She smiled at that, and so did I. The kids would need some peace after all of this, and Aruba sounded amazing for them. I ran my fingers through her hair and prayed she wouldn’t lose it all before the end.
“Cutter!” Nova yelled her brother’s name as he came out of the locker room. She launched herself into his arms, and he carried her to the rim so she could hang from it.
“He’s a good brother,” I said to Miri as we sat there.
“He’s the best son a mother could ask for.”
“On Monday, we need to sit down and finalize some things. Okay?”
Miri nodded but never took her eyes off her kids. Couldn’t say I blamed her; they were pretty fantastic.
We finally stood and met Cutter on the court. He immediately went to his mom and hugged her. I took my phone out and videoed the moment. He’d want it later.
And so would I.
Weston came out of the locker room. I smiled and expected him to come toward us, since I had invited him over for dinner. When he didn’t, I called out his name and walked toward him.
“Oh, sorry. I didn’t see you. What’s up?”
“Uh ...” I glanced over my shoulder at our group and frowned before turning back to him. “I wanted to remind you about dinner.”
“Dinner?”
I nodded slowly. “This morning, I invited you to dinner with us.” And then I remembered I hadn’t, but maybe I’d thought about it. “Actually, it wasn’t dinner, but you were going to come over and fill me in on the travel stuff. I think we’re getting sandwiches. What can I get you?”
Weston looked off into the distance and then at me. “Maybe some other time.” He turned away before I could form any type of rebuttal.
I stood there for a moment, wondering about his very visible shift in disposition. He’d acted like we weren’t friends, even though he said he would be one.
Miri, Brendan, and the kids joined me, and we walked out of the gym.
“What’s for dinner?” Nova asked while still being carried by Cutter.
“I was thinking subs from the deli,” I said as we reached Miri’s SUV. Everyone piled in, with me in the driver’s seat.
“Actually, I was thinking of cooking tonight,” Miri said as I closed the door.
“If you’re up for it,” I said, driving through the parking lot. We passed a row of vehicles, one of which was Weston’s. For some reason, I strained to see if he was standing there or sitting behind the steering wheel.
He wasn’t.
For some reason, I was a little put off by the cold shoulder. I thought he was someone I would be able to count on. If the boys had lost, I could understand, but they’d won, and it looked like they’d played well. But what did I know?
After we finished a dinner of roasted chicken, potatoes, and vegetables, along with some homemade dinner rolls, Miri, Brendan, and I sat in the living room. Nova went to Mara’s for a sleepover, and Cutter was upstairs, probably making Saturday night plans with his friends and Eleni.
“Dinner was amazing,” I said as I handed Miri the glass of wine she wasn’t supposed to have. She wanted one, and there was no way I’d ever tell her no. If her treatment stood a chance at extending her life, I’d be all for it, but it didn’t. At best, she had months, and that was only if every nasty cluster responded to treatment.
“It felt good to cook and not dwell,” Miri said as she took a sip. “I don’t want to dwell.”
“That’s good because I told Samira you’d host book club soon.”
Miri smiled and laughed. “Book club where very little reading takes place.”
“Then why do you call it ‘book club’?” Brendan asked. “Why not call it what it is?”
“Well,” Miri said as she put her glass on the coffee table. I watched her every move for any sign that she might be tired or in pain. The doctor had her on a boatload of painkillers, and she could lose some of her functions, but she hadn’t as of yet. Still, I waited.
“It started out as a book club. We used to read a book a week and talk about it, but then it became more. Like when Vera’s husband asked for a divorce. She needed someone to talk to, so she talked to us.” Miri shrugged. “We still pick a book and read. We just allow ourselves longer than a week on most.”
