Page 62 of Fragile Touch (Fragile 1)
She dared to ask the question. “Do you think Amelia would be happy we saw each other?”
“I think she would have chewed us to pieces if we didn’t.” His voice sounded strong, but just before he let her go he sniffed and it sounded like sadness.
“You always have a place to stay here.”
He nodded.
“Andrew, thank you for talking to me.” He knew what she meant and nodded again. “And thank you for opening up with Cayden. It means so much to me and I know it means a lot to him, too.”
Deliberating what to say, he finally opened his mouth. “He’s a good one, Lillian. And I can see that he’s crazy about you.”
“Really?”
Andrew smiled. “Yeah. Please tell him I said goodbye and I hope to see him again.”
“I will. And one more thing.”
“What’s that?”
She laughed. “I’m sorry for being hospitalized and having a medical procedure last week. That probably wasn’t the drama you signed up for when I invited you over.”
“Let’s make sure it doesn’t happen again.” She knew he meant it lightly, but he added, “I know you’re healthier now, and I know it’s tough to keep it that way. But let’s do more than just keep it that way.”
The words were so genuine it was hard to make a response. “You should get going. You have a long drive ahead of you.”
Andrew lowered himself into the rumbling car and rolled the passenger seat window down. Lillian bent to see him a last time.
“Take care, okay?”
“You, too.”
She backed away and waved as Andrew slowly faded down the street. Within a few moments, the neighborhood returned to that quiet peace of a summer afternoon. It was her favorite time of year mainly for that reason, but also for the bountiful flowers and thriving plants and trees in every yard as far as the eye could see in either direction.
Turning around, she took a long look at Cayden’s yard. Of course, it was by far the most pristine out of everyone’s yard, but hers wasn’t too far behind. He was finally starting to get the point that she liked everything to look more organic than the cover of a gardening magazine. It was still a little too perfect for her taste, but she couldn’t deny that it was much more stunning than it was before Cayden had worked his magic.
She sighed and treaded up the sidewalk to her house. Black Cat sat on the steps, looking at her curiously.
“What are you trying to tell me?” Lillian asked.
The cat meowed.
“Oh, you’re hungry. Thank you for sharing that vital information with me!” She snatched the cat up and blew a raspberry between his shoulder blades. He squirmed his way out of her arms before she could step inside.
“Be that way, then!” she called as he bolted through the house towards the kitchen. The weather was perfect and she left the door open behind her. A sweet-smelling breeze wafted in, and she took a deep breath before scooping food into the cats’ bowls.
What a week. It had been a week, indeed. She was thankful that everything was fine with her medicines now and that the colonoscopy hadn’t revealed anything too damaging. “Take it easy this week,” the doctor had told her when she became conscious again. “You’ll be fine with your new meds.”
She was fine with the new meds, yes, but that wasn’t the only thing that was fine. Cayden and Andrew had finally begun to chat without her initiating a conversation. Most of the day of her procedure was spent sleeping; in the evening she woke up and found them watching TV, engaged in a dialogue about sports so deep she hesitated to interrupt.
Both were happy to see her recovering quickly, of course.
The next morning Andrew was gone to work and, before Cayden sped out the door to his first of many make-up appointments at the gym, he wrapped his arms around Lillian’s waist. “Forget what I said about Andrew not being on my good list,” he murmured. “I have to remember that you aren’t my ex. The one who cheated. And you aren’t my mom.” He continued by admitting trust was hard, but he realized he was being no better than his ex when he acted so jealous because she had a close friend who a guy.
Lillian never mentioned her talk with Andrew, and Cayden never asked about it.
Aside from the emotional—and medical—chaos of the first few days of their time together, the week of Andrew’s stay ended up being more like she had hoped from the beginning.
Now it was over, and life was returning to normal. For this she was definitely glad. When it rains, it pours. If I ever doubted the truth of that statement, last week proved it. She missed work and walking around naked in her house. Cayden didn’t put a damper on the latter, at least. She smirked. I should surprise him tonight.
