“Hey, Mom. I’m stepping inside.”
“Are you pale?” she asks, giving me an up-close-and-personal view of her nose as she attempts to see me better.
“No paler than usual. I’m fine, Mom.” I make eye contact with Malcolm as I walk in his direction. “My personal physician can confirm.”
Malcolm raises his eyebrows at me.
I hit mute and press the phone to my chest. “My mom’s concerned about my health and the fact that I’m staying with a strange man. I’m not sure which worries her more.”
He places a hand on his chest feigning offense. “I’m not that strange. At least not in ways that are concerning.”
Man, he makes me smile, and not only because he made the same joke I did. “She wants to talk to you.”
Malcolm extends his hand. “No problem.”
“Thank you.” I hit unmute. “Here he is.”
“Hello, Ms. Fore. I’m Malcolm.”
“Hi, there, Malcolm. So you’re a doctor?”
“Wizard!” I whisper, suppressing a smile.
His eyes glitter up at me before his attention returns to my mom.
“I am. Makenna and I met briefly, and the next day she showed up in my E.D. I was the one who assessed her and sent her up to surgery.”
“And that went well?”
“I’m told everything went perfectly. And she’s well on her way to a full recovery.” Malcolm smiles up at me, and my heart takes off at a full gallop. Something about him makes me feel like I could be enough. Like even if I’m not the smartest, prettiest, daintiest little thing, I could be what someone wants. I still know Malcolm’s out of reach, but maybe somewhere, someone isn’t.
My only serious relationship lasted two years and ended as many years ago. Ross became successful at work and essentially told me he was embarrassed to take me to company functions. “You’re getting a little soft around the middle.” He always belittled me because I didn’t go to college. “Do you need me to explain this to you?” “You have fun while I’m at my real job.” He could be so loving that I didn’t notice the jabs until they were out of control. The last words he spoke to me were, “Callme if you can get your butt to a reasonable size again.”
I realize he was a jerk who I should never have been with. But he left scars nonetheless.
“I’m so relieved,” Mom says. “I can’t believe she didn’t tell me about this sooner.”
“She wanted to, but didny want you to worry or feel like you had to come.”
“I definitely would have come. I still might.”
“Don’t do that, Mom,” I call. “I’ll be home before you know it, and I’m absolutely fine. Malcolm has taken great care of me.” I sit down on the couch next to Malcolm so I can see my mom.
“But he’s not your mother.”
“True,” I concede. “But he brought mehismother who made us soup. And he bought me all kinds of great gluten-free foods, and he’s making sure I get up and move, but not too much. I’m resting.AndI’m getting to feel like I live here. It’s really nice.”
“Are you going to stay with Malcolm the rest of your trip?”
“Mom.” I take the phone from Malcolm. “I can’t impose on him like that. He has work and a life—”
He takes the phone back. “Makenna’s welcome here as long as she wants. I want her to get to do all her dream vacation things, and if she can do them from here, great. If not, I’m sure she’ll be well enough to move on soon.”
I stare at Malcolm. “Surely you don’t mean that.”
“I do. You know us wizards. We live to help.”
Mom speaks up, confused. “Did he just say wizards?”
