Page 43 of Seeing You

“Dammit, Marcus! What is wrong with you?”

That question seemed to come up a lot lately.

“I thought you and Dad made some great headway on mending your relationship, and when the time comes for you to step up, your answer is to throw money and a complete stranger at it! Seriously, do you know how offensive that is?”

That one rang a bell too.

“Look, there’s a problem, and I found a solution,” he argued. “I don’t think me being there is the only right answer. He’s still going to need some sort of home health aide person to help him because I’m not the person who’s going to bathe him and help him go to the bathroom. That’s not who I am!”

“And I get that, but at least you’d be there! As much as you have these strong feelings about the way Dad handled things when Mom died, he sacrificed a lot for us when we were growing up and helped you get into college. Healwayssupported everything you wanted to do, so it’s not asking too much for you to be there for him!”

Standing, Marcus walked over to the window and stared out at the city. The historic buildings, Franklin Park…you could feel the energy. This was the view he loved. This was where he felt at home. It wasn’t back in small-town Sweetbriar Ridge.

“Me being there is only going to hinder his recovery. We’re both too much on edge around each other. I’m telling you, a full-time nurse or aide is the better choice.”

“I disagree.”

“Of course you do.”

“Two weeks,” Max suggested. “Just…be there for two weeks. By that point, hopefully he’ll become more mobile and won’t need a full-time caregiver. Besides, if you’re there, you’ll make sure the house shit gets done because you’ll bulldoze right over any objections he has about hiring anyone.”

“What objections? He obviously can’t do the work himself right now.”

“Marcus…”

Sighing loudly, he snapped, “You know, I have commitments too! It’s not exactly like I can just stay away from the office.”

“Dude, you did it for a week and the sky didn’t fall. Most of your work is on the phone or can be handled via video call. This is a family emergency and people would understand.”

“I could say the same for you,” he retorted. “We both can work remotely.”

“And I already…” Muttering a curse, Max paused. “You want to know what I think?”

“Oh God…why?”

That just made his brother laugh. “I think you don’t want to come back because of Billie Donovan. I heard you two sat together at Iris and Jared’s wedding, and then people saw you chasing after her when she left.”

“I didn’tchaseanyone. I wouldn’t. Least of all Billie.”

“Uh-huh. Sure. Plus, I also heard that the two of you had dinner the week before the wedding up at Summit Ridge.”

This was just one reason he hated small towns.

The gossip.

“It was time to clear the air and get some closure. That’s all.”

And what closure it was.

It was why he had been working himself nearly to death. Every time he crawled into bed to go to sleep, he saw her face. He dreamed of touching and kissing every inch of her body. It was slowly driving him insane. If he had to stay back in Sweetbriar Ridge to help take care of his father, he’d either have to never leave the house or…risk seeing her. In a town that small, it was bound to happen sooner rather than later, and he wasn’t sure he’d survive seeing the devastation or disgust on her face.

“If you have closure,” his brother went on, interrupting his thoughts, “then being in town shouldn’t be such a big deal. The worst part is over. You both said what you needed to say and…that’s it. People run into their exes all the time. There’s no need for you to avoid ever going home again.”

“It’s not just Billie and you know it. If Dad’s really injured and needs…you know…a lot of care, he should have someone who’s sympathetic and empathetic. We both know that’s not me either.”

“It could be if you just…” It was Max’s turn to sigh. “If you would just get out of your own damn way. I can’t imagine what it must be like to live in your head—the anger, the superiority, the martyrdom. Your way isn’t the only way. You act like you’re the only one who grieved, or the only person who’s ever been hurt.Newsflash, bro, we all have. We all don’t have to think alike or feel things the same way, but we have to give ourselves grace and allow ourselves to feel. When was the last time you let yourself do that?”

Saturday night.

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