Toe the Line(73)

The sadness in her voice was palpable.

“I wish you could come over,” I told her. “I could cook for you or something.”

“Thanks, but even if Clancy weren’t sick, I have quite a bit of work to do this afternoon. I’m late on a deadline. So it’s just as well.”

“Will you call me later if you want to talk?”

“Yeah, but I don’t want to disturb you. You’re busy with a sick kid.”

“I’m never too busy for you. She’s probably going to be in bed most of the afternoon. I’m here if you need me.”

“Is there anything you need from the store?” Noelle asked. “I could ask my driver to stop at the market and your place on my way home, since you can’t leave.”

“Thank you, but I think we’re okay. I have saltines and some broth from the last time she got a stomach bug. When they’re in school, they’re always catching shit.”

“I can imagine.”

“You’ll know what I mean someday. Believe me, you will.”

“I hope so, Archie. Thank you again for, you know, giving me this opportunity. It sucks to have a negative test but…” She paused. “Gosh, I was about to say, ‘it is what it is.’ I do use that a lot, don’t I?”

“Yep.” I chuckled.

After we hung up, a feeling of emptiness followed me the rest of the afternoon. I kept wishing Noelle was here with me, and I worried about having only one more IUI opportunity.

One thing going for me? Clancy didn’t vomit again.

? ? ?

The following day, my luck ran out. The first thing I did when I woke up was hurl into the toilet. And it seemed a virus wouldn’t be the only thing that made me want to vomit today.

Clancy was feeling better, but still home with me, when Noelle called.

“Hey. I’m just checking in on you,” she said.

“Thank you. Unfortunately, I now have what Clancy does.”

“Oh no! Don’t say that.”

“Yep. I got it. The last couple of times she got sick like this, I somehow dodged it. But not this time.”

“Maybe you’re stressed or something, so your immune system was weakened.”

I was stressed, considering all the rumination. But she didn’t need to worry about that. “What’s up with you today?” I asked.

“I’m calling to let you know I’ve decided to go to New York for the weekend.”

My already-sick stomach turned.

I gulped. “For what?”

“I just need to get away to clear my head for a bit.”

“Oh.” I yanked at my hair. “Okay, well, I guess we all need that from time to time.” I paused. “Why do you need to go to New York to do that, though?”

She sighed. “I need to touch base with Jason. He and I didn’t talk much when he was here because Roz was always around. And I think I was mentally exhausted from the hormones or something. I’m feeling a little bit more clear-minded right now, so this is a good opportunity for me to address some things with him.”

I kept quiet, hoping she would elaborate. But she didn’t.

“Well, um, okay. Do what you need to do. You know I’m here if you need to vent.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.”

“When are you leaving?”

“I booked a flight for tomorrow morning. I’ll come back on Tuesday.”

“Okay. I would offer you a ride to the airport, but I don’t want to get you sick.”

“Yeah, you need to stay away from me.” She chuckled. “Actually, it works out that I’m going to New York since I can’t see you anyway, right?”

“That’s true,” I agreed, massaging my headache.

“I’m sure by Tuesday you’ll be better,” she said. “Maybe we can get together then, and I’ll have a report from the trip.”

“Sounds like a plan.” I let out a long exhale.

“Are you okay? You sound a bit down. Are you upset that I’m leaving?”

“No,” I lied. “It’s all good.”

It wasn’t her leaving that was the problem. I worried he was going to dissuade her from coming back.

? ? ?

That weekend, Clancy had bounced back, and I felt better, too. I’d just finished having breakfast with her when I dropped her at Mariah’s house.

Mariah stopped me as I gathered my things to leave. “Is everything okay with Noelle?”

Her question jarred me. Mariah knew Noelle had been staying at my mother’s house, but she still didn’t know anything else. I got the impression she suspected Noelle and I were dating, though she had yet to ask me about it.

I cleared my throat. “Why do you ask?”

“I stopped by your mother’s house the other day to pick up the grill you’d stored in her garage. When I pulled up, Noelle was sitting on the front stairs, talking to someone on the phone and crying.”

Crying? I blinked, trying to process this. It hadn’t been me she was talking to, because she hadn’t been crying while we were on the phone.

“That’s odd.”

Mariah cocked her head. “Could you be the cause of her tears?”

“Why would you think that?”