The doctor has informed us that it won’t be long. If you’d like to see her again, now would be a good time.

My heart skips a beat in my chest.

Fuck.

If I put down my phone, can I act like I didn’t just see this? Can I pretend it’s not real? That the last year when I’ve essentially ignored the one person I shouldn’t ignore didn’t really happen?

Instead, I type my reply.

I’m on my way.

When I enter the house, I’m still breathless. Ruby is in the kitchen, cleaning out the bullet blender she uses to make Hazel’s breakfast smoothie.

“You run all the way back?” she asks with a laugh.

“Kind of,” I answer, thinking about the guy sitting in his tattoo shop probably wondering what the hell just happened.

Ruby gives me one of her usual confused looks. She’s long given up on trying to figure me out, I can tell, but she hasn’t yet let her guard down. She doesn’t quite trust me, and I can’t say I blame her. I showed up out of the blue almost a year ago, and Hazel brought me in like I was one of her own kids.

“Where is she at?” I ask after washing my hands.

“On the patio. She says the sunshine is stronger than chemo.”

I let out a small, silent laugh. She does say stuff like that. She also says a fat joint and some good sex is stronger than chemo, but Ruby’s not cut out for comments like that, so I keep those to myself. Those conversations are just for us.

“Can I take her something?” I ask before heading out to sit next to her. Just being around Hazel so she has someone to talk to is the main part of my ‘job.’ As too good to be true as it sounds, that’s what I was hired to do. I can admit it now, but I’d do it even if I wasn’t being paid for it. I enjoy Hazel’s company, and I’ve really stopped seeing her as so different than me. Her stories rival mine, and that’s saying something.

“Yeah,” Ruby calls from the pantry. “Grab the large umbrella from the garage if you could. She needs a little shade or she’ll fry like bacon out there.”

“Good idea,” I answer from halfway down the long hallway toward the garage. Hazel’s house isn’t exactly gigantic, but its value lies more in the location than the size. It has the best view in all of Wickett: that’s for sure. But even I’m impressed by the long hallways and massive garage this house entails. It doesn’t matter that Hazel gets zero use out of her garage. She doesn’t even drive anymore.

The giant room mainly operates as storage these days, with a few random motorcycles there that I’ve been harping on her to explain, but she refuses. Once I figured out that the topic was a sore one, I dropped it.