Chapter 26 MJ
MJ
“Will your son and daughter-in-law be visiting for the holiday?” I ask Ron, taking the last bite of my soup. Admittedly, I’m only half present for our lunch date. My mind keeps drifting back to my eldest daughter.
“They will,” Ron answers. “They won’t be here till early Christmas morning, but they’re going to stay through New Year’s.”
“That’ll be a nice visit.” I take a sip of my coffee.
“Maybe you could meet Hudson while he’s here?”
I sputter and cough, choking on my drink.
It shouldn’t come as a shock, but somehow, it does.
It’s not like Ron hasn’t met my kids, but that’s different.
My connection to Ron came through Lindsey.
Ron wanting me to meet Hudson carries a different weight.
That implies seriousness. That implies commitment.
Am I ready for that? I’m not not ready, but…
“Are you okay?” Ron asks.
I nod and flutter my hand as though I’m not on the cusp of experiencing a medical emergency, while Ron jumps up and firmly pats my back.
“Yep,” I manage to choke out, now garnering the attention of other customers.
I gasp, and a new wave of uncontrollable hacking hits.
“Easy does it, Myra Jean,” Ron says in a low, calm voice. “Try to breathe.”
How am I supposed to breathe when you asked me to meet your son? When I might be falling in lo—
I take in a deep, shuddering breath and clear my throat so hard it scrapes the bottom of my stomach.
Ron rubs my back. “There you go.”
Despite the chill inside the coffee shop, I’m now sweating. I swallow down some water and steady myself.
“Oh my,” I say, as Ron returns to his seat across from me. “Sorry about that.”
He chuckles. “Are you apologizing for choking?”
Yes. No. I’m apologizing for mentally freaking out about meeting your son so much that I almost died here at this table. I’m apologizing because everything about that and the way I feel for you scares the living daylights out of me.
“No, I suppose I’m a bit on edge. Lindsey’s not feeling well,” I say, changing the subject.
“She was in rough shape last night. She has…well, she has some health issues, and when they flare up, it can get bad fast. To add insult to injury, she and Oliver had a little row. I think it was all just a big misunderstanding, but I’m worried about her.
I didn’t see her this morning. She left for work before I got up. ”
Ron’s forehead creases. “Well, of course, you’re worried. No matter how old she is, she's still your kid. Do you want to try to call her?”
“Actually, I think I should swing by the clinic and check on her.”
“You should. It’s still lunchtime. Maybe you can catch her while she’s not too busy.”
“Are you sure?” I ask. “I hate to leave so soon, but—”
“Don’t you worry about me,” Ron says, cutting me off. “Family comes first. Go on and get out of here. Make sure Doc is okay.”
“Thank you.” I reach across the table and squeeze his hand before rising to my feet, shrugging on my coat.
“I’ll give you a call later. I’m going to take June Bug for a walk around the block while it’s sunny out.”
“Give her kisses for me,” I say, already starting for the door.
Outside, I suck in a lungful of cold air before striding toward my car to make the short drive to the clinic.
I need to make sure Lindsey’s okay. That’s the only reason I’m leaving my date with Ron early. It has nothing to do with the fact that he wants me to meet his family or any feelings I may or may not have for him.
Nothing at all.
“Knock, knock,” I say, tapping on the open door of my daughter’s office. My chest tightens because I can almost see Henry hunched over his computer at this exact desk the many times I brought him lunch over the years.
“Mom,” Lindsey says, placing her uneaten sandwich back on a plate on her desk. “What are you doing here?”
I glance around the room at the office that feels so familiar but also different. “I was in the neighborhood having lunch with Ron and thought I'd stop by and see my girls.”
“Lucy stepped out for lunch with Willow,” she says, furrowing her brow. “Is everything okay?”
“Of course, it is.” I smooth invisible wrinkles from my cream-colored slacks. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
Her chair creeks as she shifts her weight, leaning forward. “It’s just…you never come by here anymore. Not since…well, you know.”
“It’s about time I start, don’t you think?”
I move to the shelves hung on the wall and run my finger along the framed photo taken of Lindsey and her father at her veterinary school graduation.
I chuckle softly. “He was so happy that day. Remember how he almost got kicked out—”
“For bringing in a cowbell,” she finishes for me. “He said, ‘if you can’t bring a cowbell to a vet school, where can you bring one?’”
“He’d be so proud of you, kid. You know that, right?” I ask, taking a seat in one of the chairs across from her.
“You came here to check on me, didn’t you?”
“Well, yes,” I answer. “How are you feeling? I didn’t get to see you before you left this morning.”
“Not great,” she admits. “The rest helped a little, but I still feel like a terrible person.”
“Have you talked to Oliver yet?”
“Only via text.” She releases a deep sigh. “I think the conversation we need to have deserves to be had in person, so I’m meeting him for coffee when I leave here.”
“Good. I think you’ll be glad you did,” I say, crossing one leg over the other. “And you can put all this behind you.”
She rubs her thumb along the cuticle of her ring finger. “So, how was lunch with Ron?”
I pick at some imaginary lint on my coat. “It was nice. He, uh, wants me to meet his son while he’s in town for the holidays.”
Her brows stretch to her hairline. “And how do you feel about that?”
“Oh, I don’t know,” I say, not quite meeting her eyes. “It seems a little soon, doesn’t it?”
She shrugs. “Ron’s met all of us.”
“That’s different. I met him because of you.”
“That’s true. But you were the one who invited him to our family dinner.”
She has a point. I can’t explain why it feels different, but it does. Him meeting my kids was important, but something about meeting his makes this feel more…real.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” my daughter says, as though reading my mind. “It can, but it doesn’t have to if you’re not ready for that.”
“You’re right. It doesn’t have to be a big deal unless I want it to,” I say more to myself than to her. “Well, I’ll get out of your hair and let you finish your lunch. I should be getting back to the office. I have a staff meeting this afternoon.”
“I’m glad you came by.”
“Tell your sister I said hello,” I say, rising to my feet. “And don’t stress over this thing with Oliver, okay? It’s all going to work out. I’m sure of it.”
“Thank you.” She stands and leans over the desk to kiss my cheek.
“You’re welcome, honey. I love you.”
“Love you, too,” she says. “And Mom?”
“Yes?” I ask, pausing in the doorframe.
“I think it’s all going to work out for you too.”