she said. "This is just a little setback. It's not something to worry about."
Her mom stared back at her with eyes that were the same color as her own. "You were always a terrible liar, Jessica. Your brother was much better than you were."
"Well, Christopher was better than me at most everything," she said dryly.
"Where is Brandon?"
"He's at home. I left him with a babysitter," she said, thinking that Reid was definitely not the typical babysitter, but tonight he was a lifesaver.
"You should go home and be with him."
"I'll leave when Dad gets here. I don't want you to be alone."
"Well," her mom said, as if surprised by the sentiment. "All right then."
She was happy that the immediate battle appeared to be over. "Is there anything I can get you? Are you cold? Do you need more blankets? Another pillow?"
"No, nothing will make this room or this bed comfortable. How is Brandon liking Half Moon Bay?"
"He's happy that there's a beach nearby."
"Have you taken him to the tide pools?"
"Several times. He loves them. He's an explorer at heart."
"You used to like going there, too."
She was surprised her mom remembered that. Actually, she was surprised her mother knew that. She'd always gone to the tide pools with a nanny or someone else's mom.
"You'd come back with wet shoes and sandy socks," her mom continued. "And you never remembered to leave them in the mud room."
She sighed, thinking that the happy memory was not so happy anymore.
"Is Brandon making friends?" her mom asked.
She thought it was interesting that her mom couldn't ask her if she was happy or making friends; it was all about Brandon—the grandson she barely knew. "He is," she said, knowing this wasn't the time to get into any kind of argument.
The door opened and her father entered the room. A tall man with silver hair and dark-brown eyes, her father had always had an imposing presence. Without saying a word, he demanded attention and respect. She suspected the medical students he worked with cowered when he came near, or maybe that was just her.
But she really shouldn't cower anymore. She was a grown woman with her own child, her own life.
"Thank goodness you're here," her mom said, as her father rushed across the room to take her mother's hand.
"What happened?" he asked.
"I just felt dizzy and Gwen overreacted, rushing me here to the hospital, when all I did was stand up too fast."
Her father picked up her chart and read through the medical notes. "It doesn't look like they found anything unusual during your exam."
"Nothing more unusual than the fact that I've had chemo and dizziness can be a side effect," her mother said shortly. "I want to go home."
"I don't see any reason why you shouldn't. I'll talk to the nurses."
"Thank you," her mother said. "I told Jessica to go talk to them, but she didn't feel comfortable asking them to release me."
"Well, I'm here," he said. "I'll talk to them."
As her father left, she turned back to her mom. "You know it wasn't that I didn't feel comfortable asking the nurses a question; I just thought it best you follow doctor's orders."
"Your father's a doctor. He'll take care of me."
"I know he will." She let out a breath. "I'm glad you're feeling better. I know the treatment is hard on you."
"I just want it to be over. I want to feel normal again. I want to play tennis and bridge with my friends. I want to think about planning our vacation, not scheduling a doctor's appointment."
"It will be over soon." They'd caught her mother's cancer in the earliest stage, so hopefully she would be completely fine. She just hoped this recent dizzy spell wasn't a sign of something else.
Her father re-entered the room. "You can go home."
"Thank goodness," her mother said with relief.
"You can go home, too," he told Jessica. "Thank you for coming."
"You're welcome. I'll check in with you tomorrow, Mom."
Her parents muttered good-night, as they focused on getting her mom dressed and ready to leave.
As she walked out to her car, she thought about how close her parents were. They might be distant from her, but there had always been a strong, loving bond between them. Sometimes they felt like an island unto themselves.
She knew they loved her in their own way, and she loved them. They were her parents. They'd taken care of her as best as they could. She just didn't feel close to them—not the way she felt close to Brandon. He was her whole life.
Would that be different if she had a husband?
She didn't think so. She had enough love for a man and a child or any number of children.
But her parents almost seemed like they'd had kids just because it was expected, not because her mom had really wanted to be a mother.
While she hadn't exactly made the choice to have a child, she loved Brandon desperately, and she was invested in him. She took pleasure in watching him do whatever he was doing: sports, art, music. She loved talking to him, seeing his brain in action when he figured out a problem.
But maybe her parents' lack of interest in her life was partly why she wanted to be there for Brandon. She never wanted him to feel like an outsider, which was why she'd always been careful about bringing anyone else into her life.
As she started her drive back to Half Moon Bay, her thoughts drifted to Reid. Considering his generous offer to babysit tonight, she had a feeling she owed him at least one more date. She smiled at that thought. It wouldn't be a hardship to go out with him again. She liked him a lot. Tonight she'd gotten to know him a little better, and it had only teased her desire to know more.
It was dangerous to go down that road. Every instinct she had told her it probably wouldn't end well, that their lives were too different, but she wanted to see around the next bend. She told herself she could stop things any time she wanted. It didn't have to end in disaster; it could just end. Couldn't it?
* * *
Reid was sitting on the couch in the family room, watching the news when she entered the adjoining kitchen. He got to his feet when she walked in, concern in his blue eyes.
"Everything okay?" he asked.
"Yes. How was Brandon?"
"Perfect. He fell asleep about a half hour after you left. How's your mom?"
"Okay." She dropped her bag on the counter and walked over to the couch. They sat down together. "She had a dizzy spell, but they didn't find anything wrong with her. It was probably just a side effect from the chemo she's been having."
"I'm glad she's all right."
"She had enough energy to be mad as hell that she was in the hospital, so that's probably a
good sign. My dad came and he got them to release her, so he's in charge now." She glanced down at the coffee table, startled to see three of her story binders there. "What are these doing down here?"
"I took them from Brandon's room after he fell asleep. We read the first one together. I wanted to see what the others were about. Your work is amazing, by the way."
"The stories are kind of silly, but Brandon and I have fun together making them up."
"The stories are good, but the art brings them to life. You were being too modest earlier, Jessica. You're incredibly talented. You should publish those books."
"I don't know if that's easy to do, but I might look into it—someday."
"What's stopping you from doing it now?" he challenged.
"I'm busy. I have a lot on my plate."
"Is it really a time issue, or are you afraid to find out if they're good enough?"
"You ask a lot of hard questions."
"Not that hard. You already know the answer."
"Fine. I might be a little afraid to find out just how good they are. It's easier to keep them as a hobby."
"That's fair. But I think you should take a chance. Your talent is too good not to share."
She was touched by his encouragement. She hadn't had a lot of cheerleaders in her life, but for some reason, Reid appeared to be one.
"We should do some research into publishing companies," Reid continued. "One of my friends runs a bookstore downtown. She might know someone."
"I've been in that store. They have a great children's section."
"I'll introduce you to Kelly when you're ready. I'm sure she has some contacts or knows something about publishing."
"Okay, but slow down. I will look into it, but I'm still getting settled here, and I just need my life to calm down a little."
"All right, I'll stop pushing."
"Really? Because that doesn't seem likely," she said dryly.
He laughed. "Sorry, but I can't help it. When I see someone wasting their talent, I have to say something."
"Maybe I should watch you surf one day and see if you're wasting your talent."
"Any time. You're more than welcome."
"I really appreciate you covering for me tonight," she told him. "Seriously, it would have been difficult for me to find anyone else, and I couldn't really take him to the hospital."
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