Kiss To Forget (Blairwood University #2) - Anna B. Doe Page 0,41
in his house and hooking up with girls.
“Don’t you guys talk?”
“We do, but it’s not the same.”
“What’s not the same?”
In unison we both turn around to the woman standing in the doorway.
“Mom! You shouldn’t be up on your own,” Jade chastises her, going straight to her mother. Her arms wrap around the woman’s slender shoulders, helping her toward the chair.
“I can still walk on my own, young lady,” she admonishes, but doesn’t refuse her help getting to the table. I’m not entirely sure if it’s because she wants to make Jade feel useful, or if she actually needs the help, but doesn’t want to ask for it.
If I thought Jade is skinny, she has nothing on her mother. She’s practically all skin and bones. Her complexion is pale, making the circles around her eyes stand out.
Once she’s seated, her eyes, those familiar, sharp blue-gray irises that match the woman in the portrait, find me. “I didn’t know we had company.”
She slides her hand over the beanie covering her head self-consciously. It’s instinctive, although there’s nothing she has to be self-conscious about. This is her home, after all.
“I’m so sorry to intrude,” I say softly, trying to keep my voice steady.
Jade shoots a grateful smile my way.
“Mom, this is Yasmin. She’s Nixon’s friend.” Jade makes the introductions and goes to the stove where the kettle whistles.
Her words snap me out of it and I jump to my feet. Crossing the room, I offer her my hand, which she accepts. “I’m Yasmin, it’s so nice to meet you, Mrs. Cole.”
“Helen,” she corrects. “And it’s always nice to have company. We have it so rarely these days.”
“What are you saying? Anna comes here every day.” Jade puts a mug with tea in front of her mom and next to it a little plate containing dozens of different-colored pills she prepared earlier.
Helen looks at me and rolls her eyes. “Anna is my nurse.” The way she says it, you’d think she’s the devil himself, but something about her expression makes me chuckle, which brings a smile to her lips. “At this point somebody will think she’s a part of our family.”
Jade pokes her mom in the shoulder softly. “Don’t be mean. Anna is nice.”
“So you say, she’s not poking and probing at you.”
I watch as Helen blows over the cup to cool off the tea before taking a little sip. She makes a grimace that I can wholeheartedly relate to. I can smell it all the way here. It’s grassy. Chamomile? Or something else? I’m not sure, but it’s far from pleasant.
“Do you see what I have to deal with every day?” Helen shakes her head. “You’re so lucky I love you.”
The smile is still playing on her lips, but so is the darkness creeping behind Jade’s eyes. The knowledge that her mother’s moments are limited and growing fewer by the day.
My eyes burn, but I bite the inside of my cheeks to keep my emotions at bay.
I look around, needing to focus on something else. Anything other than all the dark feelings swirling around the room.
My eyes land on the stove, and just then, my stomach rumbles loudly, reminding me to feed it.
I jump to my feet. “I know you said you suck at cooking, so how about I make something to eat?”
Both women turn to look at me.
“Oh, you don’t have to…” Helen starts to protest, but I stop her before she can finish.
“Nonsense, I’m crashing your family time. Besides, since I’m in the dorm, I don’t get a chance to cook as much as I’d like.”
“If you really want.”
“You’d be doing me a favor, really.” I turn to Jade. “Mind helping me find what I need?”
Chapter Seventeen
NIXON
Gasping, I sit upright. I’m panting, my heart beating rapidly as I look at my surroundings. Light yellow walls, big king-sized bed, the mismatched quilt. I’m at home.
Home.
Running my hand over my face, I try to work the stiffness from my muscles, but it’s no use. Every bone in my body hurts from spending the night in the armchair next to my mother’s bed.
I let my hand fall back in my lap as I look at the empty bed. The covers are rumpled, but my mother is nowhere in sight.
That fear that’s become second nature in the last few months returns in full force, intensified by the dream I just had.
The dream in which my mother was no longer here, and when I tried to look for her the only thing I found was darkness.