Foolish Notions Read online

  “Yes, I know the way.” She didn’t have to be told where the guest room was. She already knew every room in the house.

  Tucking the duster under her arm, Ginger shifted her weight. Her gum snapped at the back of her mouth as she slowly nodded. “Holy crap.”

  Samantha looked over her shoulder and then back to Ginger. “What?”

  “When he said a nurse named Samantha was coming by, I didn’t think he meant the Samantha.” She chewed her gum with a wide mouth. “He calls you ‘Sam,’ ” she nodded. “I think that’s what threw me. The little devil didn’t tell me.”

  The woman’s statement took Samantha by surprise. Puzzled, she said, “Excuse me?”

  “Your looks gave you away.” She nodded in agreement with herself. “You’re just as he explained.” She shrugged. “Of course, that was some time ago, but you still look the same.”

  Samantha felt like she had just walked into an already existing conversation. Was she missing something? “Who explained?” Her stomach was beginning to flip-flop again. She swallowed hard against the queasy feeling. Is this how Alice in Wonderland felt? Lost, confused, and a little out of place.

  Ginger moved forward and cocked her head. “I have to see these eyes.” She focused in on Samantha as she rolled her gum from side to side and began to nod. “Yes, I do see it. He said ‘angelic’ and he was right. What is that, a hint of gray around the edges?”

  “Angelic? Gray?” Samantha shook her head. She knew she shouldn’t have come. Something wasn’t right. She couldn’t even carry on a conversation with this woman. She was beginning to feel like an unintelligent idiot who wasn’t able to follow the simplest of conversations.

  “Boy, he has you down to a T. I didn’t believe that gray bit, but he was right,” Ginger said with an aloof shrug of her shoulders.

  Samantha was certain the woman was either confusing her with someone else or she was having some type of reaction to the ungodly amount of makeup on the woman’s face. Whichever it was, Samantha didn’t take offense to her babbling. If anything, it eased her into the awkward situation by keeping her mind off the fact that she was standing in what used to be her home. She couldn’t really dwell on the reality of where she was and what it meant to her, while Ginger was constantly talking. The woman had a way of worming her way into your head and allowing nothing else in.

  “The hair is nice too. I can see what the fuss is all about. It’s not easy to have a good head of hair, because it’s all in the genes.” Ginger poked her finger in the air and waved it from side to side. “But them there eyes are something else.” She gave a long soft whistle as she let her breath out. “You know, it’s been a long time since he talked about you but—” She tapped her temple with her finger. “I remembered every detail he said.” She shook her head. “I’ve never seen a man talk about a woman the way he talked about you.”

  With the intense way Ginger was staring at her, Samantha felt she had no other choice but to watch Ginger’s eyes too. They were caked with mascara and narrowed when they examined her. For a brief moment she thought the woman was going to reach up and touch her hair. “I must apologize,” Samantha said quickly. “I’m not normally this scatterbrained. I have a lot on my mind at the moment.” She smiled faintly, feeling flustered once again. “To be quite honest with you, I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”

  “Oh, don’t mind me, I’m just thinking out loud.” Ginger snatched the duster from beneath her arm and waved it wildly in front of her. “If you need anything just give me a holler. I’ll be around here somewhere.”

  Samantha stood in the foyer after the woman had disappeared into the living room, trying to make sense of the last few minutes. Ginger was like a whirlwind that left those in her wake a little confused and disoriented. She had never met anyone quite like her. Samantha smiled. Given the chance, she could really like this woman. Understand her, not likely—but be fond of her, definitely. Ginger was unique to say the least.

  Her awareness shifted from Ginger to her surroundings. She was standing in a house that had once been her home, the place she thought she would raise her children and grow old in. It was surreal. She had never dreamed she would see this place again. But now that she was inside, it enveloped her like an old familiar friend. She took a few steps forward. The house looked the same. It smelled the same. It smelled of pungent salt, rich leather, and James. She fingered a large, glossy green leaf that belonged to the massive plant next to her. She had moved the tree from the dining room into the foyer because the afternoon sun was burning it. She had been correct in thinking that the indirect light was better. It must have grown at least a couple of feet in its new location. She smiled at the beautiful ceramic pot it was in. She had almost forgotten about it. It had been one of her best flea market finds. One Sunday a month she and Marie would scout the local flea market for treasures. James had frowned when she had brought the pot home because he had thought it was too ugly to put in the house. Yet, it was still here.

  Samantha abruptly clutched the strap of her purse with both hands. Horror shot through her when the reality hit. Was she completely out of her mind? This wasn’t some fun little walk down memory lane. She was here to see Marie and that was it. The last thing she needed to be doing was reminiscing.

  Squaring her shoulders, she stood tall. The small act made her feel stronger. It’s only going to take a few minutes, she told herself. “In and out,” she said aloud, as she expelled a long breath.

  She hurried up the stairs and stopped several feet before the opened door. Moving slowly, she peeked into the room. Marie was sitting in bed looking out a huge window at the endless blue ocean. She didn’t look well. Her once-enchanting eyes were now bleak. Her posture was stooped, her demeanor somber. All these traits were so unlike the woman she had known only a year ago.

  Samantha couldn’t ignore the intense urge to run away from the pain, even as her heart ached for this woman. The powerful sensation swept through her, demanding she get out of the house, get into her car, and drive as fast as she could to the safety of her apartment.

  But she couldn’t do that to Marie. She wouldn’t do that to Marie. It wasn’t going to be easy but she had to at least speak with her. She stepped into the room and said softly, “Marie.”

  Marie’s face lit up as she turned. “Hi, sweetheart. I’ve been waiting for you.” She gestured for her to come in.

  Samantha went to her bedside and immediately gave her a hug. “It’s so nice to see you.”

  “It’s wonderful to see you, darling; it’s been a long time. Too long.”

  Samantha nodded her head in agreement as she pulled away.

  “Yes, it has.”

  “I wasn’t sure you would come.”

  “Of course I would.” She tried to smile, but couldn’t force it. Lying didn’t come naturally to her.

  Marie arched a brow.

  She would fess up. Starting their meeting off with a lie was a daunting thought. “The truth is, I turned around three different times on the way over.”

  Taking Samantha’s hand in hers, Marie patted it reassuringly. “Yes, but you’re here and that is all that matters now.”

  Samantha looked at their hands. She felt dreadfully guilty that she hadn’t made the effort to see Marie before now. It didn’t matter how painful it might have been; she should have come and visited or, at the very least, called. “You’re too kind to me, Marie. After everything—”

  “Stop.” Marie touched the bed beside her. “Sit. Let me get a closer look at you.”

  Samantha sat next to her on the big bed.

  “You look just as beautiful as you did the first day I met you,” Marie said.

  “Thank you, that’s very kind.” Samantha remembered the day James had taken her to meet his mom. James had tended the barbeque as Marie had showed her around her prized rose gardens. As she and James were driving home at the end of the day she could remember thinking that she would love to have Marie as a mother-in-law. She
had felt an instant closeness to Marie. Even though she and James had only been dating for three months, she knew that he was the one. They were compatible in every way. They thought alike, they had a lot of the same interests, they liked the same music, and they even appreciated the same type of art. They were well matched, to say the least.

  She blinked to clear the thoughts. She couldn’t have been more wrong about a person than she had been about James. She didn’t want to think about it. It made her sick to think about the mistake she had made. It had not only cost her several years of her life but the torment she lived with was unbearable at times.

  She turned her attention to Marie. “How are you feeling?”

  “Oh, I have my good days and my bad days. Today happens to be one of the good days, since you’re here.” She rested her hand on Samantha’s. “Did James fill you in on everything?”

  “Yes, he did.”

  “What do you think?”

  Samantha thought for a moment. “I think you’ll pull through this just fine. It’s amazing what doctors can do these days.”

  Marie shook her head. “Do you want to take care of me?”

  “I would love to take care of you, Marie, but I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  She raised her shoulders. “Because I have my job at the hospital. I can’t just get up and leave.”

  “Don’t you have any sick-leave time coming?”

  Samantha shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t.”

  “How about vacation time?”

  “Afraid not.”

  Marie dropped her shoulders and looked down at her hands, her expression forlorn. “I need you,” she said in her best pathetic voice. “I can’t get through this without you. I just don’t know what I’m going to do.”

  “Don’t say that, Marie. You don’t need me.” Samantha leaned in. “I know this is going to be hard but you can make it. You’re strong and you’ve taken good care of yourself. Besides, you’re not alone. You have James, who will support you through this.”

  Marie hung her head. “James isn’t taking this well and it worries me tremendously.”

  Samantha found Marie’s hand, took it into hers, and squeezed it. She waited until Marie was looking at her before she spoke. “He’s a strong man. I think you are underestimating him. We both know what James is capable of.”

  “But you haven’t seen him.”

  No, she hadn’t seen him. When she had spoken with him, he had obviously been distraught, but not to the point that she was overly worried about him. “The both of you will get through this.”

  “I hope so.”

  Samantha took a deep breath, eager to comfort the woman. “I’ll stop by from time to time and check in on you. I’ll give you my number. You can call me anytime if you have any questions or just need someone to talk to.” She hoped her consoling was working. She took both of Marie’s hands in hers. “You can do this, I know you can.”

  Marie’s demeanor didn’t change. “You know what they are going to do to me.”

  Samantha nodded.

  “I don’t want a stranger taking care of me. I don’t want some stranger to hold my head up when I’m being sick or bathing and dressing me when I’m too weak to do it myself. James doesn’t understand how I feel, but I know you do.” She looked directly into Samantha’s eyes. “You understand, don’t you?”

  Tears caused Samantha’s eyes to gloss over. She cared deeply for Marie. They had been good friends once. Marie had been like a mother to her. It was killing her inside to see Marie like this. “I understand,” she said softly.

  “Do you?”

  “Yes, Marie, I do.” It was one of the truest statements she had made while she was there. When she had been in nursing school she had to spend time in a cancer ward. The pain that cancer patients went through was insufferable. Sometimes the cure made them sicker than the disease. She knew what Marie had ahead of her. “But that doesn’t mean this kind of arrangement would work.”

  “If you’re referring to James, he is never here. You know how much he works. And since—well—you left, that’s all he does. I’m asking you to do this for me, not for James.”

  “If it were that easy I’d do it in a minute. But it’s not,” she said.

  Marie coughed into a Kleenex before speaking. “I don’t know what happened between you and my son; that is between the two of you. But I need your help to get me through this.” A tear rolled down her cheek. “I’ll beg if I have to. You can’t even begin to understand how important this is to me. Honestly, I’m afraid of the treatment, but I’m also afraid that we’re not going to find someone to take care of me. It’s all approaching so fast. We only have two days to get everything in order before my first treatment starts. I’ve depended on James too much as it is. I need someone to help me. I feel so helpless, I’m not sure what to do.” Marie paused for a moment. “Samantha, if it’s the money, you know I can pay—”

  “For heaven’s sake, Marie, it’s not the money. How could you ever think it’s about money?”

  “Then what is it?” Her hand pressed against her chest. “Is it me? You just don’t want to work for me? If that’s the case just tell me.”

  “Of course that’s not the case.” Samantha stared at Marie in the huge bed as she considered the situation. She raked her teeth over her bottom lip and took a deep breath. She couldn’t allow Marie to think it was because of her when it wasn’t. God, what kind of nurse was she? What kind of nurse refused to help someone because they didn’t want to see their ex-boyfriend? She should be ashamed of herself. And to think she always prided herself on the fact that she went the extra mile as a nurse, and as a friend. “Two days until your first treatment?”

  “Yes.”

  “That doesn’t give me much time to get everything done.”

  Marie cried as she pulled Samantha to her. “You won’t regret this. I promise.”

  Yeah, right, Samantha thought, as she held the woman in a tight embrace.

  “I’ll never be able to thank you enough.” Marie sobbed in her ear.

  Samantha pulled away. “I’m going to need your doctor’s name and number so I can talk with him. And I also need to call my work.”

  Chapter Five

  James didn’t even bother to take his briefcase into the office or hang his jacket in the closet when he walked into the house. Sheer exhaustion drove him to let the items fall to the floor in a heap in the foyer. He would worry about them later, preferably in the morning after a long night’s sleep.

  As he rolled his neck, it snapped and cracked a few times, relieving the pressure, which had increased to extreme pain, the moment Raymond had told him about the leak. A loud growl came from his midsection; he was not only dog-tired, he was starving. He hadn’t eaten since Shelly, his secretary, had brought him a blueberry muffin at noon. Coffee was all he had managed to get down before that. No wonder it felt as if he was going to collapse alongside the things at his feet. He rubbed his stomach. Food would have to wait—he wanted to see his mom first.

  Taking a step toward the stairs, he stopped instantly. Moving his head from side to side he sniffed the air. That scent. He closed his eyes and savored the fragrance that engulfed his senses.

  Under the influence of her perfume, dozens of memories popped in his head. Images, of Samantha’s lips, her fingers, her hips, and her toes. Lovemaking and picnics. Visions of how their bodies intertwined together as they slept in every Saturday, and visions of late romantic dinners on the patio beneath the stars, teased and tricked him. He believed she was there. He sensed her. He felt her.

  The ache in his stomach changed into an intense hunger that no food could ever sedate. The powerful memories took him by surprise. Images uncontrollably inundated his thoughts. Some were of times they had shared together. He could see her in the kitchen cooking, in the garden planting, and in his bed smiling.

  But some were also of events that hadn’t happened, although he had wanted them so desperately to. Visions
of children popped into his head, small fingers and toes to kiss and tickle.

  Suddenly his eyes sprang open; he gripped the railing at his side. God, he was glad he hadn’t come home any sooner. If this was what happened just smelling her perfume, he didn’t dare to think of how he’d have reacted if he’d actually seen her.

  As he climbed the stairs he redirected his thoughts to his mom. He hoped her spirits hadn’t been broken after speaking with Samantha. She had seemed so cheerful this morning, and he didn’t want her to lose that.

  “Hi.” He was pleasantly surprised to see his mom sitting in a chair by the window. She was typically in bed by this time of day. She was never one to stay up late. And now that she was sick she seemed to retire even earlier. He kissed her softly on the brow. “It’s good to see you up.”

  “It feels good to be up,” she said enthusiastically. “For some reason I’m not tired.”

  He said a silent thank-you to Samantha for letting his mom down easy. Marie obviously didn’t show any ill effects from the reunion. He should have known Samantha would come through. She always did. “Good. You need to be in good health and spirits when you start your treatment.” He leaned down again. “What’s that smell?”

  “I believe it’s the perfume you bought me for Mother’s Day.” Marie raised her wrist. “I haven’t felt like getting myself all fixed up lately. It just doesn’t seem worth it if I’m going to be sitting around the house all day. But like I said, I’m feeling really good today.”

  “It smells nice.” God, if this is what Samantha could accomplish just by talking with his mother, he should have called her weeks ago. The transformation was amazing.

  “How was work?” Marie asked seriously.

  “Long,” he said with a sigh. “I finally closed the Malone deal, though,” he added with a positive tone.

  Marie smiled proudly. “Wonderful. You’ve been working on that one for awhile.”

  He held his fingers up. “Three months.”