LITMIR.BIZ

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caregivers but a gathering area for many residents.

      “No, no, Mrs. Highsmith, you can’t go to your room right now,” an LPN said as she stopped a tiny woman in a wheelchair and deftly brought her around to face the nurses’ station. “Stay here and keep me company while I fill out these charts, all right?”

      Susanna didn’t catch Mrs. Highsmith’s response before Jay whisked her along yet another hallway. The only downside to the facility setup was that with every wing laid out in the same way and decorated to convey a homey ambiance, she couldn’t quite pinpoint where she was.

      “I will eventually gain my sense of direction around here, won’t I?” she asked Jay.

      He laughed with his rich warm voice that managed to be the only sound she heard over the noise of a busy floor. “Just watch the room numbers until you get the hang of the place.”

      “Not that he’s the best judge.” The somber male voice came from behind them.

      She and Jay stopped and turned to find Walter exiting a conference room.

      “The boy’s been working this property since he was gurgling and cooing to entertain the residents.”

      “Thank you, Walter,” Jay said dryly.

      Susanna bit back a laugh, not sure what amused her more, the thought of Jay as a boy or a green-eyed baby.

      “The residents loved you then and they love you now.” Walter held up a hand and whispered conspiratorially, “Everyone loves him around here. You’ve got big boots to fill.”

      Another warning, but before Susanna could respond, Jay said, “Everyone can’t wait to see the last of me.”

      “You wish.”

      Jay scowled so hard Susanna refrained from comment. Judging from what she’d seen so far, she’d have to side with Walter. She made another mental note but didn’t get a chance to worry about potential staff resistance as Jay hurried her away. She met everyone on shift until she practically vibrated from information overload.

      When her phone rang, Susanna seized the opportunity. “My daughter,” she told Jay. “I need to take this.”

      “Radio me when you’re ready for the north wing,” Jay said.

      Susanna made her escape with a smile and the phone cradled against her ear. “Hang on, Brooke.” She used her passcode for the first time to exit the secured area.

      “Hey, pretty,” she said, making her way toward her office. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”

      “I’m dying here, Mom.” Brooke sounded peeved. “You never texted me to let you know you’d made it to Charlotte.”

      And Brooke wasn’t the only one, Susanna realized. Everyone would want to know she’d arrived safely. One text and Brooke could have passed along the news, so no one would have had to worry. Said a lot about Susanna’s anxiety level.

      “I’m so, so sorry. The drive was fine, but I hit the ground running as soon as I got here and haven’t stopped since. Touring the place and meeting everyone.”

      “Yeah, yeah. I’ll use that excuse the next time you blast me for forgetting to let you know I made it back to school.”

      “I was so worked up about getting here I wasn’t thinking. No excuses. I should have texted.”

      “You admit you were wrong.” But she didn’t give Susanna a chance to respond before asking, “Is everything going okay? Do you like North Carolina?”

      Brooke was eager to know if she would like their new home base. Susanna launched into an excited account of The Arbors, from the view in her office to the whirlwind tour of the facility. “I haven’t seen where I’ll be living yet, but if it looks anything like everything else around here, the cottage will be amazing. It’s another world.”

      Brooke laughed. “Must be. You sound like you’re gonna hyperventilate.”

      “I can’t believe I’m in North Carolina.”

      “This will be great, Mom. Just relax and give it a chance.”

      That made Susanna smile. Brooke would be mortified to realize she was already mimicking her mother. But Susanna did appreciate the reassurance. Brooke understood the enormity of this move. “You’re right, pretty. You’re absolutely right.”

      “Um, yeah.”

      Susanna laughed, welcomed the sound of her beautiful daughter’s voice. With adrenaline pumping so hard and steadily through the morning, simply talking to Brooke felt like the first spec of normalcy. For this moment, Susanna was mom again, grounded, not a woman on her own in a strange new world.

      “I couldn’t wait any longer to know if you were still alive, so I had to call. But I’ve got to get into class. I sit in the front row, and guaranteed someone’s lurking my seat now. I’d hate to break up the Rat Pack so early in the semester.”

      Susanna gripped the phone tightly, not ready to end the call, a lifeline to everything she loved. But as a mom with an empty nest, she got to catch up with her kids, not cling.

      Brooke’s Rat Pack was important. They were a group of students who’d started interdisciplinary studies together, women and men ranging in ages from Brooke at twenty to Annie, who was well into her seventies. Susanna liked that her daughter connected with people from varying levels of life experience rather than limiting herself to the party set.

      “Go get your seat, pretty. All’s well in Charlotte. I’ll send a text to let everyone know, and we can talk more later.”

      “Sounds good. You won’t forget?”

      “I won’t forget. Promise.”

      “Well, I’m glad you’re alive. Love ya.”

      “Love you, too. Have a good day.”

      Susanna paused at a window, holding the phone and staring out at the sunlit lake, managing the sense of loss, so magnified by nerves. The life she loved wasn’t over, just changing. She and Brooke were exploring new territory in their relationship, and this move only underscored that change.

      Susanna needed to let go of the childhood mother/daughter relationship with all the parenting and rebellious overtones. Brooke didn’t need much parenting anymore. Just some guidance and advice when she asked. A sounding board when she needed to talk and sort things out in her head.

      Instead of longing for what had passed, Susanna needed to be excited about their new relationship. Her daughter was growing into an amazing young woman.

      Could Susanna possibly be any more blessed?

      That answer was no, and she shouldn’t let fear of change or anxiety about all the things riding on this job overshadow her appreciation of the moment. Those moments shouldn’t ever be taken for granted.

      Finances had been unbelievably tight since Skip had died. She’d managed to keep the family going on one salary by putting his life insurance policy to good use with the house and some mutual funds. But the expenses had grown along with the kids.

      Between Brandon’s ball tournaments and training camps and Brooke’s art history internships both in and out of the country, travel expenses alone were breathtaking. Then there were the cars. Insuring two under-twenty-one drivers—especially when one was male—still was challenging.

      But college had worked out better than Susanna could ever have hoped. Both kids were high achievers. Without their scholarships, they would have had to rely on the prepaid educations she and Skip had purchased years before. There would have been no selling the house because the kids wouldn’t have been able to afford housing even if they’d stayed in New York.

      No, Susanna had absolutely nothing to complain about, and maybe the tide was finally turning. She’d been in survival mode since Skip had died, grasping every single second with her kids and continually putting

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