Chapter 1
Jeremy
My chair scuffs the floor loudly because of the inability to stay still while Hazel hounds me. I rub the back of my neck, trying to keep myself calm, but my feet have a different idea. I just want to get the hell out of here, but I’m practically cornered with no path of escape. She claims it’s not healthy to be at home on a Friday evening, even as a single man. I’m not a pitiful thirty-five-year-old living with his father. There’s more to it than that, and she knows it.
Heat runs through my body as it tenses, not wanting to listen to anymore of her crap. Why is my personal life any of her concern? She only arrived an hour ago from Massachusetts for a visit, and already I find myself longing for her departure.
“Surely there’s something you would rather be doing tonight,” Hazel says, her arms draped over the back of the couch.
Is she trying to provoke me? My arms cross, and my feet begin to tap, waiting for her to be finished. My gaze flips upward as my father comes downstairs.
“What are you two going on about now?”
I open my mouth to criticize, but decide against it. She doesn’t make it down often, and my father deserves to enjoy her visit. Maybe she will understand after spending some time with him alone, that I don’t have the luxury of going places.
Our father is my life right now. His fight with Alzheimer’s doesn’t award me with an abundance of free time and as it progresses, our window gets smaller and smaller.
“Just trying to talk Jeremy into getting out and doing something tonight. Damon is throwing a barbecue and invited him. For some reason, he’d rather stay here, cooped up in the house.”
Dad passes through the living room and goes into the kitchen.
I clench my jaw, trying to keep my cool, but it’s hard when she won’t let it go. “My life isn’t a burden. You need to get off your high horse. You have no fucking idea what it’s been like taking care of dad.”
She might lead a lavish life in Massachusetts, and I’m thrilled for her, but that means I’m liable for staying in Grapevine with our dad and taking care of him. Some days are smoother than others, but when Hazel brought in the at-home assistant, it made our lives much simpler to maintain. Living with Alzheimer’s is tough, but we keep on trudging.
“You act like I choose to not be here. I’m sorry that my fucking job and life is in Cambridge. If it wasn’t for that, we couldn’t afford the nurse, or anything else for that matter.”
She makes me sound like a spoiled little brat, and that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Ever since his diagnosis, it’s just been him and I. There’s never been time for friends, dates, or even the occasional hang out. If I’m not at work, I’m here in this house with him. My priority is taking care of my father.
“Yes, Hazel, but what the hell does any of that have to do with me going to some stupid party? I’m not in my twenties anymore. In fact, they were never my thing.”
Why does she need to intrude on my life? She just keeps pushing and needs to let it go before I blow up. It’s not like I’ve just been sitting around all day. I’ve been working on a construction site for the last nine hours in the blazing hot sun, and right now all I want to do is take a shower and lay in bed.
“When did you last have a date? Or just went out with friends?” Hazel suggests.
I glance up at the ceiling, struggling to recall. “A long time, okay?”
She chuckles. “Why don’t you go to Damon’s party? He would love to see you. You guys used to be best buds.”
Damon and my relationship has changed tremendously over the last couple of years. Like most people, our paths drifted away from each other. It happens. The party will have most of the guys from the fire department, and since I start there on Monday, he thinks it will be a good way to hang out beforehand.
My phone vibrates in my pocket with his name on it.
Damon: Just bring your ass here. Drink a couple of beers. All I’m asking for is two hours.
My excuse is mute now since she has agreed to stay here with dad. Damnit. I close my eyes and sigh, knowing I don’t have a fucking choice. Might as well bite the bullet and just comply. If this will make everybody happy, then it’s done.
Me: Fine. Two hours is all you’re getting. See you soon.
Dad is sitting in his recliner, watching an action movie, and Hazel is reading a book on her tablet.
“You decide to go?” she inquires, leaning over the rear of the couch. “Get out and have some fun. I’ve got this handled.”
It’s not that I don’t think she can deal with it, but his time is precious and I don’t wish to squander the insufficient time I have left. Pathetic, right? I don’t sit around here all day, but I guess that’s what she thinks.
“Yeah, yeah. I’m leaving. Damon won’t fucking leave me alone about it. See you in a couple hours,” I say, clutching the keys off the bench and shutting the door behind me.
Perspiration forms on my upper lip after walking outside, and it emphasizes why I didn’t prefer to go. Who the hell wants to stand around outside when it’s this fucking hot out? I get into my silver pickup, start the engine, and roll the windows down. It’s like a hot box in here, fuck. The sky is clear and blue, but that means the chance to have any shade is gone.