Page 85 of Give Me a Shot

He chuckled.

“It better be,” he said. “It’s my mom’s recipe. Plus…” He took a deep breath, rubbing the back of his neck. “This is an HSP thing. It’s not your fault, okay?” he asked.

Mo’s tone forced Jess to take a break.

“Okay,” she said, raising an eyebrow.

“When someone I really care about is upset, I can’t eat if I’m near them. Being able to feel what they are feeling is great because it means I can usually help. The downside is that Ifeel what they are feeling.” He laughed awkwardly. “Their feelings and my concern for them combine. Which means that digestion will not be happening. When Maddie was still very small and had very big emotions…let’s just say that I spent a lot of time not eating.”

“Oh, Mo,” she said, bumping him with her shoulder. “I appreciate that you care about me a lot, but I feel bad about having that strong of an impact on you.”

“Please don’t,” he said. “Just the way I’m wired.” He shrugged. “Go on, eat.”

“Mmkay,” she said, taking another spoonful. “But I’m doing better now, you can feel that, right?”

He nodded.

“A little. Thanks to the chorba.” He winked at her. She smiled back. “That’s why I keep some in the freezer for emergency situations.”

“But I didn’t tell you it was an emergency,” she said between spoonfuls. “I was careful not to.”

He nodded and glanced away, running a hand down his beard. He shifted his shoulders a little then met her eyes again.

“You’re right. You didn’tsaythat,” he said. “But you did say that you need additional medical tests. That your friends didn’t want you to be alone. Those things certainly suggest chorba time, but yourvoicetold me it was an emergency. You sounded…heartbroken.”

She slid close, wrapping her arms around him as he hugged her back. Of course he’d read her well. Felt her emotions well. His word choice made her feel guilty because she’d intentionally not shared Stephanie’s theory about grief with him, in spite ofpromising her friends that she would. But Mo, being Mo, had had an inkling.

She took a deep breath, squeezing him tightly, pushing herself to tell him.

“Thank you, Mo,” she said.

“You’re welcome, m’lady,” he whispered into her crown.

She took another deep breath, steeling herself in case the tears started as she shared and…the words got stuck in her throat.

“I…I think I’m going to finish this bowl,” she said instead. He loosened his hold on her as she sat up to start eating again. Her phone buzzed on the table.

Mom:

Hi honey! Sorry, I got a bit caught up in things. Here are the photos. I thought you might like to frame the second one. Love you! Xx

Quickly, two photos popped up in Jess’s messaging app. The first was labeled “today” showing the Seven Sons tree in her parents’ backyard, its lush green crown thickly frosted with small white blooms. Though her mother had labeled the second photo “last year,” a better name would have been “diminished.” It described the way the crown was smaller, the white blossoms were fewer, and the slowing feeling that Jess felt looking at it—because she and Cassie were standing underneath the tree, their arms around each other, laughing. Jess’s lungs stopped working.

Mo’s hand sliding across her shoulders brought Jess back into her body.

“That’s a familiar dress,” he said softly.

Jess’s confusion forced a breath in.

“Familiar?” She looked at the photo again. She was wearing the red dress she’d worn on their first date. Cassie was wearing her matching blue one. The photo had been taken the day of the party that Cassie had nudged her to go to.

“You looked beautiful in it then, too,” Mo said as he continuedrubbing her back. But he wasn’t looking at the photo, he was maintaining eye contact with her, a kind smile on his face. And it felt like…like he was waiting, giving her space. She understood that he wasn’t going to ask her anything, wasn’t going to nudge her to tell him things she might not want to talk about. She smiled, her eyes tearing up.

“Thanks,” she said. “So did Cassie.” She stopped when her voice broke. Mo looked closely at the photo.

“Looks like she really loves her big sister,” he said.

Jess nodded, looking at it again.

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