The Path to Sunshine Cove (Cape Sanctuary #2) - RaeAnne Thayne Page 0,99
could sense her restless feeling of not belonging. It was a feeling she ought to be used to by now, after thirty years.
“Thank you again for everything today,” he said. He kissed her cheek and she knew she didn’t imagine how his mouth lingered on her skin.
She forced a smile, gave Eleanor and Sophie each quick hugs then hurried out of the room.
She would return to Whitaker House to finish cleaning out Jack’s closet and then turn her attention to the remaining work.
With a few more hours of hard effort, she could be done by midafternoon the next day.
The sooner she finished the job she came to do, the quicker she could hitch up her Airstream and drive out of town.
36
Nate
Nate watched Jess rush out of the room as if the nurses were chasing after her with giant needles. What was her big hurry? She had looked as if she couldn’t wait to get away. Eleanor looked at the doorway through which Jess had disappeared. “She’s the sweetest girl, isn’t she? I’m so glad I had the good sense to hire her to help me clean out that big house. Isn’t she wonderful?”
“Yes,” Nate said, then looked away, not wanting his mother to see how much meaning that single world held.
She was wonderful. And beautiful. And stubborn.
His feelings were a wild, confusing jumble in his chest. Now was not the time to sort them out, when he needed to focus on his mother’s health.
“I like her a lot,” Sophie said. She gave Nate a meaningful look. “Just in case, you know, anyone felt like my opinion mattered. You have my permission.”
He gawked at her. “Permission for what?”
“To date her. If you wanted to.”
Yeah. This wasn’t the time or place for this discussion. “We’re friends,” he said gruffly. “That’s all. Anyway, she’s leaving town in a few days so there’s no point to this discussion.”
“I think you should. Ask her out, I mean,” Eleanor said. “You have my permission, too. As if you ever needed it.”
How had this conversation spiraled out of his control? Nate shifted, more awkward than he had been in a long time. Before he could respond, the door opened and a new nurse came in.
His mother’s face lit up. “Hi, Brooke. I was wondering if I would see you while I was here.”
The woman was a neighbor who also attended book club with his mother. That was one of the perils and joys of a small town. All of their lives seemed to intersect in multiple ways.
“Lucky me, I get to be your night nurse.”
“Oh wonderful. You can catch me up on all the good gossip around the hospital.”
“Ha. I’m a battle-ax when it comes to my patients. No gossip here, just making sure you take your meds, try to rest and do what the doctors tell you.”
Eleanor made a face. “You’re no fun at all.”
“Hospitals aren’t supposed to be fun. Hasn’t anybody told you that yet?”
His mother laughed. It was weak, thready, but Nate still felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
Only then did he fully acknowledge how worried he had been. For the first time since he listened to that voice mail from Jess, he felt the stirring of optimism.
If his mother could try to manage his love life, she must be feeling better.
* * *
They stayed until the nurses brought Eleanor dinner, then he and Sophie ate a quick meal in the cafeteria before heading home to take care of Cinder and Charlie.
They were almost to Whitaker House when the topic of Jess Clayton came up again.
“I’m sorry I teased you before. About Jess, I mean,” Sophie said out of the blue. “But I do like her. She’s nice and she’s smart and she’s easy to talk to.”
He agreed with all of those things. Added to that, she was compassionate, caring, generous.
He really had it bad.
He glanced over at Sophie before turning back to focus on the road. “While I appreciate the, er, vote of approval, I’m afraid it’s not going to happen.”
“Why not? Don’t you like her?”
“That’s not really the point.” He was falling in love with her, but he really didn’t want to have that conversation with his daughter right now.
Sophie was quiet for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice was hesitant. “Jess basically told me today that I’ve been acting like a jerk to you. Usually that would make me mad but it didn’t. Especially because she’s right.”