Page 10 of The Drummer's Heart

“I’m sure they’ll appreciate you third-wheelin’ it.”

“Well, it’s better than me showing up to surprise them in Tuscany, which I also considered.”

“I’m glad you held back on that one.”

He laughed. “I’ll let you get back to playing house with your ex and her grandmother. Call if you need me.”

“Will do, brother. Thank you for the check-in.”

When I returned to the house with the groceries, Nicole had already cleared off the counter to make space for our attempt at cooking.

For the next hour, she and I worked tirelessly but quietly together in the kitchen, splitting up the different steps to prepare the chicken and dumplings. At one point, our fingers touched as we both reached for the same item. It was the first time I’d touched her in a very long time, and even that little zap of awareness felt like torture.

Then Nicole’s phone rang, and she left the room to take the call. She clearly didn’t want me listening to her conversation, and I suspected I knewexactlywho was on the line. Anger ran through me, and I nearly chopped my fucking finger off slicing a piece of chicken.

In her absence, I took over what she’d been doing, cutting out the dumplings, since I’d finished preparing the chicken on my side. But I was probably messing everything up, as I couldn’t really pay attention since she’d taken that phone call. My imagination ran wild as I mindlessly went through the motions.

When Nicole returned, she stormed over to me. “What are you doing? That’s my job.”

“Well, if you’d been paying attention instead of talking to your boyfriend, I wouldn’t have had to step in,” I said bitterly.

“You don’t know who I was talking to,” she murmured. She washed her hands before shoving herself in front of me to take over on the task.

I hadn’t thought it possible for the mood in this kitchen to get more tense than before, but it had.

When we’d finished preparations and had the meal cooking in the pot, I went to check on Mimi. She was sleeping, so I opted to take an early-evening walk for some much-needed fresh air to clear my head. It had been damn hot in that kitchen.

As I reached the sidewalk, the sun was setting on what had felt like a really long day. It seemed like just yesterday that I’d roamed the streets of this town, filled with so much hope for the future. I’d achieved all the professional success in the world, but I now knew that meant shit if your personal life was in shambles. No amount of public success can ever make you happy.

After returning from my walk, I peeked into Mimi’s room and found her awake. Dinner had to be ready by now, too.

I greeted Mimi and went into the kitchen to find Nicole, who was standing by the stove.

“I’m gonna lift her out of bed and bring her to the kitchen for dinner,” I said.

She shook her head. “You can’t do that.”

“What do you mean?”

“When I told you she was bedbound, I meant it. Mimi says it hurts to even sit up in a chair.”

My eyes narrowed. “She doesn’t get out of bed at all?”

“The physical therapist has tried, but Mimi can’t do it.”

That made me sad. There was a lot I didn’t understand about this situation. “Well, then we’ll bring dinner to her.”

I wracked my brain for a way to make this a nice dinner in Mimi’s bedroom. I eventually found a couple of TV trays in the corner of the living room and set them up next to her bed. Nicole brought in the pot, plates, and utensils, putting everything on trivets on top of the bureau.

“Tell me when it feels comfortable,” I told her as I moved her adjustable bed to an upright position.

“That’s fine,” she finally answered. “You have to feed me like a baby because it hurts to lean forward.” Mimi snorted. “Isn’t that nice? Funny how we end life the same way we started. Completely helpless.”

“It’s all good, Mimi.” I placed a small towel over her lap. “I’ve got you.”

Nicole prepared a plate and handed it to me. Steam from the hot chicken and sauce rose from the dish. I blew on the food for a while before slowly moving the fork toward Mimi’s mouth. “I hope this is edible.”

Mimi leaned in as best she could and took a bite. As she chewed, it felt like the longest minute of my life. I really hoped we hadn’t fucked this up.

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