Chapter 30
1069 Words
Emma jumped when her doorbell chimed. She glanced at the clock on her laptop screen, wondering who would be at her door at eight o’clock on a Monday morning. Not that the day or time made any major difference to her at this point. She had finally capitulated to the reality of her illness – bouts of sickness from the chemo, dizziness and exhaustion increasingly hitting her out of nowhere, even at Dean’s – and was now on an extended leave-of-absence from work. The whole idea of a ‘work day’ was a bit ludicrous, but still. Eight o’clock on a Monday was early for almost everyone else on the planet, wasn’t it?
“Who is it?” she asked through the door.
“It’s Nigel, sweet thing, and I come bearing gifts.”
She swung the door open, delighted. “Nigel!”
“Hey, Emma. Liv sent me.”
“Of course she did.” Emma stood to one side. “Come on in.”
He came in, loaded down with shopping bags and juggling a take-out coffee. She took the coffee and two of the bags and he sighed with relief.
“I thought that latté was going to go flying, doll, I kid you not. What a waste of foam, you know?”
She laughed, and hugged him close.
He held her, shocked at how much weight she had lost in just a few weeks. He took a step back, stared at her face. She was still stunning, no doubt about it, but she was starting to look gaunt and tired.
Fucking, f*****g cancer.
“OK, sweet thing. Sit down and brace yourself. I have goodies, let me tell you.”
She sat on her sofa, thrilled to see him. Nigel Ramirez was hands-down the coolest, funniest man she had ever met. His fashion sense made her gag with envy, and he loved to gossip and giggle with her, especially about men. He was Liv’s PA and did his job with flair and ease; he loved handling her schedule and Liv trusted the man with her entire life. He even knew her internet passwords, her bank account information, the code to her home security system. He was like an extension of Liv’s body, and the girls all adored him.
“What did you bring me?” she asked. “What? What?”
“OK, you ready for this?”
“Sure am.”
He reached into a shopping bag and produced a dress that took her breath away. It was flowy and loose, but had underlying structure. The colors were bright and warm, and she ran her hand over it. The material was soft, comfortable.
He was watching her. “Liv said that some materials irritate your skin lately… I thought this would be gentle enough?”
She nodded. “Yeah. It’s weird, but my body actually really hurts sometimes, so bad that I can’t stand to be touched. Even cotton is painful.”
“Well, this should be OK. You’ll try it, right?”
“It’ll be perfect, Nigel. Thank you.”
“OK. I also brought you some gorgeous jewelry from Liv’s last photo shoot, and a few pairs of sexy sandals. Nice, huh?” He hesitated. “One last thing, Emma… but I’m a bit worried I’ll upset you.”
“What is it?”
Nigel reached down into the last bag and pulled out a handful of scarfs. They were delicate and feminine, but her breath stopped when she realized what he was thinking.
“For – for when my hair falls out. Right?”
“Yes.” He looked at her anxiously. “Have I overstepped, doll? If I have, just say so.”
“No.” Her voice seemed to be coming from very far away and she shook her head a bit. So far, she had managed to avoid thinking about that side-effect of the chemo too much. She knew that when she started to lose her hair, she’d end it with Dean, since she would have no way at all to hide from him what was happening. “No, you’re right to think about this. I don’t have any, and these are amazing. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.” Nigel fought back tears, smiled brightly. “So! What’s this about you bedding a sexy soldier covered in tattoos?”
“Oh, God.” Emma groaned. “Liv told you?”
“Of course she did! Jesus, doll. She knows how much I adore a man in uniform – and I like them even better out of it.” He took a sip of his coffee. “Tell all. The more salacious the details, the better.”
“Not much to tell, I’m afraid. I just see him when I feel well enough, you know. Around the chemo and the spells of exhaustion. And it’s just s*x, really.”
Nigel’s dark eyes sparkled. “My favorite kind of arrangement, sweet thing. Liv speculates that Dean is as hot as hell and that the man has a body that just won’t quit. Is she right? Please tell me that she is…”
She giggled. “Liv’s right.”
“Oh, thank God.” He sighed. “You just enjoy that for as long as you can.”
“I will. And actually, speaking of hot men – don’t you have a new boyfriend?”
“I do, indeed.”
“Abe, right?”
“Yeah.” He made a face. “Terrible name, huh? The man is simply not an Abraham, and I have no idea what that would even look like, to be honest. But my Abe is just s*x on legs, I promise you. Built like a goddamn line-backer and with stamina to kill for.”
She laughed.
“Maybe you’ll meet him? We’re having a party at my place this Saturday night… can you make it?”
Her stomach tightened. “Hard to say, Nigel. I’ll try, OK?”
“Oh.” He studied her silently. “Chemo this week?”
“Yeah. I start another round tomorrow and I don’t expect to resurface until Thursday or Friday. I may not be OK for the weekend. But if I am, I promise to be there. Alright?”
“OK, doll.” He held her hand. “I’ll keep my fingers crossed. Toes, too.”
- Writer
