The Rules of Dating My Best Friend's Sister(51)

“How did you and Clara meet?”

Theo smiled. “We met at a Halloween party. She was dressed as Marilyn Monroe, and I was Joe DiMaggio.”

“Wow. Sounds like it was meant to be from the start.”

“I was smitten the moment she walked in. I’d had my eye on her all night, but she was talking to a vampire. At one point, she took off her shoes. So when she wasn’t looking, I picked one up and held onto it until she was getting ready to leave. I knew she’d have to find it before she went home, and I didn’t want to miss a chance at meeting her, even if it was only to give her back her shoe.”

I laughed. “Oh my gosh. That’s so sweet.”

“When she came looking for it, I knelt down and slipped the shoe onto her foot. She said she felt a little like Cinderella, so I suggested that’s what we come dressed as the next year—Prince Charming and Cinderella—since they found their happily ever after and Marilyn and Joe got divorced.”

“How old were you guys when you got married?”

This was the first time today Theo hadn’t had the answer on the tip of his tongue. His face wrinkled as he tried to remember. Eventually he just shook his head. “When I walked her home that night, I told her my favorite candies were Now and Laters—they made them in a factory in Brooklyn, not too far from where I grew up. The next day when I put on the jacket I’d worn the night before, I found a few in my pocket. My Clara had slipped them in without my knowing. I have a sweet tooth, and she’s been hiding candies ever since.”

Forget Warren and Holden, Theodore Mills might be the man who won my heart. I’d been spending ten or fifteen minutes with each patient today, but I sat and listened to story after story about Theo’s life. There was something so sweet about how he never referred to his wife as Clara—it was always my Clara. At one point, we were both laughing when a woman approached. She smiled warmly.

“It’s good to see my man can still charm the young ladies.”

“He most certainly can.” I smiled and stood. “Your husband has shared so many amazing stories. I’m glad I got to meet you today. I’m Laney Ellison. I run the research study your husband is participating in. You must be Clara.”

The woman’s smile wilted. “Mary, actually.”

“Oh. I’m so sorry. I thought you were Mrs. Mills, Theodore’s wife.”

“I am Theo’s wife. He sometimes confuses my name with someone else from his past.” She paused. “His first love was Clara.”

Oh, Jesus. Where was a giant sinkhole when you needed it? Right about now, I wanted the Earth to open up and swallow me. I felt like a complete jerk.

The nurse who had drawn everyone’s blood today walked in. “Theodore, it’s time for your meds. You want me to bring them in here?”

Mrs. Mills, whose name was apparently Mary, looked down at her husband. “Do you want to rest for a little while before you have dinner?”

He nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. Okay.”

The nurse came over to help Theodore up.

“Thank you for today,” I said. “It was a pleasure meeting you. I’ll see you again soon.”

“You got him, Patti?” Mrs. Mills asked. “I’d like to stay and speak to Ms. Ellison for a few minutes, if that’s okay?”

“Sure, take your time,” the nurse said.

Once we were alone, I closed my eyes. “I am so sorry for calling you the wrong name.”

She smiled. “It’s fine. No big deal at all. He calls me Clara quite a bit lately.” She motioned to the couch. “Why don’t we sit for a few minutes? I can fill you in on some of the things that are going on with Theo.”

“Sure, that would be great.”

Once we were seated, Mary sighed. “Theo and Clara met sixty years ago, when they were just sixteen. She was the love of his life back then, but eighteen months into their courtship, Clara’s father lost his job, and they had to move two-thousand miles away. They wrote letters back and forth for several years after that and had planned to run away together when they were both twenty-one. Theo and I met in college and had become good friends. Well, at least he considered me a good friend. I had a giant crush on the man.” She smiled reflectively. “He was always a charmer. Anyway, one night we were at a party. We both had a little too much to drink, and one thing led to another. I wound up pregnant. I knew Theodore was in love with Clara, but he insisted that he loved me, too, and we needed to get married. He’s a good man. And he’s been a good father and husband for the last fifty-five years, but his torch for Clara never really extinguished. My husband’s mind is going. Some days he can’t remember me, but he never forgets his Clara.”

I had no idea what to say, but I hated that I’d dredged all of this up for her. “I’m so sorry.”

She squeezed my hand. “There’s no need to be sorry. I’m not telling you to make you feel bad. I thought it was important for you to know how his mind works and what state he’s in. It’s easy to think a lot of these people in here are of sound mind when you talk to them, and sometimes they are. But it’s often difficult to ascertain when their mind isn’t as sharp as you might think.”

I nodded. “I appreciate you letting me know. You’re right. I had no idea Theo and I were talking about someone from so long ago in his past. And properly measuring the stage of his disease is key to obtaining the right results in my study.”