At work the day after her medical appointments, Hadley received a text message from Jesse. This surprised her because he’d never contacted her like this before.
“Heard anything yet?”
Hadley tucked her phone back into her jeans pocket, then went to the counter to make more coffee. She’d come to work early so she could talk to Stella, and the older woman had been just as compassionate as Bobbie had said she would be. She was to take all the time she needed; her job would be here when she was ready. Like Bobbie, she even offered her a loan to make it through the next few months. But Hadley had a small amount of cash in reserve from her mother’s passing. She hated to touch it, she thought of it as Madison’s money, but it was there if they needed it. And it seemed that they would.
Doug and Bob, the plumbers, were in for lunch today. Hadley was happy to see them. Their banter always brightened her day.
“Hope you saved me the biggest slice of pie,” Doug said, his tone teasing.
“Think we both earned extra pie this week,” Bob added. “That Bombini from Vancouver has been a real pain in the ass.”
“Yep. Constantly changing the specs and expecting us to eat the extra cost.” Doug darted a guilty look at Hadley. “But hey, you’re related to him, aren’t you? Should be watching what we say.”
“He’s my uncle but, trust me, I think less of him than you do.” As expected, she’d had no phone call from her aunt or uncle, let alone an invitation to dinner, but it didn’t bother her as much as she thought it would. When she’d moved here, she’d pinned a lot of hopes on that branch of the family. But it turned out her neighbors across the street, and her mother’s best friend, were the ones she could count on.
She didn’t answer Jesse’s text message until after work, on her way home.
“Yes. Meet at 8 to talk?” Hopefully Bobbie or Riko could babysit Madison for her again.
He answered immediately. “Same place?”
She sent a thumbs-up.
Poor guy was probably on pins and needles waiting to hear the test results. For all he knew his life was about to take a major pivot. His marriage, his relationship with his twins, were all at stake. But at least he, and the ones he loved, had their health.
The last few months Hadley’d been so sure she was going to die, so sure that her daughter was going to have to grow up without her mother. But Dr. Hadek had actually given her hope. Just a sliver, but it was more than she’d had before.