Mary Kate held up a Disney movie. “It’s supposed to be good.” She fingered a blue scarf that covered her bald head. “And see the scarf Granny made for me?” The last of her hair had fallen out a couple of weeks ago and she was still adjusting to the change.
“It’s the same color as your eyes,” Emily said.
“That’s the same thing Uncle Andrew said.” Mary Kate continued to play with the scarf. “He said he’d get Ruby a collar the same color so we’d match.” She smiled at the thought.
Emily hooked the bagged chemo drugs to the IV. At this point, just the sight of them made Mary Kate nauseous, so she tried to keep them from her line of sight. “Here we go,” she said. “Let me know if you need anything, okay?”
Mary Kate nodded. “Okay.” She slipped on her headphones and turned her attention to the movie.
“I’ll be back in a few minutes to see if y’all need anything,” Emily said.
Sarah stood. “Wait.” She followed Emily to the doorway. “She has tests scheduled for later in the week. Is there anything we should be concerned about?”
“They’re routine. They’ll be looking at her blood work and her bone marrow. And possibly doing some imaging just to make sure everything is okay with her organs.”
Sarah sighed. “We’re just. . .” She trailed off. “I guess it just seems like she’s never going to be okay.”
“Think of it this way—treating cancer is like training for a marathon. It isn’t going to happen overnight. It’s a slow process. But once she’s in remission, hopefully she’ll stay that way.”
“Speaking of marathons, Andrew tells me that y’all are both training to run the half marathon in December. That’s awesome.” She smiled. “Mary Kate is really excited about having her picture put on a shirt.”
Emily laughed. “I’ll bet.”
“And I know it might not be appropriate to tell you this in this setting, but I’m glad my brother met you. You’ve been really good for him.”
Heat flamed Emily’s face. “He’s been good for me, too.” His disclosure about Beth and the carjacking had been a turning point for them. Over the past few weeks, they’d started to see each other on a regular basis.
“See you in a bit,” Sarah said with a smile.
Emily hurried down the corridor to her next patient.
***
“I’m so glad y’all could come with us tonight,” Suzanne said. “I haven’t been to a football game in years.” She glanced back from the passenger seat of her Pathfinder. “Have y’all?”
Emily held Andrew’s hand in the backseat. “I definitely have not, at least not a high school game. Every now and then I go to a college game.”
“I’m probably the odd one,” Andrew said with a grin. “Back in Mississippi, I went to most of the games, both junior and senior high. My students always wanted me to see them play or cheer or perform in the band.” He laughed. “Although I probably would’ve gone even if I didn’t teach.”
“Yeah, because there’s nothing else to do in Soso,” Emily teased.
Andrew cleared his throat. “How about you, Nick?”
Nick shook his head as he slowed the SUV down to turn onto Ridgeway Road. “It’s been awhile. But tonight they’re honoring my old team and my former coach asked me to be there.”
Emily knew that it was a big step for Nick to return to the field where he used to play. Years ago during his junior year, his parents and brother had been killed in a car accident on their way to one of his games. “And this is some kind of rivalry game?” she asked.
Nick nodded. “Yeah. My alma mater is an all-boys school, and our big rival is the other all-boys school from across town. It’s always a big game.” He slowed down to turn into the parking lot near the football stadium.
Emily and Andrew walked hand-in-hand behind Suzanne and Nick as they made their way to the stadium. “Thanks for coming with me,” she said.
“I’m glad we came. I like your friends, by the way.” He grinned. “Dinner was fun.” The four of them had gone to dinner at Houston’s before the game. Andrew and Nick had bonded over a shared love of basketball and before dinner was over there had been discussion of attending a Grizzlies game once the season started.
Emily squeezed his hand. “It sure was.” She and Suzanne had gone on double dates sometimes in college, but it seemed like over the past few years they never had relationships at the same time. So tonight was a special treat for them, as it looked like they may have both found happiness.
“There sure are a lot of people here,” Suzanne remarked once they were seated in the stands. “It almost looks more like a college game than a high school one.”
Nick laughed. “It hasn’t changed much since I was in school. This game means a lot to a lot of people.” He pointed at a group of students with painted faces. “I suspect that cheering section will be pretty loud if we do well.”
The first half passed quickly as the teams matched one another score for score.
“I have my camera,” Suzanne called as Nick left the stands to go out on the field with the rest of his former team. “Don’t forget to smile.”
He walked off with a wave.
“Did you play sports?” Emily asked Andrew as they watched the ceremony.
He nodded. “Baseball and basketball. I was pretty good, too.”
“I’m sure you were.” Emily smiled.
Suzanne leaned over to Emily. “Will you go with me to get some hot chocolate?”
“Sure,” Emily said. “Andrew, do you want anything?”
He shook his head. “No thanks. I’ll save our seats.”
Emily followed Suzanne out of the stands. “Well. . .what do you think?” she asked once they were away from the crowd.
“He’s great.” Suzanne’s blue eyes shone with excitement. “Nick thinks so, too. Y’all are so cute together.”
“Thanks.”
“Seriously. He hangs on to everything you say and looks at you with the cutest expression on his face.” Suzanne wiggled her eyebrows. “If you ask me, the boy is smitten.”
Emily laughed. “I don’t know about that.” She sighed.
“What in the world is wrong?”
“You’re going to think I’m crazy.”
Suzanne narrowed her eyes. “What is it?”
“We’ve been seeing each other regularly. I mean, there were a few weeks there after we first met that he didn’t call. But ever since he opened up about his old girlfriend, we’ve seen each other at least weekly.”
“And?”
Emily ran her hand through her long hair. “He hasn’t kissed me. What gives?”
“He holds your hand though. I noticed it earlier.” Suzanne adjusted the scarf around her neck. “Does he hug you?”
Emily nodded. “He’s affectionate up to a point. He kissed me on the forehead the other day.”
Suzanne laughed. “I think you’re worrying for nothing. He’s obviously crazy about you. He holds your hand, he hugs you, I saw him with his arm around you earlier. . .maybe he’s just taking things slowly.” She smiled at the face Emily made. “That’s a good thing. You’ve finally found a guy who really respects you.”
Was Suzanne right? “I guess.”
Suzanne rolled her eyes. “Don’t look for problems if they aren’t there.”
“You’re probably right. I just keep waiting for him to kiss me at the end of the night and he never does. A few weeks ago, he implied that he had feelings for me, but hasn’t really mentioned anything since. I’m starting to think there’s something wrong with me.”
“There is something wrong with you.” Suzanne giggled. “You worry too much.”
Emily tried to look stern but dissolved into laughter. “Maybe you’re right.”
Chapter Thirteen
Andrew believed in second chances. When his students messed up, he was always the first one to give them another shot. But when it came to himself, he wasn’t so forgiving. Since he’d told Emily about Beth�
��s murder, he’d tried to give himself license to move on.
But last week, Beth’s mom had sent him a card, wishing him well in his new place and with his new job. Since then, he’d struggled with guilt again. Beth had been an only child, so her death had completely devastated both of her parents. Her mom had kept in contact with Andrew over the years and had always seemed genuinely concerned about how he was doing.
There had been no animosity in the card she’d sent, just well wishes. But that didn’t keep Andrew from realizing the injustice in the situation. Beth’s life was over, yet he got to have a fresh start. Somehow it didn’t seem right.
And his relationship with Emily, as wonderful as it was turning out to be, suffered because of his guilt. She’d looked at him strangely the other night when he’d taken her home from the football game. He’d hugged her and kissed her on the cheek and for a split second when he pulled away he saw the uncertainty on her face.
How could he explain to her that he felt like giving in to his feelings and kissing her would seem like the ultimate betrayal of Beth’s memory?
He was headed over to Emily’s house tonight for an evening in. She insisted on cooking dinner for him after he’d questioned her cooking skills last week. But only because she’d made fun of him because he’d confessed his best dish was macaroni and cheese out of the box.
Andrew smiled at the thought as he pulled into the parking lot next to her building. At least he’d started to feel a little more comfortable downtown. Between going to Emily’s and to St. Jude, he’d learned his way around, too.
Still, he hurried inside the building. He might be getting more comfortable, but there was no reason to take any chances.
He stepped off the elevator and rang the doorbell.
Emily flung the door open, her face flushed. “This is a disaster.” She walked back into the condo, leaving him standing in the doorway.
“Hello to you, too.” He walked in and closed the door behind him.
She stopped and turned around with a grin. “Sorry. I’m just a bit of a perfectionist and things are not going the way I want them to.”
Andrew followed her into the kitchen. “What’s wrong?”
“Something is going on with my oven. It isn’t letting me cook on the stovetop and inside the oven at the same time.” She glanced at him. “Which is kind of a problem.”
He grinned. “Blaming the oven. I see how you are.”
She swatted at him. “Don’t make fun. I am a seriously good cook. My grandma taught me to cook when I was little.”
“Maybe we need to go back to Grandma’s so she can give you a refresher course.” He poked a fork into something frozen in a saucepan.
Emily wrinkled her nose. “You are not winning any bonus points with me tonight. Unless you can magically make my oven work.”
Andrew peeked into the oven. The cold oven. “Yeah, I’m thinking this isn’t something I can fix.” He met her brown-eyed gaze. “How old is this oven?”
She shrugged. “It came with the condo. The former owners didn’t want to take it with them.”
“Maybe there’s a reason for that,” Andrew said with a laugh. “Seriously. I think the oven has kicked the bucket. Gone to the great appliance graveyard in the sky.”
She laughed in spite of the situation. “Well, thank you for that diagnosis. You are oh-so-helpful.” She buried her face in her hands. “This is so awful.”
He crossed over to where she stood and pulled her into his arms. “Not really. We’re still together. The night is young. We could go out.”
She sighed and leaned against his chest. “I don’t want to go anywhere.” She tilted her face toward his. “I wanted a nice, quiet evening at home. With you.”
Her lips practically begged to be kissed.
Andrew gently pushed her away and grinned. “Pizza then? How does Domino’s sound?”
She nodded. “Perfect.” Her words didn’t hide the disappointment on her face. “Is pepperoni okay?”
He nodded.
“Great. I’ll go call.” Emily walked into the living room and grabbed her iPhone.
Andrew watched her red ponytail bob as she placed the order. In jeans and a simple blue v-neck sweater, she looked like the all-American girl. The kind of girl who’d been turning heads and breaking hearts her whole life. But somehow she didn’t give off an air of conceit. It was almost as if she had no idea how special she was. Not only because of her looks, but also because of her inner beauty.
He walked out of the kitchen and into the living room. A large bookshelf stood next to the TV. He scanned the assortment of books, and then turned his attention to a series of framed pictures. In the first one, Emily and Suzanne wore graduation attire and held up diplomas. He picked up a second frame. A teenaged Emily and a blond girl stood arm-in-arm in front of a Christmas tree.
“That’s Holly.” Emily came up behind him.
He smiled. “She’s beautiful. You look a lot alike in this picture.”
“I guess so. I didn’t realize it back then.” She took the frame from his hand and peered closer. “This was the Christmas before her diagnosis. We tried to talk our parents into taking us to New York that year. We wanted to ice skate at Rockefeller Center and see all the lights.” She placed the picture back on the shelf. “They told us that if we’d save our babysitting money, we’d go the next year.”
“But you didn’t?” He already knew the answer.
She shook her head. “She was sick the next year, and by the time the following Christmas rolled around, she’d passed away.”
He pulled her into a hug. “I’m sorry.”
She ducked out of his embrace. “I’m going to go make a salad for us to have with the pizza. At least my bum oven can’t mess that up.” She eyed him warily for a moment. “Do you want to come and watch?”
He grinned. “I’ll just keep looking at your pictures if that’s okay.”
She hesitated for a minute, and then relaxed. “Fine. The pizza should be here soon.” Emily left him alone in the living room.
Andrew knelt to see a couple more pictures, then stood and glanced around. “I’m going to go wash my hands,” he called.
“Okay.”
Even though he’d been to her place several times, she’d never offered him a tour. He had to admit, he was a little curious about the rooms beyond the living room and kitchen. He opened the closed door just off the living room.
And found an Elvis fan’s dream.
A cardboard Elvis stood in the corner, mid hip-shake. The walls were painted the color of Elvis’s pink Cadillac. There were Elvis figurines on the shelf above the desk, a bedspread with his face on it, and multiple framed pictures on the walls.
“What are you doing?”
He turned to see Emily’s horrified expression and knew this wasn’t something she’d meant for him to see.
And for good reason.
***
Emily had taken great pains to make sure her friends hadn’t seen the Elvis room. Suzanne and Jade had helped her with renovations when she first moved in, but they hadn’t been over since. And she always kept the door closed when company was coming over, even just the cable guy.
And that closed door had served as a deterrent.
Until now.
“Why did you go in there? Are you snooping?” she asked angrily.
Andrew’s guilty expression spoke volumes. “I’m sorry. I was just looking for the bathroom. This was the first door I came to. I didn’t know there was anything secret in there.” He laughed then quickly masked his laughter with a cough. “What’s the deal? Are you a closet Elvis fan?” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down. “Or a whole room Elvis fan it seems.”
She glowered. “You had no business going in there.”
He held his hands up in surrender. “Why are you getting so worked up? It’s not like this is some secret Elvis stash you stole from Graceland. . .is it?” He peered at her.
Emily wanted to wipe the smirk off o
f his face. It was just that look she’d wanted to avoid. Having a couple of pieces of Elvis memorabilia was fine. Normal, even, considering that she lived in Memphis. But she knew having a whole room devoted to him was a little over the top. “No, it isn’t stolen,” she grumbled. She pushed past him and went into the room. It was pretty heinous in there, she had to admit. She looked at Andrew’s smug face. But she might not admit it to him.
Andrew walked in and sat down on a red velvet chair. He looked around. “It’s like a museum. A creepy, Elvisy museum.”
She made a face. “There is a perfectly logical explanation for this room.” And there was. But she’d never told it to anyone before.
“I’m waiting.” He picked up an Elvis snow globe from the end table and turned the key. The opening strains of Can’t Help Falling in Love began to play. Andrew snickered.
“Don’t make fun.”
The doorbell rang.
Emily narrowed her eyes at him. “I’ll be right back.” She stopped at the door and gave him one last look. “Don’t touch anything.”
His laughter followed her down the hallway as she ran to the door for the pizza. She couldn’t believe he’d opened the door to the Elvis room. It made her feel kind of exposed.
Emily paid the delivery girl and tossed the pizza box on the coffee table. She took a deep breath and walked back into the room where Andrew waited.
He’d found a collection of Elvis bears sitting on the bed. Each played a different tune if squeezed. “These are great.” He grinned at her.
When she didn’t return his smile, he put the bear down. “I’m not judging. Surprised, maybe. But I collect things, too. I have a lot of basketball memorabilia. I even have a basketball signed by Michael Jordan sitting in a display case in my office.”
She rolled her eyes. “It’s not the same and you know it.”
He walked over to the Elvis clock and mimicked his pose. “I still like you, little lady,” he said with his lip turned up. “Even if you have turned out to be something of an Elvis hoarder.”
Emily burst out laughing. “I’m trying really hard to be mad at you here. Do you mind?” She pointed at the chair. “Now sit down. There’s something I want you to see.”
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