Page 26 of The Love Dose
There’s something about the way he moves past me, slow and deliberate, like he’s in tune with a rhythm I can’t quite hear. He pulls off his hat, the silvering hair reminding me of the sexy actor Sam Elliot, sans mustache.
“I didn’t want to risk being told I couldn’t go home” I say to his back.
He lets out a dramatic sigh and heads straight to the bar. An image of Bernard standing in that same spot fills my mind. He loved his prized whiskey collection.
Calvin bypasses the Macallan single malt and uncorks a bottle of Merlot. I guess he’s not as angry as I thought.
He brings over two glasses of wine and sits beside me on the sofa, closer than expected. His left knee is but an inch from mine. Now, it's all I can think of. Calvin's knee.
I accept the wine and take a swallow, hoping it will cure my temporary insanity.
We drink in amicable silence as I pray for a distraction from my thoughts. It comes in the form of Calvin's soft humming. It's a habit I've come to recognize. Calvin has something more on his mind. I wait.
He says, “I have a house.”
“Pardon?”
“Let me start over.” He exhales. “When your friend Evie phoned to check on you, I took the call. The topic of the lawsuit came up.”
I’m floored. “Oh?”
“After our chat, Evie took the liberty of calling your attorney and explained what happened to you. She pushed to have the decision deadline extended. Apparently, Bernard’s daughter, Rachel agreed.”
I think about Rachel showing up at the hospital this morning. Maybe seeing me made her loosen up a bit.
“And Josh, her brother?”
“Seems he is going along with it. So is the judge.”
I’m both relieved and slightly annoyed. “Why am I hearing this from you?”
“Evie planned on discussing it with you but when you flew the coop, I told her I was coming here and . . . now we’re discussing it.”
“What about hearing it from my attorney?”
“Have you checked your messages?” he asks.
“Actually, my phone died. It’s charging in my bedroom.”
Calvin is so close. I don’t want to risk getting up to retrieve it.
Calvin shrugs. “He probably tried to tell you.”
“Okay, this is good news but honestly, it’s only kicking the can down the road. I still need to decide what to do.”
“True but you have time now for self-care.”
I laugh. Hard. Bordering on the maniacal. I sound like the female version of the Joker.
Calvin waits me out. He must have seen this sort of bizarre reaction from his patients. His psych patients.
“You are running yourself ragged, Caroline. The stress nearly killed you. Which leads me to what I said. I have a house. I’d like to take you there. You can have the place to yourself, regroup. Convalesce, properly.”
“Bymyself?”
He nods. “I checked your test results before coming over. If you relax, avoid stress, you’ll be fine. It will be very restorative. You can read, sleep.” He grins. “Drink red wine.”
It sounds divine. And lonely.
