7. Liz
LIZ
Once outside, I grabbed the box of donuts and got on my bike.
I put the box in the basket and headed to Helen’s.
Her assisted living facility was at the edge of the neighborhood, and I reached it only twenty minutes later.
I loved my bike, and I especially loved that winter was over, because I hadn't been able to use it as much then.
Helen's care home honestly looked like a luxurious villa. It wasn’t huge—it only had thirty residents—but for some reason, it made me think of luxury boarding schools.
The facade was all cream-colored brick, and the entryway was under a magnificent arch.
They took very good care of her here. She'd made friends already and told me the food was excellent.
But Helen always said their baked goods didn't hold a candle to mine, so I made a point to bring her some treats when I stopped by.
I went straight to the reception desk. “Hi there. I called earlier. I'm here to see Helen.”
“Yes, she's been waiting for you. Are those donuts?" Nadia asked, zeroing in on the white box.
“Yes, they are. Want one?”
“Oh, I can never resist them.”
Chuckling, I opened the box, and she took one.
“Oh, and they're fresh.”
I grinned. “Only the best for Helen. Is she in her room?”
“No, she's outside in the backyard.”
“Great. How is she?"
“She’s doing well,” she replied, then frowned. “She’s a bit lonely, because you’re her only visitor.”
“I’ll come more often.” My heart clenched. Until I moved from Sunnyvale, I’d gone to dinner at my parents’ house once a week. Being here in Chicago, away from them, was almost physically painful sometimes.
I went into the backyard, looking around with a smile. The trees on the property were old and grand. It made this place look so peaceful. Helen was sitting on the nearest bench on the sidewalk snaking between the trees. I went straight to her.
"Darling, you brought donuts," Helen exclaimed.
"I wouldn't dare show my face here without them," I said, sitting next to her and opening the box. She took one and immediately bit into it.
“Mmm, they’re divine, as usual. I'm so glad you could stop by today.” She glanced down at my bandage. “What happened to your arm?”
“Mishap at work. It’s healing, but the boss decided they didn’t need me today. I was too slow.”
She patted my thigh. “Girl, you need to relax a bit. You'll burn yourself out.”
“I promise I will, Helen. I just need to hold on for a little longer.”
“There will always be time for more. At least you went to the doctor.”
“I didn’t. Guess who bandaged this? My new landlord.”
“Declan Maxwell?”
“Indeed.”
Oddly, Helen didn’t look surprised, though she’d only said nice things about him and his family from the beginning.
“I knew he was a decent man.”
“Really, you did?”
“Yes. I told you, I met with many people who wanted to buy my place, and he was the only one who convinced me. He seems to have a kind soul. Just a bit of a surly exterior.”
“You can say that again.”
We both chuckled at that.
“But it's packaged very nicely, isn't it?”
I narrowed my eyes, feeling heat climb up on my cheeks. “Helen.”
“What? I'm old, but my eyesight is still good.” She winked.
“The package is amazing ,” I admitted.
“Wait a minute. I've known you for half a year, young lady. You've never even as much as spoken about another man.”
“It's hard not to talk about this one. He lives in my yard. Well, I live in his.”
“True. He’ll warm up to you, trust me. It’s impossible not to.”
I’d say he’s more than warmed up to me. I tried to keep a straight face at the thought.
“Aww, Helen, you’re so good to me.”
She patted my hand. “Tell me about your bakery. How is it doing?”
“Still haven't found a perfect spot, but I'm searching. And my savings are growing nicely.”
“Girl, I said it before, and I'm saying it again. You're amazing. You’re going to rock everyone’s socks off.”
I laughed. Helen was always my cheerleader. It made me feel like I was closer to my parents.
“Want to take a walk around the yard?” I asked.
“Sure. That way you can also see my friends.”
“You've got to tell me how you do it,” I said as she moved to her electric-powered wheelchair. “How did you make friends so fast? I've been in Chicago for seven months, and the only person I've interacted with besides my coworkers is my neighbor.”
“Oh, honey. When you’re locked up in the same place with thirty other bags of bones, you learn to make friends fast.”
“I suppose. By the way, I have something for you,” I said, taking out my phone. “I took some pictures of the house to show you.”
“My, my, you're on really friendly terms with that one.”
I cleared my throat, neither confirming nor denying it, and showed her the pictures.
“He's done great work with that old lady. It used to look like that when I moved in.”
Helen looked longingly at the pics, then shook her head, giving me back the phone. She always called the house “the old lady.”
“You miss it, huh?” I asked.
“I do, but I’m happy about my decision. I wanted to live like a queen, and this place treats me just like that. And I have company here. I was alone in the house, and it was way too big for me. It needed someone who could fill it with life and a family, and I think Declan will do that.”
“You live on the sunny side of life, Helen. I like that about you.”
We walked slowly to a group playing chess on the next bench. After I was introduced to everyone, Helen and I spoke with them for a while.
I left a few hours later so I could make it in time for my shift at the bar. My forearm was already much better, and I could make cocktails without a problem. It was the chopping or dicing that was more difficult, because my arm hurt when I kept it in that position for too long.
I grabbed my bike, but instead of riding it, I walked next to it.
I wanted to call my sister, and I didn't like to ride my bike while I was talking on the phone; I couldn't pay attention to two things at once, especially with my forearm all bandaged up.
Being with Helen always made me miss my family.
I called Rose, and the phone rang twice before she picked up.
"Hey, Liz," she said.
"How's my favorite sister in the world?"
"Oh, she's covered in poo and spit-up but blissfully happy. Thank goodness for hormones."
"I miss you, the little nugget, and our folks," I told her.
"Oh, sis, we miss you too, but we're so proud of you. You’re working your ass off and fighting for your dream.”
"I kind of wish all of you were closer to me while I do it." Rose must have moved the phone to my niece’s mouth, because I heard my sister in the background saying, “That’s right, tell Auntie Liz we miss her,” then a “Goo goo gah gah” mixed with screams. I had to smile.
I heard a door close, and then suddenly Rose was back on the phone, saying, "I was putting her down. She’ll nod off for a little bit while we talk. So tell me, how are things with your annoying neighbor?"
"I think we've reached a truce."
"Really? And what's that?"
"I'm not sure yet."
"Wait, didn't you say you reached a truce? How can you not know what it is?"
"Let's just say we both waved the white flag. But I'm still not sure what will happen next.”
" I rather thought his nightly trips to your door were pretty damn sexy."
I laughed, throwing my head back. "Really?"
"Midnight fighting with your sexy neighbor? Hell yes. You haven’t gotten any action since… before your surgery. Unless you count the one night with Dexter.”
I scrunched my nose. “I don’t.”
“Are you self-conscious because of the scar?”
“Honestly, yes. I’m not proud of that.”
“Hey, it’s a process.”
A never-ending one, it seemed.
Last year, I almost died. That sounded so dramatic, but it happened so fast that I still couldn’t make out the details, even though I’d replayed it in my mind a million times.
Rose and I went on a hike. The trail was easy enough—my sister didn’t want to strain herself since she was pregnant.
The edge of the hill to our right was steep, but there was a wooden banister up along the trail, and it looked solid.
During one of our breaks, we stood looking over the railing, and when Rose leaned against it…
It broke.
I still remember that fleeting moment of absolute panic while my sister flailed her arms in front of her as she lost her balance.
“The baby,” she’d cried out.
I reached out for her and pulled her onto the trail, but somehow I lost my own balance.
Rose wanted to help me up, but I was so terrified of pulling her down with me that I didn’t take her hand. Instead, I grabbed the banister, completely forgetting it was broken, and tumbled down the hill. That’s when a sharp object cut right into my belly, tearing at my flesh.
The doctors said I was lucky to be alive.
All in all, I made a full recovery… except one thing.
There was a huge, ugly scar starting from under my sternum going all the way to my navel.
The skin had been too torn for them to be able to sew it back nicely.
It had been a shock to my system when I saw it at the hospital.
The next shock had been when my boyfriend of one year, Dexter, recoiled in horror the first time we tried to be intimate after the accident. That was when I became overly self-conscious about it.
“Can you cover it up or something?” he’d asked. “It’s disgusting.”
I was so distraught that I pulled the cover up to my chin and asked him to leave. We broke up soon after—not just because of that but because he claimed he didn’t recognize me anymore.
Here’s the thing—after the accident, I started thinking a lot about what I wanted in life.
I’d always dreamed about having my own bakery, and I’d always postponed it.
But after coming so close to dying, I didn’t want to wait any longer.
I wanted to go after my dreams, and Dexter hadn’t liked that.
Good riddance. I’d been brokenhearted at the time, of course, but now I could see that we weren’t meant for each other.
I’d considered plastic surgery, but it would be so expensive, and really, I wasn’t sure I wanted to go through all that. Anyway, it’d been a while, and the scar was less pink and frightening now. It’d actually flattened out a bit. Maybe I’d get used to it eventually.
“The thing is, I’d rather put all my efforts toward the bakery,” I said to Rose, needing to change the subject.
“I do. I’m not judging. I mean, all the action I get at night is waking up to feed the baby. Mark and I have to sneak around to get any sex, and most of the time, I'm praying I won't fall asleep while we're having it."
That made me laugh. Rose could say the funniest things. "It’s going to get easier eventually."
"Oh, I know, I know. I'm not complaining. It's just, you know, intense. Oh, there she is, the little terrorist, crying out for me again. Call me later."
"Sure, will do. Kiss Mom and Dad at dinner."
"I will."
Sighing, I disconnected the call and was about to put my phone in my bag when I noticed an email notification.
It was from Declan. A thrill went through me.
Hey,
I'm not going to be home when you return. We've decided to deal with this issue today. This lot wanted to postpone it, and I'm not having it.
Declan
I laughed, imagining him bossing his siblings around.
I wondered how that went, because they didn't seem the kind to be commanded into anything.
But Declan had this inherent dominant and authoritative way of being, and obviously Reese decided to go along with it.
I'd never met someone like him… and I liked it.
Hey,
Good luck. It was fun meeting them today. I like them.
Liz
I bit my lip, waiting for his reply with bated breath.
They liked you too. I like you, Liz. Don't think I've forgotten about our unfinished conversation. We’ll finish it eventually.
Declan
P.S. Give me your phone number. I found your email in the rental contract but no number.
That thrill in my body intensified. I felt it in the tips of my fingers and all my intimate parts.
Huh, with my usual schedule, you're probably not going to see me much. Unless, of course, you come banging on my door in the middle of the night again. Below is my number.
I sent the email before I could change my mind. I felt like we'd moved way past a white flag after our kiss, but I wasn't sure exactly to what.
My phone beeped with an incoming text message this time.
Unknown: I might do just that.