“You know, I’m feeling pretty good about never going back there, Sue.”
“I don’t blame you, sweetheart. There were some horrible people there,” she replies, shaking her head. “Oh, your package arrived. It’s on the backseat.”
“Great.” I twist my body to reach into the back and grab it. I open the box and grab the phone holder. “Wow, it’s bigger than I thought.”
We drive over to the care facility, and the relief I was feeling at being done with that high school is quickly fading the closer we get, as my palms begin to sweat. “I’m really nervous, Sue.”
“I’m nervous too, sweetheart, but the introduction will be over in a flash. Zander is probably as nervous as we are. Have you heard from him today?”
“Yeah, I got a selfie from the airport this morning saying he was excited and another one at lunchtime saying he got here okay.”
“I’m not surprised,” she smiles. “He seems like a good man.”
Too soon, we pull into the parking lot of the care facility. There’s a large SUV parked beside the door I’ve never seen before. “That must be him.” Sue comments. “Come on, sweetheart, grab your phone holder and let’s go meet your future.”
I take a deep breath and get out of the car.One moment at a time, Summer.Sueopens the door for me as we head inside. I’m shakingall over, but it’s not from the cold weather, and my stomach is doing little somersaults like an acrobat.You can do this, Summer, I keep telling myself. Glancing up, I realize Mal is not at the desk. That’s unusual. I look around and shrug my shoulders at Sue. I wipe my sweaty palms on my jeans, sign in, and press the buzzer.
It’s only a few minutes before I hear Mal coming up the hallway towards the desk, talking away. Following behind her is my father. I gulp as Sue comes to stand beside me and squeezes my shoulder.
“Hello Sugar. How are we doing today?” Mal smiles, wearing a bright pink scrub set today.
I think I say “hi” to Mal, but I can’t take my eyes off Zander. He’s tall, like over 6ft tall, with broad shoulders, and comes to a stop a few feet in front of me. He’s wearing a black wool coat and a black scarf with jeans, and he has a huge smile on his face, looking back at me.
“Summer, it’s so amazing to meet you in person,” he says. “I can’t believe you’re here, standing in front of me.”
I shuffle my feet back and forth. Gah! This is nerve-wracking. “Hi Zander. Nice to meet you too.”
Sue holds out her hand in offer. “Hi Zander. It’s lovely to meet you. I’m glad you found the place all right.”
Zander shakes his head back and forth, seeming to be in a daze as he tears his eyes away from me to look over at Sue and takes her hand. “Hi Sue. It’s lovely to see you. I’m a hugger. Can I give you a hug?” He wraps his arms around Sue in a tight hug. “Thank you for being there for Summer in my absence. I’ll be forever grateful to you.”
“It was my pleasure,” Sue reassures with a hitch in her words. They pull apart with glassy eyes, smiling at each other.
“Oh my lord, now we’ve got to stop the waterworks or y'all will ruin my makeup,” Mal interrupts, with a tissue in her hands dabbing under hereyes.
I smile as Sue laughs and hands Zander a tissue before she wipes under her own eyes.
“I swear I’m not usually a crier,” Zander jokes.
“You’ve got a good one here, Sugar. He got here about 20 minutes ago and introduced himself. He wanted to see the facility and learn all about me and this place. Handsome too,” she winks at Zander.
“And you’re a flirt, Ms. Mal,” Zander chuckles.
“Oh, psh, you. Flirting keeps me young.” She looks over at me. “Is that a phone arm you’re holding, honey?” Mal points to the black piece of metal in my arms.
“Oh yeah. It came in today, and Sue brought it with her when she picked me up from school.”
“Well, no time like the present to test it out. Let’s head on back there. Who’s coming?” She looks at Sue and Zander.
“I’d like to, if that’s okay?” Zander asks, looking at me for permission.
That’s…considerate of him. I swallow and nod my head. This is it. What will he think of me and Jake? How will he respond to him? I refuse to step away from Jake. This could make or break our budding relationship. The butterflies swarm around in my stomach again, and I can feel myself vibrating like a cell phone left on the counter.
“I’ll wait here, sweetheart. You go on,” Sue says, giving me a gentle push forward.
Mal, Zander, and I walk down the hallway to Jake’s room. Mal talks a mile a minute as usual, which is a particular relief today, as I have no idea what to say to Zander.
“Here we are,” she announces as we enter Jake’s room. “Jake, you’ve got some people here. We’re gonna test out this phone holder on your bed before y’all get to your visit.” She turns to me. “Sugar, let’s try out the bed clip first. I’ve got your phone right here in my pocket.”
