I made Cooper come and get Keri Ann and me in a borrowed car and drive us to Hilton Head Island. Turned out he brought the yellow VW bug he’d told me about that he’d been working on. It was as cute as I’d imagined.
When we arrived at the hospital, I decided to go pop in on Mom. I hadn’t expected her to be dolled up and pasting on lipstick in the waiting room of Dr. Barrett’s medical offices.
“Why are you here, Jazzy?” she asked.
“Um, Nana Butler?”
“Oh. Oh yes, I meant to call you.” She smiled wide. “She’ll be fine. Martin says it’s just a precaution.”
“We dropped Keri Ann at the hospital entrance, and I had Cooper go park while I came to see you.” I waved my hand in front of my face. “What’s with all this?” I asked, referring to her heavy make up.
“Oh.” Her eyes darted to the side, and she tugged on her tight turquoise blouse. “Martin’s had a long day, what with Nana and all. He just asked me if we could go grab a bite.”
My stomach sank. “Going to grab a bite doesn’t mean you need date make up.”
She laughed a little loudly and turned back to applying some mascara. “Pshaw.”
“So I guess Joey and Dr. Barrett are over with Nana?” I attempted to reel in my annoyance.
“Joey is, yes. Martin had to run home quickly, then he’ll be back to get me.”
I folded my arms. “No doubt to go see his wife and kids and lie to them about seeing a patient tonight.”
“Jessica,” she warned. “Besides, it’s not a lie, he plans to come back here and check on Nana later. So it’s just convenient that he stays close by.”
I shook my head. “I wish you could hear yourself.”
“I can hear myself just fine, Missy. And I hear myself needlessly defending myself to my teenage daughter who doesn’t know what it’s like to be my age and single.”
My blood pounded in embarrassment and irritation. Turning on my heel before I said something hurtful, I left the offices without saying good-bye. I crossed the road over to the hospital, then stopped.
Shake it off, Jazz.
Taking a deep breath, I headed inside.
When I located Nana’s room, Joey and Keri Ann were flanking her, one on either side. Each one holding a hand. They both looked like emotional wrecks and Nana looked fine, but mildly amused by their fussing.
“Jessica,” she said. “Sweet girl.”
“Hi, Nana.”
“Could you be a dear and take these two worrywarts home? Put on a movie, order some pizza, and generally keep their mind off me? I’m fine,” she stressed the last word, looking meaningfully at Joey. “I feel fine. As good as I did yesterday and the day before that and the day before that.”
Joey’s jaw began to tick, but he managed to hold his tongue for once. As someone who was about to start med school, he probably knew just enough to be dangerous. I imagined biting his tongue was killing him right now. His gaze clashed with mine for an instant, and my belly fluttered.
“Besides,” Nana went on. “They’re bringing round dinner in a moment. There’s a Law and Order marathon starting at six that I plan to watch. I feel like I’m away at a hotel.”
Keri Ann started fluffing Nan’s pillows. “Fine,” Keri Ann said, a note of false levity in her tone. She was as nervous as Joey. Nana was the only family they had left. “Well, you know where we are. You just get better so you don’t miss my graduation on Friday.”
Joey caught my eye. “You okay?” he mouthed.
I stretched my lips into a smile of sorts and nodded. Then I looked at Nana. “I can take care of these two, Nana. We’ll stuff ourselves with pepperoni pizza, and I’ll make Joey suffer through a romantic comedy.”
Joey rolled his eyes.
“You’ll stay with the girls, Joseph, all right? Watch whatever they want. Be the man of the house tonight.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“STOP. I CAN’T take it anymore,” Joey grouched. “Oh, and there’s an airport scene. Kill. Me. Now.”
“What is your problem?” I asked him. “He loves her. He has to stop her getting on the plane.”
“No, not that. Well, yes that. But seriously, do all chick flicks have to have an airport scene?”
“They don’t all.”
“Yeah, they do. Or at least some moment on a plane, a train, a car ride, moving across country, whatever, and oh my gosh it’s gonna be too late. Will he make it? Will she make it? If the other person has gone as far as packing up their entire lives to leave, I can promise you just showing up and saying I’m sorry or I love you is not gonna cut it.”
“You have a lot of opinions on relationships, Joey. Are you sure you just have a stalker, and you don’t have a girlfriend stashed away somewhere?” Even as I asked it, I felt a paper cut of jealousy slice my good mood. Joey having a girlfriend bothered me. Big time. And the fact I was bothered, bothered me more.
Keri Ann’s face moved side to side as if she was watching a tennis match.
“Okay, name them,” I challenged Joey.
“Name them? They’re all the same. Ok, How to Lose a Guy Forever.”
I rolled my eyes. “In Ten days. It’s How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days.”
“Uh huh. Well, it’s How to Lose a Guy Period as far as I’m concerned.”