Next Door Neighbors (7 page)

              “Well,” Jill sighed, “I suppose I’ll call it a night myself and head home.”

              Brian didn’t want her to go just yet, but couldn’t think of a reason for her to stay. “If you must,” he responded lightheartedly.

              The two of them started heading to the door. Before Jill walked out she turned to Brian. “I had a lot of fun tonight, and the food was amazing. Thank you.”
              “It was my pleasure. I’m glad you could make it.”

              Brian offered a warm smile that Jill found attractive.

              I could look at his face for hours.

              But then she noticed something. “Here, let me get that,” she said, licking her thumb. She reached up to the side of his face and wiped off the spaghetti smudge that she saw.

              “I guess that makes us even then,” Brian smiled, although he had to admit that he was a little bit embarrassed that his face was harboring bits of dinner yet.

              Images of Brian cleaning her dirty face flashed before her eyes. Horrific then, it was now something to laugh at. “Yeah, I guess it does,” she agreed.

              “Well, good night, Jill.”

              “Good night.”

              Jill slowly ambled back to her home, a part of her not wanting the night to end; a part of her not wanting to leave.

6

              “Well, I’m going to take off now, okay?” Jill stated more than asked. “I’ll be back later tonight to check on you again.”

              “Okay. Have fun, dear!”

              “I will.”

              Jill walked out of the house. The last few days she had been watching over Elena much closer like Brian had asked. She was more than happy to do so, too, for it allowed Jill to see more firsthand what Elena’s condition had progressed to. It also gave her the opportunity to figure out how to help in the future. Plus it gave the two of them some quality bonding time, and Jill had to admit that learning more about Brian without him present was wonderful. She was beginning to really enjoy all of Elena’s stories of him.

              Jill reached her car and got in. It was time to head to The Coffee Cove, the only café in Ashwin, to meet her mom. When she thought about how long it had been since she last saw her, she concluded it was at least a few months.

             
That is too long.

              Jill and her mom were always close, but now that they lived so far apart, they hardly saw each other. Getting together for some hot beverages in a tiny, quaint coffee shop sounded divine.

              Upon entering The Coffee Cove, Jill immediately spotted her mom who was seated at a two-person booth just beyond the bar. Jill’s mom frantically waved her daughter over to where she was seated, and Jill raced over to her, a huge smile on her face.

              “Mom!”

              The two of them gave a big hug before taking a seat.

              “How are you, Jill?”

              “I’m good. Boy, I’ve missed you!”

              “I missed you too. I still say you need to come back home.”

              “My life is here, mom. Otherwise I would!”

              “I know. I know.”

              A short teen-age waitress stopped by the table and asked what they wanted. After ordering, Jill’s mom offered to pay for both. The waitress quickly scribbled down their requests and then walked off.

              “You don’t have to do that, mom,” Jill stated.

              “I know, but I want to.”

              “Well, thank you.”

              “You’re welcome, sweetie.” Jill’s mom smiled at her, the same smile that she offered Jill so many times. Jill was her one and only child, and all through life, all that each of them had was each other. This smile let Jill know of her love and admiration, and it made Jill feel like the most special girl in the world. She treasured her mom’s smiles.

              Quickly jumping into catch-up talk, Jill’s mom asked, “So what’s new with you?”

              “What’s not new is more like the question you should be asking,” Jill corrected.

              “Oh really? We’ve been apart that long, huh?”

              “We have!” Jill teasingly started, but then added, “But, yeah, I’ve been working extra hours at the hospital, and do you remember my neighbor, Elena? You know, the one I worked with and who helped me out after the whole Mark deal?”

              “Oh, yeah, yeah. How’s she doing?” her mother asked sincerely, leaning forward.

              Jill could sense how much her mom cared, and appreciated her for it. “Well, she has what’s called fibromyalgia. I’m not sure if you really know what that is. Do you?”

              “Uh unh,” Jill’s mom shook her head.

              The young waitress stopped by the table and placed their drinks in front of them. “Thank you,” they both said simultaneously.

              As Jill’s mom tasted a sip, Jill continued, “Fibromyalgia is an invisible disease.”

              “Invisible disease?” Jill’s mom asked, confused.

              “You know, a disease where the person aches internally, but on the outside they might look and try to act perfectly normal,” Jill explained, adding, “To the extent some people don’t believe they’re really suffering.”

              Jill tried her salted caramel hot chocolate. “Oooh, that’s good,” she sighed.

              “So what exactly are her symptoms?” Jill’s mom curiously questioned.

              “Elena has a lot of physical pain. Not all days, but most. On her good days she is able to do pretty much anything a normal person can do. However, if she overdoes it, she’ll pay for it the next day. So, needless to say, she’s got to plan out each day carefully.”

              “I see.”

              Jill continued, “And then there’s the mental aspect of it. Her mind gets foggy; she forgets things easily.”

              Both women took another sip of their respective drink.

              “Well, none of that sounds fun at all. How long has she had this?”

              Jill thought back to when some signs had started to appear. She answered, “It’s been going on at least a couple of years I believe. She wasn’t diagnosed until six months or so ago, though.”

              “That’s too bad,” Jill’s mom stated, slowly shaking her head.

              Again, the waitress came back to the table. She asked how the drinks were and also delivered the rest of their order. After being thanked for her service, she walked away.

              “What did you order again?” Jill asked, almost drooling.

              “Oh, it’s the wild berry cream cheese danish. You know how much I love danishes. Do you want a bite?”

              “No, but I’ll have to remember that for next time. That looks really good!” Jill then looked down at her asiago cheese bagel, suddenly not as thrilled to eat it as she was when she ordered it. Her mom’s danish definitely looked more appealing.

              After taking a few bites, both of the women got back to their conversation.

              “So is there anyone helping take care of Elena? Or doesn’t she need help?”

              Jill replied, “Yes and no. She doesn’t really need help, but it’s nice to have, which is another reason I’ve been busy. I’ve been checking in on her, making meals for her, running errands and doing some chores for her.”
              “That’s so sweet of you, hunny,” her mom commended.

              “Actually, her son has been taking more care of her now than I have.”
              “Son?”
              “Yeah, his name is Brian. He lives in the south, but soon after the official diagnosis, he showed up to help her out with some things she wanted done.”

              “Oh, that’s nice.”

              “It is nice. Elena treasures her son so much, and I can just tell she’s a million times better now that he’s helping her.”

              “How old is he?”

              Knowing where this was heading, and not liking it one bit, Jill slowly answered, “Thirty, I believe.”

              “Everything still good over here?” the waitress interrupted.

              “Yes. Thank you,” Jill’s mom replied, smiling at the waitress.

              Thankful for the interruption, Jill tried to steer the conversation back to Elena, although she feared she didn’t do a good enough job. “Brian’s actually gone back home right now, which is why I told you I could only stay out so long. I promised him I would look in on Elena a couple times a day while he was away.”

              Jill took another bite of her bagel and enjoyed the savory goodness. She thought it odd that her mom hadn’t said anything back yet, which could only mean she was thinking about one thing. She just kept eating and drinking until her mom let it out.

              “So this Brian, what’s he like?” her mom finally asked with an impish grin.

              There it was. Jill was certain it would all come back to Brian, and she knew exactly where that would lead. However, she decided to give her mom the benefit of the doubt. After all, she knows everything that Jill’s gone through and her view on men.

              Jill answered, “Well, let’s see.” Jill thought of everything she knew about Brian and carefully contemplated on what she would share. “He’s taller than me, and being from the south, he has a nice tan. He’s strong, but not overly muscular. Oh, and his hair is a dark brown. He’s got nicely trimmed facial hair, and although his hair is usually short, I’ve noticed he’s got a bit of a curl once it gets long enough.” Jill’s finger did a couple of loops in the air as she described the top of Brian’s head.

              “Wow! He sounds attractive,” Jill’s mom smiled.

              Jill gave her a nasty glare.

              “Well, he does!” she first laughed, and then added, “What does he do?”

              “What doesn’t he do is what I’m trying to figure out. I mean, he owns a hardware store, but they also do all kinds of services for people and their homes. He’s really handy. But this guy can also cook a meal that I swear you would think was from a five-star restaurant!” Jill put the last bit of her bagel into her mouth.

              “He sounds like a really decent guy,” Jill’s mom stated.

              “Yeah, I guess.”

              “You know, Jill, he’s only about two years older than you. Maybe you guys –”

              “Stop right there, mom. I’m not…”

              The young girl who had waited on them came back. She put the bill on the table and wished them both a good day.

              When the waitress was again out of ear shot, Jill continued, “I’m not interested, mom. I highly doubt he’s interested in me either.”

              “Oh, I’m just teasing. I do worry about you, though.”

              “I’m fine. Can’t you see that? And with everything I’ve been through with Mark, there’s no way I’d want to go down that road again. Even if Brian was interested, I can’t see it working out.”

              Jill’s mom nodded slowly as if she could see Jill’s point of view, although she couldn’t help but feel sad for her only daughter. She wished things had turned out very differently for her.

              Looking down at her watch, Jill noticed that they had better get going. Her mom got out enough cash to pay for the food, and then each of them grabbed their purse and stood up.

              As Jill turned around toward the bar, her heart dropped to her stomach and she forgot to breathe. There at the bar, his back towards both women, sat Brian.

              How long had he been there? Did he hear anything we talked about?

              Swallowing her fears, she drew a deep breath and decided she would introduce her mom. After all, there was no way they would be able to leave without him seeing both of them. “Brian? You’re back already?”

              “Oh, hi, Jill,” Brian beamed as he stood up. “Just got back a little while ago. Thought I’d catch a drink before heading to my mom’s.”

              He seems surprised to see me so maybe he didn’t hear anything!

              “I see.”

              Jill’s mom could sense there was some sort of chemistry between the two of them, but remained quiet on the subject. Instead, she coughed to give her daughter the clue to introduce her to this seemingly charming guy.

              “Oh, sorry. Brian, this is my mom. Mom, this is Brian, my next door neighbor’s son.”

              “Nice to meet you,” Brian smiled, hand out ready to shake it like the professional he was.

              “Likewise,” Jill’s mom agreed.

              Making the encounter as quick and painless as possible, Jill insisted they get going. “Sorry to make this short, but we’ve got to go. I’m sure I’ll see you around, though. Elena will be glad you’re back!”

              “Yep! Have fun, ladies,” Brian directed.

              “We will,” both of them said in unison.

              Brian sat back down to get back to his drink, as Jill and her mom walked out of the café.

              “He
is
cute, Jill!” her mom blurted.

              “Mom!” Jill hissed as she elbowed her.

              Jill’s mom laughed. “Just stating the obvious.”

              The two of them continued down the sidewalk to do some shopping. Jill, however, worried over their conversation in the café and hoped she didn’t say anything offensive about Brian. In the end, though, she decided to brush it off since Brian gave no indication whatsoever that he heard anything. Her mom suggested they go into a Christmas store, and the next thing Jill knew, she was determining what color theme she wanted to do on her Christmas tree this year.

---------------

              But Brian did hear.

              He heard everything that Jill and her mom had talked about while he sat down at the bar drinking his french vanilla cappuccino.

              When he walked through the door of The Coffee Cove earlier, he was surprised that Jill was there. But because she had company with her, he didn’t bother her. Instead, he figured a seat close to her would be a nice treat; a good way to be welcomed back.