Page 117 of From Rivals to I Do

“Yes, I have plenty of experience with that,” I say, making a considerable effort not to let her know how exhausted I am by the tone of my voice.

“This position is urgently hiring. Would you be able to interview for it tomorrow?” she asks me.

“Yes, I should be able to make that work,” I reply, a smile growing on my face. “I’d be free in the late morning if you want to send me a meeting time and the

details.” We hang up the phone, and my mother looks at me with a smile on her face. “Look at you! You’ve been in New York for an hour, and you already have a

job,” she says, cheering me on. Charlee joins in on the cheers, and I motion with my hands for them to both calm down.

“It’s just an interview, you guys. Let’s not get too excited.

Chapter four

Chapter Four

“Yes, one o’clock works for me,” I say to the recruiter from the staffing agency.

I hang up the phone and prepare to leave for my meeting with my father. I’m glad Kerry is taking care of her family, and I don’t blame her for leaving, but I

now realize that I can hardly function without her. I’ve been running around like crazy all morning trying to find where she keeps different supplies and how she

uses different machines in the office.

I need the interview tomorrow to go well because I feel completely at a loss right now—the alarm on my watch rings. I walk up the stairs and quickly climb

up one flight before scanning my ID card on the door to get in.

My father is sitting behind his desk when I knock and walk in. He stands up and shakes my hand to greet me. I take a seat on the plush leather armchair

across from him. He stares at me momentarily, taking his reading glasses off before speaking.

“I have some news,” he says, cutting right to the chase. “It isn’t necessarily good news, but I need you to stay calm.”

What was going on? Why would he lead with that?

“Okay, I’m listening,” I say, staring at him with a confused look.

“There’s no easy way to put this, so I’ll just come out and say it. I have prostate cancer,” he says bluntly, taking a deep breath.

I’m completely speechless and not even sure if I heard him correctly.

“Prostate cancer?” I ask to clarify, hoping I had somehow misheard him.

He nods his head and folds his hands in front of him. “Yes, but before you start worrying, I’ve already consulted a doctor, and we have lined up some of the

best treatments in the country. We’re confident I’ll come out of this stronger than ever.”

I still can’t find words to say anything back to him. So many questions and concerns rush through my mind at once, I can’t focus on them to ask.

“Son? Did you hear me?” my father asks after a few moments of my staring blankly at him.

“Yeah, I heard you. I’m just taking it in,” I say, blinking quickly as I feel my eyes beginning to sting. “How long have you known? Are they certain it’s cancer?”

“Yes, the doctor suspected it, and we ran all the necessary tests to confirm it. Thankfully, it seems like we’ve caught it in the early stages,” he says.

I know little about cancer, but the early stages sound good.

“I’m sorry, Dad. How are you handling it?” I ask him, genuinely curious about the answer. He lives alone now, and I didn’t want him to feel like he had to go through this alone.

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