When she puts the car in park and turns off the engine, she’s suddenly tense again. And I’m confused because we’re not at her mother’s house—we’re at Meadow Creek Commons.
Delaney practically races to the door and is inside and signing us in before I’ve even cleared the first set of doors. As soon as I’m fully inside, I notice her biting her lip and her eyes darting around the area.
“Follow me,” she says. I’m still six feet away from her, and she’s not making eye contact. She turns on her heel and takes off.
“Delaney, wait.” She ignores me and turns a corner. “Delaney!” I don’t yell, but it’s definitely louder than my normal inside voice.
She stops in her tracks but doesn’t turn around to look at me. When I catch up with her, she won’t meet my eyes. I stand in front of her and put my hands on her shoulders.
“Hey, let’s slow down for a second. I’m confused.”
“We should go. This was a bad idea.” She tries to turn to leave, but I hold on to her shoulders so she can’t put her back to me again.
“No, it’s not a bad idea, sweetheart. I just don’t understand what is happening. I thought we were going to your mother’s house, but we’re at?—”
“I never said we were going to my mother’shouse.I said we were going to see her.”
Her eyes are glassy, and I know I’m fucking this up, but I’m still not understanding exactly how.
“Okay. Would you look at me for a second?” She hesitates but then turns her gaze to meet mine. “Talk to me like I’m dense, Bets. Help me understand what I’m not getting.”
A single tear rolls from one eye and travels down her face, and it nearly breaks me to see it.
“My mom doesn’t have a house anymore, but this is her home. She lives here, Harrison. My mom has advanced dementia and lives here in the Memory Care Unit.”
Fuck.
Without another word, I pull her into my arms and hold her against me. At first, she pushes against my chest half-heartedly.
“I don’t need your pity,” she says through her tears.
“Good because that’s not what this is. There’s no way any of this is easy, so I’m gonna hold you for a few minutes.”
“I’m fine.” She’s not. Her tears are coming fast and furious now, and she lays her head against my chest. “I’m okay.” Her words come out as a whisper, and I suspect they’re as much for her benefit as mine. Finally, she wraps her arms around me and allows herself to melt into my arms.
“You are. You’re okay, baby.” We stand there for a while, and I hold her as she cries.
Chapter Forty-Five
Harrison
Delaney’s mother is a slight woman, an older version of Delaney. I’m certain Delaney is familiar to her based on the comfort level Hattie Larson displays in her presence. She’s not verbal today, but she eyes me several times, and it’s clear she knows I’m not usually here.
We were late getting here for lunch, but made it in time for Delaney to feed Hattie ice cream. There’s no doubt Hattie loves it, and she’s almost always ready for the next bite before Delaney has it scooped onto the spoon.
It doesn’t escape my attention that an older woman several tables away, sitting with a resident who I assume is her husband, points at me and gives Delaney what I’m sure she assumes is a discreet thumbs up. Delaney chuckles.
“That’s Dana and her husband, Albert,” Delaney says to me. “Right, Mom?” It’s something I’ve noticed about Delaney—she talks to her mother and includes her in the conversation, not talking around her. It doesn’t matter that Hattie doesn’t respond.
“Shiiitake mushroom,” Delaney says when she drops a spoonful of ice cream on Hattie’s shirt. I try to hide my amusement, but Delaney catches me. “What? She doesn’t know that I swear sometimes.” She shrugs, and I grin. “I’m gonna go grab a few wet paper towels. Be right back.”
When Delaney gets up, Hattie doesn’t track her, but she has certainly noticed that the ice cream has stopped coming. She almost has it in her grasp, but I beat her to it.
“Hattie, you can’t do that. It’ll make me look bad. Help a man out,” I tease.
I pick up her spoon and the bowl and feed her a scoop. When she swallows that, I give her another bite.
“Your daughter is really something else. You did a good job with her. A great job, really.”
