Page 94 of Surviving Love

“Anyway, he lives in Colorado, so it never would have worked anyway.” I forced a smile.

“Good. It’s best you just keep away from people. They always let you down.”

“Right.” The doorbell rang, and I stood. “That’s probably your nurse.”

“Oh, god. I hate the idea of some stranger in my home,” she whimpered.

“I offered to take care of you.”

She cringed. “There is no way I’m ever going to be okay with my son giving me a sponge bath.”

“Well then, that’s why you have Nurse Felicity.” I left the room and went to answer the door.

Nurse Felicity stood on the porch, holding a small black bag. She was a round woman with arms as thick as tree trunks. Her silver hair was chopped short, and she had sharp gray eyes. “Mason, how’s our patient doing today?”

“She’s doing just fine.” I stepped aside and let her past. “She’s not thrilled about her low-fat diet.”

Chuckling, Nurse Felicity said, “I’ll make sure everything still tastes good. We need to fatten her up without making her unhealthy.”

“I trust you to know how to do that.”

“Yep. Leave it to me.” She smiled. “Now, where is my room?”

“Follow me.” I led Nurse Felicity to the guest room she’d be staying in while she took care of Mom.

She gave an approving nod as she took in the twin bed with its pink bedspread and the TV on the dresser. “Oh, I get my own TV? How decadent.”

I laughed. “Indeed.”

“I just love watching reality TV shows.”

I grimaced. “Maybe don’t share that little tidbit with Mom. She doesn’t approve.”

She winked. “I heard you were on that Deviant Island show.”

“Devious,” I corrected. “And yes, but I left early because of Mom’s heart attack.”

“I know.” She sighed. “But I’m looking forward to watching it when it airs.”

The idea of watching the show was bittersweet for me. While part of me wanted a glimpse of Jack, I didn’t want to start missing him all over again. But I was curious to see how the show would edit all the footage and who the winner would be. I hoped Jack would claim the prize, but he had many more days to go.

“It must have been difficult starving and being eaten alive by bugs.” Nurse Felicity studied me.

“It was hard,” I said softly, “But it was the experience of a lifetime.”

“Would you do it all over again?”

My thoughts immediately went to Jack, and I said without hesitation, “Absolutely. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat.”

Chapter Twenty

At first, life back in civilization was weird. Slowly but surely, I adapted to the sounds and smells once more. I missed the clean sea breeze and my daily swim in the cerulean ocean. It was nice to have conveniences, but truthfully, modern life made me feel a bit disconnected from things.

Mom continued to heal and get stronger each day. By the time she reached the one-month mark, I was more relaxed about not checking in on her every day. She seemed like her old self, only more health conscious. At least once a week, I’d go by her house, and we’d take a walk and then have coffee together.

I knew the show had stopped filming by now. Once the show aired in five months, there would be a reunion show. I wasn’t sure if I was going or not. I had no idea who had won the money, but naturally, I was curious. Unfortunately, I’d left so suddenly there hadn’t been time to exchange personal details like phone numbers or addresses before being rushed off the show. Of course, if I was honest with myself, the only person I really wanted to see or hear from was Jack.

I tried to keep busy so that I didn’t fixate on how much I missed Jack. After selling my accounting business, I didn’tneedto work. But because I sometimes got bored, I helped out part-time at a used bookstore a few blocks away called What Goes Around.