“I was going to pay,” I told him as we walked to one of the empty tables.
“I figured, but that wouldn’t be very gentlemanly of me.”
“Well, thank you. Next weekend is on me.”
His eyebrows popped up. “Are we doing this again next weekend?”
I shrugged. “I’m going to need friends. I know I can count on my mom, but she has her own life. Nova has a friend whose parents will help with pickup if I’m stuck in a meeting or at the hospital.”
“I’ll be your friend,” he said.
“Me too,” Samira said as she approached with our coffees and the order of doughnuts I’d placed for Nova and Miri. “You just have to let us know what you need.”
“Us?”
Samira smiled. “I know you’re not here a lot, but Miriam has a nice little friend group. Usually, we get together once a week to gossip. It’s our ‘book club,’” she said, using air quotes around “book club.”
“Do you actually read?” Weston asked.
Samira shook her head, smiled brightly, and placed her hand on his shoulder. “We bring books, but we also bring wine, and let me tell you, loose lips sink ships.”
“Oh, lovely,” I said, trying not to laugh. “So what time is book club next week?”
Samira paled. “It was Miriam’s turn to host.”
“And she’ll host,” I said. “Her last however many weeks she has need to be normal. It’s better for the kids to see her living her life.”
“Are you sure?”
I nodded. “Tell me when and what time, and Miriam will host.”
Samira beamed. “Edith and Vera will be so happy. We really want to help out where we can.”
“Believe me, I’ll take all the help I can,” I told her as I handed her my phone. “Put your number in there and text yourself.”
She did and handed it back to me.
“Please let me know what Miriam usually does when hosting.”
“I will. This will be fun.”
“That’s the goal, to make things fun for her.”
Samira excused herself to help another customer. I watched her walk away, lost in thought.
“You’re an amazing friend,” Weston said.
I shook my head slightly. “I don’t know about that. Miri would do the same thing for me. There’s a good chance she doesn’t want anyone at the house, but I refuse to watch her sit there and wither away.”
“Is she going to the game?”
“She is. It’s important for Cutter to see her out there. She already missed one game and doesn’t need to miss any more.”
I reached into the bag and took out one of the doughnuts. They were fresh and still warm. My mouth watered at the thought of eating it. I held it up to Weston; he smiled and politely declined.
“I shouldn’t eat this, but I tend to eat my feelings.”
“I have a home gym in my garage if you ever want to work out.”
