“Chris Gamble.”
“From Gamble on Nature? The YouTube guy?”
I nodded.
Her mouth dropped. “Girl! Heiscute.”
“Who’s cute? Are you looking at another man?” Asher’s face came into view, and he waved. “Hey, sis.”
“Hey, Asher.” Asher was the perfect guy for my sister. I wouldn’t have wanted to lose her to anyone else.
She’s not lost. She’s still your sister.
“Erykah’s new friend is Chris Gamble.”
“The YouTube guy?” Asher asked.
Ell nodded, and I could feel my cheeks heating. Why was this so embarrassing?
“How did you meet him?” he asked.
“Ordering a burger. He’s nice.”
“Good for you. You need people.”
Unease filtered through me. Did I seem so cut off from others? So alone?
Youarecut off. Don’t act like this is a surprise.
I stifled a sigh.
“When will you see him again?” Ellynn asked.
“When he brings Charlie home.”
Her eyes widened. “Girl, you’re not giving me enough information.”
“Oh, Ell. He’s a really great guy. We’d been texting here and there before I got Charlie. Now that he’s helping me while I work, we talk more. He’ll send me random texts during the day, and it’s just so . . .” I searched for the right word. “Wonderful having a friend. I’ve never had a relationship like this.”
Ellynn’s eyes watered. “You deserve friendship and more.” She bit her lip. “I know you worry about being in a relationship as a doctor because of your hours, but your person is out there. Promise me if it looks like this could be more that you’ll stay open to something new. ’Kay?”
Before I could respond, Cheyenne came back. This time she brought her favorite doll and told me all about her and why she was treasured. Cheye dominated the rest of the phone call, but it was so good to chat with her. I loved my niece, and talking to her was one of my favorite things.
“You’re my best friend, Auntie Erykah.”
My heart filled to bursting. “And you’re mine, sweetie.” Now I had two friends.
I wanted to stick my tongue out at Asher and his “you need people” comment. But he’d long since left the room. Too soon I said good-bye to my family and sat quietly on my couch in my empty condo.
Chris wouldn’t be coming until tomorrow to drop off Charlie, which meant two nights in a row without my new companion. Chris had had something conflicting on his schedule today, and I’d dealt with another emergency, but since we’d already made plans for Chris to bring Charlie back in the morning, I hadn’t worried.
Maybe I’d distract myself by putting on Chris’s Spotify playlist and tidying the place up a bit before heading to bed.
The next morning, I opened the door to let Chris and Charlie in. “Hey, thanks for bringing him by.”
“Happy to help.”
A fissure of pleasure unfurled in my middle at the sound of his voice. Having a visit with someone outside of the hospital was huge. Did I get bonus points that my guest fell on the friendly relationship spectrum instead of professional?
