Page 36 of Just Like This
“What kind of arrangements?”
“Hospice nurses, mainly, to come in and help. I’ve started to make some of the preparations already. Valerie will go over that information with you.”
I swallowed back the hard lump that formed in my throat and wiped the tears that hadn’t yet been shed. “Okay,” I said. “Are you scared?”
“Only to leave you and your sister alone. You’ve already had one parent abandon you.”
There was a soft knock on the door, and Valerie poked her head into the room. “Is it safe for me to come in?”
“Yes. You have some explaining to do,” I said with a grin. I grabbed an éclair from the box and hopped off the bed. I walked over to a small sofa, sat down, and devoured the decadent treat while I watched my sister explain about Dominic. I felt a bit sorry for putting her on the spot but watching her grow increasingly uncomfortable was also incredibly satisfying to my little sister heart.
We stayed with Dad through dinner, talking with him about absolutely nothing. He wanted to know about our everyday lives while still imparting his own personal wisdom.
“You were on the dock last night, Val?” He seemed surprised when Val explained about getting drunk and wandering the rocky beach behind our house.
“Yep. Me and Palmer and some cheap wine,” she said a little too triumphantly.
“You'll want to have that thing replaced soon. It’s a safety hazard. I’ll call Tim Grayson in the morning and make sure he puts it on the schedule.”
I wanted to tell him that he didn’t have to worry about the dock behind our house because we’d get around to fixing it eventually, but it was important to him. “Okay,” Valerie and I both seemed to say together.
“And the carpeting in my bathroom needs to go. I’m ashamed to admit that, but I’ll tell Tim to take care of that too. Maybe it’s time all of the bathrooms get remodeled.”
“Sure,” I replied quietly. These were some of his final wishes.
“Cami, do you think Garrett is pretty handy?” I looked up, surprised.
“Um, I don’t know. Why?”
“Well, I just want to make sure someone’s around to help take care of the house.”
“We’ll just call Tim or Palmer,” I said. “They can schedule repairs for us.”
But what he was really asking was if Garrett was going to step in and be the man of the house after he was gone. And I couldn’t answer that. What if something happened and Garrett was killed during this last assignment? What if we decided to break up while he was gone? There were too many unknowns, but I’d say almost anything right now to put my dad’s mind at ease.
“But I will ask him anyway,” I added, and I immediately saw him relax as some of his worry was assuaged.
