Page 54 of The Hang Up
“Just a few more blocks,” Miriam offered, not sure if Henry even knew what a block was, but hoping it sounded helpful anyway. “Can you think about something else to take your mind off it? Bubble gum or baseball or gummy bears?”
“Yeah,” Henry said, his little face looking a bit less pinched as he pictured whatever it was that gave him the most joy.
“Here we are,” Jason announced as he pulled up to the curb like a pizza delivery guy running ten minutes late.
“Out you go.” Jason scrambled out of the car and helped his nephew with the buckles on his car seat. “You’ve got this, big guy. Just a few quick steps.”
Miriam got out of the car, careful to give them a wide berth. “I can just walk home from here.”
“Actually, would you mind grabbing that bag?” Jason called as he hustled his nephew up the walkway. “It has Henry’s medications in it, and he’s due to take a pill right now.”
“Of course,” Miriam said, secretly relieved not to have to say good-bye so abruptly. She grabbed the little blue backpack from the backseat and pushed the car door closed, following close behind as Jason and Henry hustled toward the house.
Jason pushed the door open and ushered Henry ahead of him, while Miriam followed, admiring the careful way Jason guided the little boy toward the house without pushing or growing impatient. “There you go, buddy. Use the powder room right there. Atta boy!”
Miriam trailed Jason into the living room, smiling as Ellie came walking through a door wiping her hands on a dish towel.
“You made it back.” She grinned at her brother before turning to Miriam and sticking out her hand. “Allow me to introduce myself properly this time. I’m Ellie, and I’m definitelynotthis dork’s wife.”
“I’m so sorry about that,” Miriam said, returning the handshake that was surprisingly hearty. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“Don’t be. I should have been clearer right from the start. How was the canoeing?”
“Wonderful,” Miriam said. “Are you feeling better?”
“Yeah, this was a quick one. I used to get migraines so bad they’d leave me incapacitated for days, but I got my meds on board fast with this one, and it passed in just a couple hours.”
“Is that your lasagna I smell?” Jason asked as he made his way toward the door Ellie had just come through.
“It is,” she said. “I figured I owed you something for bailing on you at the last minute.”
“You don’t owe me a damn thing, but I’ll take it,” Jason called over his shoulder as he headed into the kitchen. “We had a great time without you.”
“I’m sure you did.” Ellie smiled at Miriam in a way that made it clear she knew exactly what was going on between them.
Well, maybe notexactly.Hell, Miriam wasn’t even sure about that.
“So, Miriam, Jason tells me you’d never been canoeing before,” Ellie said. “Did you fall in?”
“Nope!” she said, feeling a little proud. “Actually, I loved it. Even better than the spelunking. If I’d known how much fun it was, I’d have picked up a paddle years ago.”
“You should try kayaking then,” she said. “Personally, I think that’s a lot more fun, plus you can do it all by yourself without needing another person along to help lug the boat off the car.”
“A kayak, huh?” She thought about the bright yellow one she’d seen on the Urban Trax website, then pictured herself gliding through the water with effortless precision. She was amazed to realize she rather liked the image. “Maybe I’ll look into renting one sometime.”
“Thanks, El,” Jason muttered, grinning as he walked back into the room munching a piece of French bread. “You just rendered me unnecessary to the girl I’ve been flirting with.”
“I’ll render you unnecessary if you don’t quit eating my bread.” Ellie swatted him with her dish towel. “I’m using that to make garlic bread for dinner.”
“There’s still plenty left to go with the lasagna.”
“Lasagna!” Henry said, bursting out of the bathroom. “We’re having lasagna for dinner?”
“We sure are.” Ellie beamed at her son as she tousled his hair. “I’m so glad your appetite is back. Remember how icky you felt during chemo?”
“Yeah,” the little boy said solemnly, looking at Miriam. “Sometimes I got milkshakes for dinner.”
“Protein shakes,” Ellie told Miriam. “It was the only thing he could keep down sometimes.”
