She nodded. “He’s got a folder full of them, but this one stuck out the most.” She shrugged her shoulders, not really knowing why she chose the picture she did. “Maybe because its lime green like, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma awareness is?”
“It’s a beauty.” Nick said as he handed the picture of the stunt motorbike back to Cara. “What do you want us to do?” He asked.
She smiled at Nick and slipped the picture back into her pocketbook. “I don’t know how to build a bike like that and maybe you don’t either. But I know you’ll try your hardest.”
“We’ll do it.” Luke affirmed, and looked at her seriously. “I’ve already been looking into bikes, Nick has too. Right after Jake told me he wanted to restore bikes, he was diagnosed. I don’t know how to help him, so instead I’ve been putting my energy into making his dream a reality.”
“Does he know?” She asked simply. She didn’t know how to feel at the moment, and knew that she might be over reacting and that her emotions were all over the place. She was happy, happy that Luke took Jake’s dreams seriously. She supposed she should remind herself that when the anger boiled inside her and she thought Luke had written Jake off as dead and he wouldn’t be able to make his own dreams come true. But the truth was he might not be able to chase his dreams. It was reality and she couldn’t be angry with Luke for accepting things she was to afraid to.
“No. We didn’t want to tell him until we secured a lot.” Luke said quietly.
“We want to have it set up for him just as he envisioned. I went and spoke to Pete from the shop and he has been insightful to what Jake wants to do.” Nick added as he studied her. “Are you okay?”
She forced a smiled and nodded quickly. “Jake’s going to love it.”
“We figured once we have the property we’d tell him and he could keep himself busy with ordering bikes and parts and what have you.”
“It’s his dream so he’ll be happy.” Was all she could offer, she was unraveling and needed to hold herself together. “So you guys will help me with the bike?”
“Of course we will.” Luke said.
She diverted her eyes to Luke’s against her better judgment. When she saw the bags under his eyes and the pain in his irises, she knew it was a mistake. Her eyes filled, and she looked away quickly.
Nick must’ve sensed that she was at the edge of her rope and placed his hand on the small of her back turning her back towards her car. “When do you want us to have it finished by?”
She took a deep breath and jiggled her keys in the palm of her hand. “Ideally, after his last dose of Chemo. I want him to be able to ride it the minute he feels well enough.” She bit her lip and turned to face Nick. “Look I planned this out in my head. I’ve gone over every scenario and at the risk of you throwing my money in my face or ripping up my check in front of my eyes, I’m asking you just to hear me out.” She reached into her pocket and pulled out a check. “I want to do this for him. If I could build the damn thing myself I would. But I insist that I pay for it. It means a great deal to me, so please don’t do any of the things I mentioned. Take the check and let me have some peace of mind.” She held it out to him, with a shaky hand.
“You’re one in a million, Cara.” Nick said as he kept his hands in his pockets and studied her face. “If anyone deserves you, it’s Jake.” He sighed uncomfortably and lifted one of his hands and grabbed the check. He stared down at it and then lifted his head and smirked. “It’s not enough, you better add a couple of zeroes.”
She laughed and slapped his arm playfully. The tears that threatened, fell and they fell out of relief rather than sadness. “Thank you.” She said as wiped at her eyes.
“You’re welcome.” He looked over her shoulder at Luke. He gave him a quick nod probably assuring him that she was fine and not crying over something he had done.
“I’ve got to go to work.” She reached up and kissed his cheek, before opening her car door. “Thanks again, I know you guys will do a great job.”
Nick nodded and closed her door once she was inside. He tapped the roof of her car signaling her to go and took a step back. He watched as she drove out of the parking lot. He shoved the check into his back pocket. He would never cash the damn thing. He looked back to where Luke had been standing, to notice he had disappeared back into the office. He rolled his neck before he made his way back to working on the alternator he was installing.
Deb smiled down at Ava, who stood beside her on a stepstool, so that she could reach the counter.
“What else should we add?” Deb asked as she sliced a banana.
“How about strawberries, I bet Uncle Jake likes them.” Ava said excitedly.
“Uncle Jake loves strawberries.” Jake said as he walked into the kitchen. He winked at his niece before smiling at his mother. It pained him to see her so tired and worried, but he knew there was nothing he could really do about it. It was her nature to worry and fret over everyone and everything.