“I’m in here.”
Stella opened the door and peeked in. Corinne wore her pajamas and sat in her bed with a notebook and pen. “I’ve been making friends with Red.” And your hunky brother.
Corinne patted a spot beside her. “I’m glad. Maybe you’ll like dogs more now. Red’s a working dog but at home he’s all fluff and kisses.”
“Kisses?”
“Licks.” Corinne chuckled. “You really need to get out more.”
Stella brushed her jeans. She’d been sitting on the ground– with a dog. “I’m a mess. I don’t want to get dirt on your bed. But I wanted to check in on you.” She’d known Corinne needed to cool off after dinner. She’d always been like that. After getting angry she needed time to herself.
Corinne closed the notebook. “I never imagined this could happen to me.”
They needed to talk. Stella pulled the wooden desk chair over and made herself comfortable. “You want to fight it though, right? Peyton told me the doctors didn’t sound all that optimistic.” She hated to say the words out loud but needed to be certain of where her friend really was, mentally, on all this.
Corinne twirled the pen thoughtfully. “I don’t have a choice, Stella. Misty needs me. And, I mean, what if I do respond to the chemo?” She swallowed hard. “I have to try. If it doesn’t work well, then at least you’ll get to see me bald.”
Stella groaned at such a joke. Leave it to Corinne. “Okay. So, then what’s the plan. How often and when do we start?”
Corinne reached for a few papers sitting next on her side table and handed them over. “I go in everyday next week and then three weeks’ rest.” She plucked at a piece of thread on her tank top. “He told me to hope for the best but to plan for the worst.”
Corinne spoke the words casually but Stella wasn’t fooled.
“What have you told Misty?”
“She knows I’m sick. I’ve been thinking about it. I don’t want her to know how serious it is until the cancer responds. Peyton said he’d take me into town on Monday, for the first treatment. And then the two of you can take turns.” She banged her head on against the headboard. “I hate this. I hate being so dependent.”
Stella reached over and grabbed her hand. “No talking like that. Positive thoughts. You need to listen to your body’s needs. Focus on getting better. Promise me, okay? I’m happy to do whatever you need… and so is Peyton. Getting through this is your only job right now, okay?”
Corinne nodded slowly. “I’m so glad you came. He’ll never admit it, but Peyton has been totally overwhelmed. All he’s done is hover over me and work. Up until now he’d at least go down into Hotchkiss once a week… meet up with Valerie.”
Stella’s heart seemed to skip a beat. It shouldn’t. She needed to get a grip. “That’s his girlfriend, right? Are they serious?”
“She is.” Corinne made a face. “I think she’s too young for him– shallow. But you know how men can be.”
Stella shouldn’t be fishing like this. So many other, more important details, needed sorting out. “What about Mike? Does he know?” Corinne’s divorce had been messy, but Stella knew she and her ex kept in touch– for Misty’s sake if nothing else.
“I called him last week. His response was, ‘Why are you telling me this?’”
“He’s such a shit.” Stella wasn’t surprised. “Doesn’t he care about his daughter?” She knew Mike had never paid a dime in child support. He’d moved out to L.A. Claimed he couldn’t handle a family– his depression. Corinne and Misty were better off without him.
“I have full custody, you know that. And I’ve made Peyton her legal guardian in my will. I wanted to ask you. As her godmother– Even though you live in Denver– if you’d stay a part of her life if, when…”
“Oh my God, Corinne! Of Course, but let’s not think about that now.” Except this was about what Corinne wanted, not her. “I’ll always be a part of her life. And if necessary I’ll make a place for her in mine.”
Corinne let out a deep breath. “Okay.” She inhaled again. “Okay.”
Despite the longdrive that day, and the emotional onslaught that followed, Stella didn’t sleep easily. She tossed and turned and had barely nodded off when a tiny bundle of energy bounded onto her bed with kisses and hugs.
“Stella! I can’t believe you’re here! I didn’t believe Mama when she told me!”
Blinking her eyes in momentary confusion, the reality of where she was hit her in the same moment a rush of love filled her heart. “Of course, I’m here. Where else would I be?’ Stella wrapped her arms around Misty’s familiar squirming body and kissed the top of her head. Ever since she’d held this tiny little bundle in the hospital, Stella had felt a special connection with her. Maybe because she wasn’t sure she’d ever become a mother herself. Or maybe because she was just so beautiful.
“I told you not to wake her up.” Peyton addressed Misty with an indulgent smile. With his hands gripping the top of the door frame, he wore jeans and nothing else. When his gaze moved to Stella, she felt herself blushing. “We were gonna let you sleep but this one had different ideas.”
Dragging her eyes away from all that bronze, smooth skin stretched across incredibly well-defined muscles, Stella forced herself to meet his eyes.
Laughter danced behind them. Did he realize how hot he looked? And again, the thought, why now? And why did he have to be Corinne’s brother? She supposed she needed to get used to this. Get used to the idea that she could look but nothing else.
