Page 61 of My Merry Mistake
When I make eye contact, he smiles, but there are several emotions on his face. Relief, pity, and?—
Care.
The faint, seven-year-old memory skitters through my mind. One that’s proven impossible to forget despite many efforts. I remember how he came to my house the next day to return my card and how he ended up making me cinnamon toast because, as he said, “my momma used to make this for us when we were sick.”
He cared then. He cares now.
I shake the memory off and focus on my family and the big job ahead of me—convincing them I’m fine.
“Okay, okay, you can all go home now,” I tell them. “The doctor said all my tests are clear.”
“So, it was a migraine,” Poppy says, signing.
“Yeah, the mother of all headaches,” I say with a nonchalance that I absolutely do not feel. My eyes catch on Finn’s, and his narrow ever so slightly. I look at my parents, signing as I say, “They did an MRI and an echo to check my heart. They want me to follow up with my doctor, but otherwise, they’ve prescribed some migraine meds and are sending me home.”
I hope that proves I’m good. I’ve got all my faculties. My numb hand is working again.
“Do they want you to do anything else?” Finn asks. “To make sure it doesn’t happen again?”
I hold eye contact for a three-count, jaw slack, then look at my parents. “No. That’s pretty much it. I told them I’mexercising daily, and I eat well. I’m going to be better about my multivitamin and try to sleep more, but—” I shrug— “that’s it.”
Again, I notice Finn watching me, almost like he’s trying to sort something out.
“What about work?” he asks.
I shrug. “Good to go. Might take a day, you know, to let things calm down, but yeah. Everything’s fine.”
He makes a face.
“Okay, well, can we take you home?” Mom asks.
“Actually, my car is back at the office,” I say.
“Well, you can’t drive yourself,” Poppy says. “You need to rest. Raya, this was a major episode.”
“It wasn’t,” I say, even though it felt just south of “major” to me. “I’m fine. I don’t even really have a headache anymore.”
“Okay, but still,” Eloise says. “You need rest. Do you want to come to my place?”
I shake my head, trying not to let on that I still have work to do. My brain starts running through the list.Contracts for Brian. Details for press seminar. Coordinate with venue for Denim and Diamonds, then report back to caterer.
Poppy takes a step closer to my bed. “Oh my gosh.”
I frown. “What?”
“You’re going to go back to work.”
“No, I’m not,” I lie.
“You’re a terrible liar,” Mom says, signing. Dad points at me enthusiastically and shakes his head slowly back and forth.
“Okay, so, I have a couple of things that have to get done today,” I argue, signing. “But it’s not even work, it’s like emails.”
“Raya!”
They all start chattering over each other, hands moving as they also sign their objections. Finn looks unfazed, watching the chaos, eyes steady, landing on me. There’s a question there, but I don’t know what it is.
I want to tell them to take their opinions right out the door, but we Harts are passionate about getting in each others’ business.
