He smiled widely. “Boss made me grill manager.”
“That’s great. I’m so proud of you two,” I said honestly.
“Oh!” Stella squealed. “We brought you a cake.”
Sean stepped forward and set a cardboard box on the table. He slid the cake out and Jere raised the bed for me. I narrowed my eyes at the cake, making out the candy letters that said, ‘feel better’. Ricky opened a package of candles and pushed them into the buttercream.
I chuckled. “Why the candles?”
“It’s your two-month anniversary of notdying,” he said and lit them with a lighter. “Stella thought it was a stupid idea, but I think it’s something to celebrate.”
“It is, buddy,” Sean said and squeezed Ricky’s shoulder.
“Absolutely,” Ronnie said and kissed me on the cheek. “Our lives are made brighter because you’re in it.”
“Okay,” I muttered, heat crawling up my neck. Was I glad to be alive? Of course. But I was in limbo, unsure of what my life was supposed to be from here on out. It was difficult for me to sum up my emotions, but I felt as if I were losingsomething… What that was, I wasn’t sure yet.
Jere helped me blow out the candles because taking too deep a breath hurt. As the flames were extinguished, I actually smiled. Having these people in my life filled me with hope. It was only a feather floating around in my heart, but it was there. Mom sliced up the cake and started serving them on paper plates.
“Are you looking forward to going home?” Sean inquired, sitting next to me and lightly punched my arm. He was a gym rat like Jere, though not quite as big. “This place seems a bit depressing.”
“Yeah,” I said as Mom set a slice in front of me.
“Doc said he might be able to go home in a few days,” Jere spoke up as he took his place on the other side and plunged the fork into his slice of cake.
Mom started talking about my progress, making sure to use the exact words the doctor had. Jere offered me a fork of cake and I accepted. My right hand trembled, but I managed to get the cake into my mouth without embarrassing myself in the process. I passed him a glance to let him know I was thankful he’d given me my dignity. He winked at me, his optimism soaking into me like warm water.
“I can't believe they haven’t arrested anyone yet,” Ricky grumbled.
“Yeah,” Stella chimed in. “What kind of bullshit is that?”
“Let’s not talk about that right now,” Ronnie said, and pushed a non-existent lock out of my face. “Today is a good day.”
Jere offered me another piece of cake, the chocolate and vanilla buttercream going down well. My friends did most of the talking while I ate and listened. I closed my eyes, savoring their voices, glad to have my kids, Ronnie, and Sean in my life. Jere stroked my arm with his thumb in lazy circles. His attention was on my friends, watching them talk with confused interest. I wondered if he was aware of the way he was touching me. It almost seemed like something more than a friend would do. It was strange because Jere had always balked at physical contact. In the beginning, he’d stiffened when my mom hugged him as if he shouldn’t be receiving her affection, but it was different with me. He’d never been afraid to touch me, and he did often. So it wasn’t unusual for him to stroke my arm. But we were grown adults now, so it was strange to me.
But I’d always had a crush on him, and I chalked it up to reading more into the physical contact than I should. So, I savored the fact that he was here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Jere
“We need to talk about what is going to happen when Danny gets home,” Mrs. B. said.
She’d gathered Ronnie and I around Danny’s bed under the order of having a serious talk. I’d never known my mother beyond a few fuzzy memories, but I’d quickly learned when Mrs. B. meant business. Her brows tightened, her nostrils flared, and she parked her hands on her hips like Superman. It was that gesture that let us little boys know we had some listening to do.
She took Danny’s hand and patted his knuckles. “I know you don’t want to talk about this, but we have to have a plan for when you come home. And since you're adamant about not moving back in with me, we need to figure something out.”
Danny looked at her miserably. The healing scar snaking across the right side of his head was proof he was nearly ready to go home. It was bright red and crusty, but at least he was healing. His hair was starting to grow back too. He’d have a scar, but it would fade in time and those soft brown locks would grow out to cover it.
“I told you, Mom, I have a lease I just can’t get out of. I sent a formal request to break it, but the woman I spoke to told me it will take some time. I figure, until they actually evict me for nonpayment, I can at least pretend to occupy the apartment of my dreams.”
“I understand,” she said with a sigh. I knew she wanted to argue her point, but for Danny’s health, she held back. “Jere has offered to stay with you so you’re never alone—and don’t try to argue with me, young man. Someone will be with you twenty-four-seven. You’ll give your mother that peace of mind.”
“You’re going to have to get used to my ugly mug,” I spoke up. “Because you’ll be seeing it often. Mrs. B. says so.”
Ronnie cut in. “And I can help with grocery runs, house cleaning, and lead the cheer-up squad.”
“No, Please don’t, Ronnie. I have enough brain damage right now,” he teased, rubbing his temple.
