CHAPTER 1
“Mom, this is the address.”
They drove down one of those mile-long driveways, circled around a large water fountain of a Greek god, then parked in front of a huge colonial house, beautifully maintained. A welcome sign hung over the front entrance.
“Somebody died rich,” Mara remarked dryly.
They knocked on the gorgeous oak door, although it was already open, and a couple in their fifties soon greeted them.
“Dr. Blake suggested we come,” mother said by way of introduction.
“I’m Dr. Dana. This is my husband, Dr. Dan. Despite the style of the house, we don’t stand on formality. Not anymore. Welcome to our home.”
They entered to see a few dozen people mingling about, pop music playing, an elderly couple getting down to the latest Katy Perry hit on the dance floor. Several others ate from a buffet table.
“We lost our daughter to cancer at eight years old,” Dana explained. “We’ve been hosting this support group ever since. We specialize in end-of-life care, so feel free to ask us anything.”
“Please don’t announce us,” mother begged her. “We don’t know if we’ll be staying.”
Dana put a hand on her shoulder. “We understand.”
Indeed. Learning you have a year or less to live triggers an earthquake in your life that reshuffles everything. What wasn’t important turns vital, and what used to be important becomes trivial.
“Are you serious?” a boy across the cavernous room yelled at a skinny man in an oversized suit. “No way! Mom. Michael says we can go to Disney!”
“But Tommy, we just took you to Disneyland during your last remission.”
“Not Disneyland, mom,” he said as if his mother must be dense. “Disneyworld. Disney has four amusement parks and two water parks in Orlando. Seaworld also has a water park called Aquatica, Universal has two parks there, and then there’s Legoland and Busch Gardens.”
“Don’t forget Gatorland,” the suit reminded the boy.
“Awesome!”
“Tommy, that’s just too much.”
“But mom! I’m feeling great with that last treatment.”
The suit got up. “Mrs. Lawrence, I can’t take the money with me, and the more I spend now, the less I leave to the IRS.” He turned to the crowd. “And everyone’s invited! I’ll charter a plane and arrange for rooms. Bring the whole family. If we can’t live long, then let’s live well.”
Everyone cheered him and Mara could see Mrs. Lawrence cave in with a grateful smile. Tommy hugged her so hard she started crying. It must be heartbreaking to watch one’s child die from an incurable disease.
“You ladies must meet Michael,” Dana insisted, waving him over. “He has been incredibly generous with our group. He may not weigh much, but he is probably the strongest man I have ever met.”
Coming from a woman who lost a young child to cancer, then watched many support-group friends succumb over the years, that was saying something.
The suit came over and Mara studied him as he gave all his attention to her mother. She liked how the good doctor respected him -- by her tone she vouched for his good character. Tall and handsome, he gave off enough heat to cook her books, a gravitas that pulled her in like a black hole. And he was fucking cute! Too bad he would die soon.
After they exchanged pleasantries, her mother asked, “you don’t wear a watch?”
“I’ve found a different way of tracking time,” he answered. “Time now passes in moments, not minutes.”
Nice fucking answer, Mara thought. She liked his cheekbones and the way he stood. He was neither in-your-face, nor distant. He didn’t seem to invade her personal space so much as accommodate himself in it.
Mara envied how comfortable he was with himself. He didn’t try to impress, yet listened to her mother gabber as if she were explaining how MC squared becomes energy. He reminded her of her grandfather’s generation, who survived the Depression and World War II and didn’t have anything to prove.
He radiated the inner strength that Dana spoke of. And that’s when Mara nailed it: Michael was the first hot alpha male she met who wasn’t an asshole.
Mara sensed her mother’s attraction to him, which somehow pissed her off. Yet he detected it, too. His vib changed and suddenly the temperature dropped a few degrees. Mother sheepishly stopped leaning towards him, and Mara found herself liking him more and more.
When Dr. Dana finally presented Michael to Mara, he took her outstretched hand and just held it, like they were best buds. When he set his eyes to stun, she wanted to teleport into his arms. Half a foot taller, she looked up to him in more ways than one. His aura seemed to wrap around her, protecting her like an energy shield. She desperately wanted to melt into his embrace.