Since that time Emmi had lived with Flo in the old Victorian. It had been a good experience for them both. They shared a love of sea turtles, the garden, and the children. But it had also saved them both from the loneliness of living alone. Over the last decade, however, Flo had developed Alzheimer’s disease, as her mother had before her. Emmi had managed alone for several years, but recently, Flo’s downward slide was accelerating. Emmi and Cara were trying to hold off the day they had to put Flo in a memory center.

“John,” Linnea said. “I don’t think she recognized me.”

“Maybe not.”

“How’s she doing?”

“Not very well.”

“What does that mean?” she asked, turning her head a bit so he could hear.

“She’s started to wander again,” John said, worry tinging his voice.

“Oh no…”

“The other day, Mom discovered the front door open. She nearly had a heart attack. She had to run three blocks before she spied her, walking in the middle of the street. In her nightgown.”

“Where was her nurse?”

“The nurse isn’t coming any longer, because of Covid-19. She has to stay home with her kids, plus she doesn’t want to take public transportation. It’s not easy to get to Isle of Palms from North Charleston by bus. I can’t say as I blame her.”

“Who’s helping your mom?”

“You’re looking at him.”

She stopped abruptly. “You?”

“There’s no one else.”

Linnea mulled this over as she continued along the crooked beach path, no longer noticing the wildflowers. When she reached the pavement of Ocean Boulevard, she set Luna down and turned to John.

“You’re telling me that you’re helping your mom take care of Flo?”

“For the time being, yes.”

“I don’t understand. I thought you were going back to California.”

“I was. I am. I just don’t know when.”

Linnea looked out across the rolling dunes to the ocean. The water sparkled like the proverbial diamonds under the bright, cloudless sky. She wasn’t sure how she felt about this news. Part of her was grateful to him for helping take care of Florence Prescott. It couldn’t be easy for him to drop everything to be a nursemaid. The other half was worried about him still being next door when Gordon arrived from England.

“So… how long do you think? A week? Two?”

John smiled, amused. Outdoors, he wasn’t wearing a mask. She saw again how a simple smile could transform a rather handsome face into something remarkable. His green eyes brightened against his tan.

“I’m glad to hear you’re so interested in my schedule.”

“Well, I…”

“I’m here indefinitely,” he told her, sparing her embarrassment. “I can work from anywhere, really.”

She cracked a wicked smile. “So I was a nanny, and now you’re a nurse.”

He snorted and looked back to his mother’s house. “I don’t feel right leaving Mom in the lurch like that.” He shrugged. “She’s a trooper. But I’m worried about her. Taking care of Flo is beginning to take its toll. She used to be so funny, so cheerful. Now she seems downtrodden, you know? Like she’s just making it through each day.”