“No complications,” Malena says, setting her hand on top of mine and squeezing. “This has to go down in history as the worst first date known to man. I bet even the cavemen would cringeat this awkward attempt to get to know one another.” She flops back on her bed and stares at the ceiling. “You can call me, you know, if you still want to call me after this disaster, and I’ll try to work out a time to meet up with you again. Probably sometime in the next century at the rate in which my schedule fills up with…life.”
Trying my best to keep my gaze directed above her neck, which is a hard feat, I keep my voice low. “I have to ask because it seems like a logical solution, and logistical planning is one of my things, but have you thought about finding a place that could better care for her? Full-time?”
Her face belies little emotion. I can tell this is a subject that’s been broached and considered many times before. “Care for her better than her own daughter? Is that possible? Even if those places didn’t scare me, I don’t have the money for something like that long term.” Malena sits up. “Spilling too many details again. Sorry. Have you seen what happens to the elderly in those group homes? Horrible, awful things. I wouldn’t be with her. Imagine what could be done to an old woman who doesn’t remember anything! They could neglect her or be cruel to her one day, and she’d forget about it the next.” Malena swallows hard, and her eyes shine with threatening tears. I regret my choice in question.
“Hey, you’re doing the best you can. I’m sorry for bringing that up.”
She shrugs and tells me about a facility she’s toured a couple of times. She says she knows her mother will end up there eventually, and she likes to keep track and make sure it’s kept up well when she pops in. The way she talks about it tells a story all of its own. The hesitance wars with what she knows is the right thing. I make a mental note to do research about the facility later. My sister Celia is a nurse and might be able to help me. She’ll have information about Ms. Winterset’s diagnosis at the very least. I’m clueless.
I follow Malena out and into a den where Ms. Winterset is scrolling through photos on an old desktop computer. After the welfare check is complete, Malena walks me to the front door. After a longing look at the table covered with lunch, she turns her attention back to me. I halt whatever she’s about to say by speaking. “I may not be a good man, Malena, but I think I can be good for you. Thank you for letting me in today.”
She folds her arms across her chest. “I don’t see how you could possibly mean that, but I hope you do. Today was a bright spot for me.”
Malena’s lips are taunting me, but the chance to own her lips is gone. Not today. I can’t kiss her now. Timing is everything, and this would mar anything I’m trying to prove to her.Take the high road, Leif, I remind myself.
“Thanks for lunch. I’ll probably go eat the rest of the wings right now.”
“I’ll call you,” I say.
She leans against the doorframe, a smirk in place. “You’re that crazy, aren’t you? I thought your rules were a little nuts, but you’re actually going to call me after what you’ve seen today.”
Pressing my lips into a firm line, I keep my face stoic. “Only because I want to see more of you,” I tease, flicking my gaze over her body.
She nods. “That’s believable,” she deadpans, puffing out her chest a bit. “Until we meet or chat again, then.”
I smile.
She smiles, then closes the door on my face.
SIX
Malena
“I toldthem not to worry about Mom’s birthday, that I would plan it all myself,” Leif splutters on the other end of the phone. “It’s not my fault you’re the only person who plans parties in this small-ass town.”
I smile, thinking about the phone call with his sister that turned into an inquisition. The second I called Leif to give him information on beach venues for his mother’s birthday party, I recognized his voice straight away. After chastising him for not telling me it was him the first time he called and then giving him the information, we ended up talking long into the night. About everything—including my father, what it was like to grow up in a small town, and my hopes for the future. We chatted almost as much as what I talked to Eva about.
“You told them about me. That was your first mistake,” I finally counter, joking but not letting him know that. “The rules, remember?”
“I wasn’t breaking any,” he says, breathing heavy. “I accidentally mentioned you when she asked about the venue.”
“And? There has to be more to it than that. She wanted to know my life’s history, Leif. She asked me if my period was regular,” I reply. I’m pretty sure she was joking, but I answered honestly because she caught me off guard. “Come on now. What did you really tell her?”
The breathing on the other end of the line intensifies, like an animal caught in a perfectly laid trap. “They know what’s inside my mind. Eva knows me as well as I know myself. I didn’t have to tell her anything else. I merely said your name, and she attacked.”
I laugh. “Come on, Leif. I’m not giving up. Tell me,” I order, checking my watch. I’m on a break at the general store, the dimly lit backroom echoing my voice. The other workers take breaks with each other. I’m the odd man out and have to eat my packed lunch in a dungeon hole without another person in sight. I like the peace. I like it even more now that I have Leif to talk to. “Why did she want to know how many exes I had? Questions aimed in the dating department.”
He groans. “I might have mentioned that we were…friends. Eva took it from there, and it’s snowballed into her planning our wedding and naming the nonexistent children we’ll be having. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. Eva is relentless in her pursuit to match me up with someone. And to have kids of her own. It rubs off on everyone around her.”
This got a lot more serious in the span of thirty seconds. He’s basically admitting to having feelings for me. To his family. Sisters. People who mean something to him. He’s also simultaneously telling me this isn’t going past the dating phase.
“You can breathe easy, Leif. I don’t care about talking to Eva. She was nice enough. I honestly thought you’d be upset because we were breaking some dumb rule. Sure, she was asking more questions than I have to answer on my yearly physical form, but it’s because she cares about you.” A novel idea to me, a womanwithout siblings. My cousin lives a few towns over. I don’t see her near enough, but she’s always been the closest thing I’ll ever have to a sister. She’s busy with her life, and I’m busy with mine, but I know she’ll make time for me if I need her.
“No. You don’t know Eva. She doesn’t care about me, she wants to own me.”
Tilting my head back, I let a giggle slip. Shaking my head, I reply, “You’re being such a dude. It was a little weird, but I’m over it already. You scared me when you called today. By the sound of your voice, I would have guessed someone died.” I swallow hard and try to mask my unease by taking a bite of my sandwich. “Which would be an occurrence in your daily life, wouldn’t it?” I ask when my mouth is empty.
It’s a hard thing to wrap my brain around. The whole SEAL career and all that it entails. He’s given me details here and there when I ask pointed questions about Hell Week and the breakdown of where all the different Teams are around the country. He promptly shuts down the conversation when I ask specific questions about missions and things I’ve seen on the news. Top Secret Leif gives nothing away.
