Page 2 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

Elliott snorted. “What would I do if there was? You know what happens tomorrow.”

“Yeah,tomorrow. You’ve got all night to be something other than a cancer patient for once. What have you got to lose? Live it up, honey.”

Some days Elliott wished she had Yuka’s devil-may-care attitude. But be something other than a cancer patient? She wouldn’t even know where to start. “Not likely.”

“Could you try to surprise me just once, Ellie? Literally, all I want in this life is for you to call me one day and tell me you did something completely wild. Threw caution to the wind and let the chips fall where they may.”

“Like the time you snuck into that exclusive club in Denver and ended up in a six-week whirlwind romance with a guy who played for the Rockies?”

“God, yes. Ten out of ten recommend.”

“Not gonna happen. And it’s not my fault you’re impossible to shock.”

“That’s not true. Remember the time you told me you think cheesecake is pie, not cake?”

“Cheesecakeispie.” She’d die on this hill.

“We’re not having this conversation again.”

“You brought it up,” Elliott said, smiling even as she shook her head. Yuka would arrive next week to spend a few days at the hospital, and it couldn’t come soon enough. She missed her laugh already. “Was there a reason for this call?”

“Is there ever? Just calling to check in. How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Did you forget anything? I can run by your house before I come up on Friday.”

Nervous? Yes.

Excited? Not quite.

“I think I got everything, and honestly, I’m just ready to get it over with.”

“I get that. This time better be the last with this bullshit, yeah?”

“So they say.” She’d been in remission before, and it hadn’t panned out. Despite better odds for a transplant to finally cure her for good, it wasn’t guaranteed. Her hopes weren’t terribly high.

“Worth a shot and better than dying.” Only a fellow cancer patient would speak so candidly. “I’ll talk to you or your mom tomorrow, and see you soon?”

“Yep.”

“Hey,” Yuka said. “Do me a favor before you go.”

“I’ve already told you I’m never getting a tattoo.”

“Scan the room. Just once. Check out your options.”

“Yuka.”

“I’m not hanging up until you do.”

Elliott rolled her eyes. She stared at the bottles lining the wall behind the bar and took the final sip of her drink. “Fine, I did it. No one to write home about.”

Yuka sighed heavily. “Damn.”

“Bye, friend.”

Elliott ended the call and set her phone down, regarding the darkened screen with a small smile. Cancer sucked on virtually every level,but it had led her to a lifelong friend all those years ago. There were some things outsiders would never understand, and while Elliott would never wish the disease on anyone, sometimes it was nice to have someone around who knew exactly what she was going through.

“Sorry to eavesdrop,” a deep voice said from her right, bringing Elliott out of her thoughts. “But did I just hear you say cheesecake is apie?”

It took her a second to process they were speaking to her, and she turned to regard the person two seats over. She went still, breath catching in her throat. A very,veryattractive man with wavy, dark-blond hair and light-colored eyes looked back at her. Thick-framed tortoiseshell glasses perched on his nose, and a slight smile curved his lips.

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