“No.” He shakes his head. “You eat. I can do it if that’s okay with you.”
I pull my keys from my pocket and hand them over.
“I’ll be right back,” he says.
I take a bite of the toast and immediately decide this is the best avocado toast I’ve ever had in my life. The bread is still warm, garlic and cheese melting into the avocado in a way that feels borderline unfair. If there’s anything that will make June feel better, it’s definitely this.
I’m not alone for long.
Skye comes trotting down the hallway, nails clicking softly against the floor. She stops beside me, tail wagging once before leaning in to sniff.
“Hey, little girl,” I say, reaching down to pat her head.
She accepts the attention, then casually makes her way over to her bed, circling once before settling down.
A moment later, I hear voices coming from the hallway.
Within seconds, Uncle Mike appears, followed by a young man dressed in scrubs. Uncle Mike spots me, and his face lights up.
“May, you’re back!” he says happily.
“Good morning,” I answer.
The man beside him smiles. He’s tall, with dark hair neatly trimmed, warm brown eyes, a full beard, and a bright, friendly smile.
“This is Andres, my caretaker,” Uncle Mike says.
“Hello,” Andres says.
“Hi,” I reply.
“He’s about to take me for a walk down by the harbor,” Uncle Mike adds. “You want to come?”
“Oh, I’d love to,” I say, “but I have a few things to do. My sisters are coming into town tomorrow, and I need to get everything ready.”
Right as I say it, Aiden walks back through the front door.
“Well, maybe next time,” Uncle Mike says, already moving toward the door. He pats Aiden on the shoulder as he passes. “You two be good now.”
Aiden shakes his head with a small smile as they leave.
He leans against the counter and looks at me. “Did I hear you say your sisters are coming?”
“Yeah,” I say, taking another sip of coffee. “They’ll be here tomorrow.”
“Is there anything I can do?”
“You already have plenty going on,” I say, taking another bite of toast.
He watches me for a second, and I close my eyes briefly, enjoying the flavors.
“This bread is amazing,” I tell him. “The garlic cheese is so good.”
“Thank you,” he says, smiling. “I’m glad you like it.”
He pours himself a mug of coffee. After a beat, he says, “I have an extra bed. If you want, I can move it into your guest room.”
“I was just going to have one of them sleep on the couch,” I say. “It feels like a lot of work for just a few days.”
