Page 125 of Raise Me Up

I shoot Liam a text that I’ll be a little while longer and swing into a grocery store parking lot to pick out a bouquet of flowers and some basic groceries. Then I drive to Iris’s assisted living facility.

Soaked to the bone, I stroll inside with the extra coffees and pass them out to residents sitting in the lobby. I’ll get new ones when I head back to Liam’s townhouse.

The speed at which Iris whips open her door in a flowery dress and a fresh perm has me wondering if she had her eye glued to the peephole or if her therapy worked that well and she ran to the door.

I wish I could say I’ve had that much of a success with Beau's recovery. Wish I could fix him, too.

“You seem to be getting around well.” I smile.

“Good lord, you look like shit. Do I need to call these boyfriends of yours and yell at them to let you get some sleep?”

I know better than to start apologizing. She’ll just lay into me harder.

“I’m getting plenty of sleep,” I reply.

Iris grabs my arm in a surprisingly strong grip and tugs me into her cute little apartment decorated with lush green plants and hand-painted teacups. “How unfortunate for you. When do I get to meet them?”

Besides the brunch crew, I haven’t shared Beau and Liamwith anyone.

“Soon,” I tell her, intrigued by the idea of Beau charming her and Liam making her swoon.

Flipping through Iris’s kitchen cabinets as she takes a seat in her recliner, I stow away the milk and eggs I bought her and dig out a vintage vase to put her flowers in.

“You think that’s going to make up for you not visiting?”

I roll my eyes and laugh. “I know you’re not that easy.”

“So, what’s the status on the boy toys?”

“I’d much rather hear about how you’re doing, Iris.”

“Boring. You do the talking first.”

I drop into one of the creaky wooden chairs at her little dining table. “Things are...a little difficult right now. Beau had a craniotomy to remove a brain tumor. He’s healing, but there’s only so much I can help with on the physical side.”

Iris mulls this over, her icy eyes locked on me. “Being cooped up while having to accept changes with your body ain’t easy.”

“No, it’s not,” I agree, lowering my gaze.

“Well, you’re the gal to get him through it.”

Sadness bleeds into my chest. “I don’t know. I’m not sure what else to do to help him.”

Iris is quiet for a while. “I still remember the first date I had with my Emil.”

Eyes wide, my head snaps up to her. I watch her shaky fingers stroke over the gold band hung around her neck by a thin, smooth chain.

“He was the first friend I made when my family moved down here during my junior year of high school. Showed up at my door with a bow tie and a picnic basket. He remembered I’d mentioned my love for brownies during lunch at school one day. Told me he spent the morning in the kitchen with his mom, learning to bake them.”

“Iris, that’s incredibly sweet.”

“We sat beneath the willow tree in my backyard for hours talking about everything. Two years later, we were married in front of that same tree.”

A smile eases onto my face. Iris waves a hand like she’s trying to dissolve the memory. “My point is the small things you do every day can make a big difference in someone's life.”

I reflect on the months I’ve spent with Beau and Liam, noting the things that made them happy. Cookies, fresh strawberries, stars and sunsets, dates, camping…

Glancing out the windows, I frown at the sheet of rain falling from the gray sky.