Jed nodded.
“Of course, Jess made it out of the hospital, eventually. I guess I don’t really know what Karen’s going through.”
“You don’t have to work today, Mina. Go home and get some sleep. I’ll call Zoe and ask her to come in. If she can’t, well survive for a day without a receptionist.”
Mina shook her head. “If Karen doesn’t need me around, I might as well be here. I got a couple hours of sleep after coming home from the hospital – if I go to bed now, it’ll mess with my sleep cycle.”
He tried to convince her to take the day off, but she was adamant.
The hours dragged by. It took all Jed’s willpower to focus on the task at hand when one of his regulars came in for a scheduled appointment. After an hour and a half of work, he was left with no client. His mind wandered, his worries for Karen merging with memories of the first few days after Alice’s death.
“Hey guys,” Mina said, standing in the aisle between the half-booths during a mid-afternoon lull. “Karen just texted me. She said the service for her grandmother is scheduled for Thursday. I think it would mean a lot to her if we all went. She and her grandmother were really close.”
“I’ll close the shop during the service hours that day. Mina, can you post an update on our site and cancel any appointments?”
Mina nodded. “Sure. And thanks.” She walked slowly back to the front desk and began clicking away on the laptop that sat to the side of the register.
“Hell, I’m gonna go pick up some coffee.” Jed rose from the stool inside his half-booth. “What does everyone want?”
He walked out with Mina, James and Abby’s orders written down on a scrap of paper. It only took a minute to make it to the coffee place across the street. It seemed like everyone was there for an afternoon pick-me-up. He stood in line, images of Karen flashing through his mind.
What was she doing now? She had to be awake – she’d just texted Mina. The barista waved him forward, and on an impulse, he ordered an extra of Mina’s preferred drink.
He’d just have to hope that she and Karen had similar tastes. Whatever Karen was doing, she had to be tired. So after dropping off most of the coffees at Hot Ink, he left again.
Maybe Karen wasn’t even home. He’d find out soon enough. As he settled behind the wheel of his Charger, all he was certain of was that he had to do something, however small, to try to ease Karen’s pain. Especially since he knew exactly how she felt. If she didn’t want his company, she could at least have the coffee.
CHAPTER 6
She was home. In fact, she answered the door the first time he knocked. Her eyes were red and circled like Mina’s, but she still looked beautiful.
“Jed. I had no idea you were planning to stop by.” She stood in the doorway, eyes widening a little.
“Hope you don’t mind. I thought you’d be tired after last night – brought you some coffee.”
“Wow, thanks.” She surprised him by smiling as she accepted the cardboard cup.
“Do you like vanilla?”
“Who doesn’t?” She took a sip of the latte.
Jed stood there for several quiet moments, a sense of awkwardness creeping up on him. “Is there anything else I can do?”
She frowned a little and shook her head. “I don’t even know what I’m doing. Just waiting for something to do, I guess. Tomorrow I’m going to pick out flower arrangements for the funeral service. Until then…” She shrugged, looking helpless. “I don’t think it’s really hit me yet.”
He nodded. The human mind didn’t just wrap itself around the absence of someone it cared about the instant a life was lost. It didn’t work like that – grief was like an onion, many-layered and potent, proving you wrong when you thought there were no more tears left.
“Everyone from Hot Ink will be at the service,” he said. “I don’t know if Mina’s told you yet, but I’m closing the shop so everyone can attend.”
She flashed him another little smile. “Thanks.”
Several silent moments ticked by, and he cursed himself inside his head. Why wasn’t he better at this? He’d been through it himself, for fuck’s sake, and hadn’t forgotten how it felt.
“Do you want to come in?” she asked, stepping aside.
“Only if you’d like me to.”
“I would. The quiet’s been driving me crazy these past few hours. With my parents handling things for the day, I don’t know what to do. I can’t edit photos, can’t work on my website – every time I try to do something useful, I can’t concentrate.” She pressed the cup to her lips again, meeting his gaze over the rim.