Chapter 10
Vera
T here has to be something I can do to help.
Vera tapped her pen mindlessly on her desk as she tried, yet again, to think of some way to help Isla. It was clear that everything Isla was going through was weighing heavy on her, and Vera wanted to help lighten the load. Between moving to a new city, the situation with Blake, and Mason recovering from surgery, Vera had been trying to give her space the last few days. She’d made it a habit to call Isla every night when she got home from work and Vera wasn’t sure which one of them enjoyed their conversations more.
During their last phone call, Isla had complained about the house still not feeling like home and how she wished she had money to repaint and decorate. She’d also mentioned that she was still waiting on a call from her lawyer and was debating watching Blake’s new TV show when it came on the following week. Vera had no idea how to help with either of those, but she could help with repainting.
The longer she sat at her desk, the more she envisioned how she could fix up Isla’s apartment for her. She’d already taken care of Mason’s room, but Isla was right. The other rooms needed a spruce, too. Since Vera’s mother was the one who owned the apartment complex, she knew giving the place a new coat of paint wouldn’t be a problem. Of course, she also knew she couldn’t do it alone.
Heading down to the oncology department, Vera found Cameron in her office squinting at her computer screen. Vera knocked on the open door before stepping into the office.
“Do you have any idea how to work this new thing?”
“Not a clue,” Vera laughed. “I don’t know why we had to give up paper files cold turkey.”
“If it ain’t broke…”
“Pay millions of dollars to fix it.”
They both laughed. It was something they’d been saying the last few months while the hospital transitioned to their new electronic system. Vera and Cameron were over the learning curve already.
“So,” Cameron leaned back in her swivel chair, “what brings you to my section of the hospital?”
“Well, I was wondering if you were working tomorrow?”
“No, thank God. I’m trying to reclaim my Saturdays.”
Again, they both laughed. Having Saturdays off as a fellow was a privilege , not a guarantee.
“Why? You have any fun plans for me to join you on?”
“Sort of,” Vera winced. “Would you wanna help me paint Isla’s apartment?”
Cameron arched an eyebrow at her, and Vera fully expected her to say no. So, she kept talking to not give Cameron the chance to respond.
“And, before you say no, hear me out. Isla’s been through a lot recently and I really want to do something nice for her. Taking her to dinner is fine and all but this would actually help her, you know? And I know it’s a lot to ask since it’s your day off, but I could really use the help.”
For a moment, Cameron mulled over Vera’s request. Finally, she shrugged. “Yeah, sure. Whatever. Not like I have anything else to do tomorrow.”
“That’s the spirit,” she laughed.
“So, is this a surprise?”
“It is. I know she’s working tomorrow starting at ten and Mason will be at the sitter’s. She gets off at four and then will pick Mason up, so we have to be done by four-fifteen at the absolute latest.”
Cameron picked up a Post-It note and scribbled something down on it. Vera couldn’t make out what it was. Ripping the note off the stack, Cameron handed it to Vera, who read it aloud.
“Vera owes Cameron one huge ass favor.” She rolled her eyes. “Oh, I do now?”
“It only seems fair.”
“Fine,” Vera dramatically sighed, “what favor do you need?”
“I don’t know yet.” Cameron tapped her finger on her chin. “But I want you to remember you owe me one. And when I come to cash it in, I want you to still have that Post-It.”
Rolling her eyes again, they finalized their plans for the next day and Vera wrote Isla’s address down for Cameron. All of her patients were done for the day, so Vera headed back to her office to gather her things and leave. She made a beeline to the hardware store, not having a clue what she would need.
Vera grabbed one of the carts and began scouring the giant store for the paint section. It seemed like the best starting point since painting the apartment for Isla was the whole point of her current adventure. But as she walked by an aisle with table lamps, Vera found herself drawn to them like a moth.
And then there was the rug section of the store.
And the storage units.
And picture frames.
By the time Vera made it to the paint section, she had filled not one but two carts to the brim.
“Hi,” she smiled at the clerk behind the paint counter, “how much paint do I need to paint an apartment?”
“How big is it?”
“Um, normal sized? Well, small, maybe? Bigger than a dorm though.”
The clerk stared back at her, utterly unamused by her lack of direct answer.
“How about give me, I don’t know, ten gallons of this color paint,” she slid the light gray, almost blue, color swatch across the counter, “please. That sounds good, right?”
“Yeah.”
Snagging the swatch, the clerk carried on mixing the gallons of paint as Vera tried to figure out if she was getting too much paint or not enough. Not that it mattered either way. If it was too much, she could use it to spruce up her own place. And if it was too little, she’d come back to the store for more.
And that plant. I should really get that plant.
Oh, and those curtains.
“Excuse me,” Vera smiled at the clerk who was clearly annoyed with helping her, “can I leave these carts here for a moment? I forgot something. Thanks.”
She didn’t wait for him to say it was okay. Vera darted to the front of the store, grabbed another cart, and quickly gathered more things for Isla. By the time she was back at the paint counter, her paint was ready. Thankfully, the surly clerk helped her push the carts to the checkout while two other clerks helped her out to the vehicle. It wasn’t often that Vera was thankful for her SUV, but she was always glad she had it when it came to hauling things.
Stopping by a burger joint on the way home, Vera munched on the crispy, salty fries as she listened to the radio. It was some boy band Vera didn’t regularly listen to, but the song didn’t annoy her like the other ones did.
Pulling into the driveway, Vera only unloaded a few things while leaving the rest to take to Isla’s. She checked the time on the microwave and smiled. It was after eight, which meant Mason would be in bed and she could call Isla without worrying she was impeding on her time with Mason.
Isla answered on the second ring.
“Hey,” she could hear the happy sigh in Isla’s voice, “I was wondering if you were going to call tonight.”
“Phones work both ways,” Vera teased.
“I know. I’m sorry. It’s just that you have been the one calling and I didn’t know…”
“Isla.”
“Yeah?”
“I was teasing.”
“Oh,” Isla laughed, but Vera could tell it was more of a pity laugh than anything. “Sorry, I have a lot on my mind today.”
“Yeah?” Vera sat on the couch with her feet curled up under her. “Want to talk about it?”
“Well, it’s Friday, which means another week has gone by without hearing from the judge in the custody case.”
Vera let Isla talk as long as she needed to about the case, and how worried she was that she wasn’t going to get the appeal, and how much she missed Blake. After that, the conversation shifted to Mason who was doing fantastic post-surgery.
“Thank you again for being there for her.” Isla paused. “For us.”
“Anytime.” And Vera meant it, too.
“My life is a mess right now, but hopefully one day it won’t be this crazy.”
“Crazy lives are sometimes the best lives.”
“Unless they scare off the people you’re starting to care about.”
The seriousness in Isla’s tone wasn’t something Vera missed.
Is she worried I’m going to get spooked by her baggage and leave her?
It hit Vera then.
That could be exactly what Isla thinks. After all, neither of them had said anything about dating or starting a relationship after all they’d been through the last few weeks. But that hadn’t stopped Vera from assuming they were dating. Maybe wrongfully assuming.
This is why I suck at relationships.
Vera cared deeply about Isla, there was no denying that. And she wanted to date her. She wanted to get to know Isla better and truly be there for her and Mason. But could she tell Isla that? Would that scare her away? Vera didn’t know.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Vera finally said into the phone. Isla let out what seemed to be a pent-up breath on the other end of the line.
“Me neither.”
“Good.” A comfortable silence filled the line for a beat as Vera moved the phone to her other ear. “So, you’re working tomorrow, right?”
“Yeah, until four.”
“Would it be okay if I stopped by? I have a little something for you.”
“Vera,” she could hear Isla’s smile through the phone, “you don’t have to do that.”
“I know.” Believe me, my wallet and I know. “But I wanted to. It’s okay if you have plans though or don’t want to see me. It would only mildly crush my heart.”
Vera hoped her own smile was evident across the phone line.
“I’d love to see you, Vera. Always. Surprise or no surprise.”
There was no getting that smile off her face, Vera knew that much. Something was just so different about Isla. Vera felt connected with her in ways she’d never felt with anyone else before. She only hoped the feeling was mutual.
“Okay, so, I’ll see you tomorrow then.”
“Yeah, see you tomorrow.”
“Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Vera.”
As she clicked off the phone, Vera clutched it to her chest. “I love you,” she said aloud to the empty room. Those three words weren’t ones she had used with anyone outside her family. And they were definitely not words she’d used often. But at the moment, it was undeniable.
Vera was falling in love with Isla Mackenzie.