Page 21 of Find Me in California

“Hey, uh, hi. About last night,” is all he can get out before she interrupts.

“Worst phrase ever to start a conversation. But if we’re hashing this out, so far you’ve hung up on me and tried to pick a fight. What’s next? Are you going to dump me before we get together?” Her voice is soaked in sarcasm. He doesn’t know why, but he laughs. “That wasn’t meant to be funny,” she says, dryly. “And now I feel stupid because you’re probably married with kids.”

“Not married and no kids. It’s just ...” He laughs some more. “This whole situation is absurd.”

“I assume you’re talking about Liza and what an inconvenience your grandmother is to you. Well, you aren’t the only one responsible for an elderly relative. The world doesn’t revolve around you and your dislike for voicemail and filial responsibility.”

“Whoa.” He clues in that there’s more going on than her irritation with him. “Everything okay?”

A long exhale. “It’s been a day.”

He glances at the dash clock. “It’s just after noon.”

“That’s all?” Her laugh is hollow. “Seems later.”

“Want to talk about it? I’m driving. I’m a captive audience.” He’d rather focus on her problems than his own.

“With you?” She laughs. “I’m sort of busy right now.” A reflective pause or a move to get off the phone, he can’t tell. “I hear you’re coming here.”

“Ah, so you already know I’m on my way.” He closes the distance on an eighteen-wheeler, his wipers barely keeping up with the water its rear tires dump on his windshield. He switches lanes to pass.

“Lenore told me this morning. Look—” She sighs. “Sorry I seem short, but if it helps any, I sort of get what you’re going through. My grandmother’s fees increased. I don’t want to move her, but if I can’t cover her expenses, I’ll have to, even though I promised her I’d never take her out of Rosemont. And why am I telling you this? I don’t know you.”

“I’m thirty, single, and live alone in Santa Fe. I like photography, fast cars, and southwestern tacos. I identify as a man, prefer to date women, and failed the only marathon I ever ran. Strained my Achilles. I love the water, but you’ll never catch me in a boat or swimming in the open ocean.”

Why, for the love of God, did he tell her that?

“How’s that for starters?” he says, shaking his head at himself.

“Is that your Tinder bio?”

“I don’t do dating apps,” he says, balking. Relationships should evolve organically. He also prefers solitude to company, and singlehood to coupledom. He’s not about to unload his baggage on anyone, let alone a woman looking for love. “What about you?”

“What about me?”

“I don’t know you either.” Matt chews on his bottom lip, waiting for her to share something. Keeps him from dwelling on who’s waiting for him at his destination. “Not much of a talker?” he asks when she doesn’t offer up anything.

“What are we doing? What is this?” she asks.

He has no clue. What he does know is she’s kind of fun to talk with. He picks a safer subject. “Your grandmother, she’s at Rosemont?”

“Yes, three years now. I volunteer here as a massage therapist to keep the cost down. They can’t honor that anymore, and I’m not sure what I’m going to do.”

“Are you close with her?”

“About as close as I can be with someone who doesn’t remember who I am. She has Alzheimer’s.” She doesn’t disguise her love for her grandmother, or her pain. Matt only wishes Elizabeth had forgotten about him.

“That must be tough. I’m assuming you guys were close?”

“You’ve no idea. She raised me. Tell you what, Matt: You seem to regret how our last two conversations went. I’m going to do you a solid out of the goodness of my heart.”

“Is that sarcasm?”

“Take it as you see fit. Lenore gave me brochures to a few assisted living facilities. I guess I should make some calls, plan for a worst-case scenario. If you’re interested, I can pass along what I find out. Save you some time when you get here.”

“If I’m interested? That—wow. That would be huge, thank you. One problem—” He starts to explain he won’t be able to meet until tomorrow morning since he’s driving instead of flying, but a wave of dizziness tilts the horizon sideways. He eases his foot off the accelerator and slows the Porsche to the speed limit. He blinks hard to regain focus. “Whoa, that was weird.”

“What was?”

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