Chapter 53
Summer
An empty bed greets me when I wake in the morning.
As I look around, the remnants of the previous night in Nick’s room come back to me.
I drift in and out of wakefulness for a while, still cocooned in the comforter.
I should probably wash the bedding since Nick’s unique smell is no longer present.
I shed a few tears, and they fell silently before I force myself to get up and face the day.
Going into my room, I get dressed in leggings and a bra and tie a knot in Nick’s tee. I pull my hair into a messy bun and then take care of business in the bathroom. Zander's out on the back step when I get to the kitchen. After putting on the kettle, I stick my head outside. “Hi Dad.”
“Morning, darling,” he smiles. “How are you today?”
“Meh,” I shrug. “Hopefully all the sleep helps. I really want to eat home-cooked meals for a while, so I was thinking of making lunch and some muffins.”
“Sounds good. Want some help?”
Smiling, I nod. Zander joins me in the kitchen while I make tea.
After some toast, we decide on blueberry and strawberry muffins.
I whip up the batter while Zander grills a bunch of chicken for lunch for us and the guys.
We need to get groceries too, but luckily both freezers are chock-full of meat and garden veggies.
Once the muffins are baking, I steam some veggies and cook a big batch of rice.
Being home is just what I needed this morning, and the baking's helping to center me.
Pulling out 6 containers, I fill them with rice and veggies while Zander adds a chicken breast on top of each one.
I whip up teriyaki sauce and add six cups to each, then cover them and stick them in the fridge.
I leave the muffins to cool on the counter while we clean up the mess.
Texting the guys that we're bringing lunch, we pack up the food, and I drive us over to the condo.
E and Bay are there when we arrive. “Hi guys,” I greet.
They both say hi as I put the containers in the fridge, then help put the food E bought away.
Once we’re done, I check the hall bathroom to see that the tub shower is gone already, and the ramp is installed in Jake’s room.
It’s tiny, so it doesn’t take up much floor space.
Zander heats the rice dishes, and we sit at the table to eat.
“Thanks for taking care of things this morning, guys.”
“Welcome,” they both say. E digs into his pocket and hands me the receipt from Target. “We got all the basics and the stuff on your list. I found some quality coffee that works with the coffeemaker, too, so they should be good for a while,” E says.
Alex enters the condo next with a box in his hands.
He says there’s more in E’s truck, so we eat quickly then help unload.
We pile everything into the service elevator and ride up.
Looks like Alex found a dresser, two nightstands, a bookshelf, a tv and mount, a long mirror, four bar stools, and an end table similar to the coffee table.
“Patio furniture is being delivered this afternoon,” he tells me.
“You did amazingly. Thank you, Alex.”
“Happy to help, Summer,” he smiles.
Once we get all the stuff into the condo, I steer him to the table and heat his lunch. “Muffins are on the island.”
Bay answers a knock at the door. The shower is here, so Bay follows them downstairs to use the service elevator. They quickly return with two huge pieces of fiberglass.
I go into Jake’s room with Zander. We push the bed against the wall, then figure out the best place for the nightstands and dresser.
“Crap, we need curtains to cover the patio doors,” I say.
Zander quickly measures the width of each set of doors for me, and I text Seb the measurements and request 3 sets of curtains. I get a thumbs-up from Seb.
We decide to place the nightstands and dresser along the same wall as the bed to create the most floor space.
Next, we hang the mount and tv. I put the bed, tv remotes, and manuals in the nightstand drawer.
Once we’re done, I wipe out the dresser, then join the guys in the main area.
E is washing stuff in the kitchen, so I put the paper products away and start a load of laundry with the new kitchen towels and bathroom textiles E bought this morning.
Alex is hanging the hallway hooks and mirror, and the stools and end table are already in place, so I decide to figure out what to hang on the walls.
Bay helps me hang pictures in the living room.
There’s a knock on the door, so Zander gets that, letting in two men with patio furniture and a few potted palms. There’s a couch with blue cushions, a matching chair, a coffee table, and an outdoor rug.
We hang a few pictures in the hallway, behind the dining table, and then hang pictures in Ray’s room.
The only thing left is to unpack Jake’s stuff, so the guys follow me into his room, and we each open a box.
Bay goes through the clothes looking for things that will fit Jake.
I decide to keep the sports awards and pics in a box in the closet.
We hang a few posters and some photos on the wall with the tv, while books and movies go on the bookshelf.
Jake’s hockey gear is left in the box, so I put it in Ray’s closet along with clothes that don’t fit.
I hear Seb arrive, so the guys go to help him as I switch loads of laundry.
Bay found some shirts, shorts, and socks he thinks will still work, so I put them in the washer next.
Walking back to the kitchen, I see a lot of bags. “Hi Hurry.”
“Sunshine,” he smiles, pulling me into a hug. “I got everything, I think.”
“Thanks, Hurry,” I smile. Alex goes to grab the iron and ironing board from Ray’s closet for the curtains while E and Zander hang the curtain rods.
I unpack the clothes and remove the tags, adding more items to the washer before turning it on.
Bay puts the personal items away in the bathrooms, bedrooms, and kitchen.
Seb gives me his receipts after walking around. “The place looks good, Sunshine.”
“Did you eat? There’s chicken and rice in the fridge and muffins.”
“I grabbed some lunch already, but I’ll take a muffin,” he smiles.
I ask Alex for his receipts, and he waves me off initially, but I stand there with my hand out. He smiles and hands them over after a minute. Sitting at the table, I take a few minutes to add up the totals for each person, then ask for their bank information and send them their money back.
After the curtains are hung, I put Jake’s sheets in the washer.
I think we’re done, and the place looks good.
Just then, the guys from the bathroom come out and ask me to take a look.
There’s a very low-profile shower where the tub was and a tiny ramp that folds up out of the way.
A sliding shower door opens under the showerhead, and there’s a full-length bench on the backside.
“Looks great, guys. Thank you.” I sign their form, and they hand me a copy and leave.
The guys are all sitting at the table when I return to the main area. “Sunshine, come sit,” Seb calls. I walk over, and he pulls me onto his lap.
“What’s up?”
“This is a planning session for you,” Alex says, with a pad of paper and a pen in hand.
“Um, okay?” What are my guys up to now?
“We assume you will visit Jake after school every day for the foreseeable future, so I propose that between 3:30pm and 4:30pm Mondays and Wednesdays you go for a run after school. Seb is texting Holly and Jaxon to see if either would be interested in running at those times. If not, one of us can join you, or you can run at Finn. You will also run Saturdays with one of us. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the same time, we will catch you up on any schoolwork you were not able to complete while in Charlotte,” Alex says.
“I’ll be scheduling makeup labs for this coming Saturday,” Bay says. “Between Alex and me, that should be plenty of time to catch up. We're also going to continue giving you Summer notes for precalculus.”
“I called Sue and Mal earlier today and updated them on Jake and you,” Seb says. “I also told them you were worn out and would call them in a week or two when things calmed down.”
“I have a bunch of home-cooked meals I’ll deliver to your house tonight so you and Zander don’t need to worry about that. Oh, and groceries,” E adds.
“Gabs knows you’re super busy and said she’ll see you at school, and you can hang out when things slow down,” Seb adds.
“Olivia made you this,” Bay says, handing me a folded piece of paper. Opening it up, I see a picture of me and her holding ice creams. It says friends are forever. “She said to tell you it’s okay you're busy right now, and she’s happy your friend's getting better.”
That’s it, the tears start falling. Seb pulls me tighter against him and starts rocking me. “You guys are the best. Thank you.”
“It’s what friends do,” Bay smiles.
“Thank you, everyone,” Zander adds.
I wipe my face as we all get up to leave. I quickly put Jake’s bedding in the dryer and make sure I have both condo keys and the service elevator key before we lock all the patio doors and the main door. E says he’ll be over in an hour or two with food as I hug everyone goodbye.
When we get back to my house, I tell Seb I want to sit outside for a while. I grab two glasses of iced tea and take a seat at the table. “So you’ll be back in school on Tuesday for good?” Seb asks.
“Yeah. I’m actually looking forward to it,” I chuckle. “Routine will be good after this crazy whirlwind. I’m hoping I can introduce you guys and Zander to Jake soon. Ray and I both still need to tell our stories, too.”
“That'll be tough, Sunshine,” Seb says, taking my hand.
“Not looking forward to it, Hurry. How’s Beth?”
“I got a text this morning saying she’s good. My weekly text since she’s been in Columbia. At least she’s clean again,” he shrugs.
“So much going on, Hurry. We need a vacation.”
Seb’s phone dings with a text, so he pulls it out to read it. “Holly wants to run with you on Wednesdays after school. So that leaves Mondays with Alex or Bay or at Finn until basketball is over.”
“Okay, that works. We should go in. I still have studying to do.”
Seb sticks out his bottom lip and pouts. “I’ve got a test tomorrow and a project to finish, too. School sucks.”
Smiling, I pull him up and go inside, setting the empty glasses in the sink. Zander, freshly showered, is making popcorn. Seb gives me a hug and then goes down the hall to grab his bag. “Bye, Z. Bye, Sunshine, call me later,” he yells, waving, as he goes out the front door.
“I’m getting a shower,” I tell Zander. Once I’m clean, I grab my laptop and settle into the corner of the couch to get caught up on schoolwork.
About an hour later, there’s a knock on the door.
Zander gets up to answer, and he comes back in carrying two totes.
“E's here,” he tells me, so I get up and go to the kitchen.
Zander's unpacking containers of food into the fridge.
Grabbing the other tote, I peek inside. This one has salads, pasta, and sandwiches.
E labeled everything with his handwriting.
E comes in carrying a few grocery bags. “Everything is fresh, so eat the salads and sandwiches first. Freeze whatever's left on day three. I got milk, fruit, butter, chocolate, eggs, and bacon for you. Oh, and ice cream. That should get you guys through the week.”
“Thanks so much, E. This is very thoughtful,” I smile.
“Appreciate it, E,” Zander says, slapping him on the shoulder.
“You guys have to be sick of restaurant food by now, so I thought this would help. Home cooked meals without the home cooking,” he smiles.
“Definitely,” I agree.
“Okay, I’ll get out of here. See you on Tuesday at school, Summer.”
“Thanks again,” I wave as he leaves.
We go back to the couch and sit down. “How’s E doing these days now that he’s with Alex?” Zander asks.
“Okay, I think. I haven’t really talked to him about it, but Alex and Seb said he seems happier,” I shrug.
We spend the rest of the evening in the living room. Zander watches sports, and I study. I call Seb when I go to bed, talking about random stuff until I can’t keep my eyes open.