“In her sixties.”
“In good health?”
I nodded. “But I can’t see her carrying her own groceries and doing all that stuff. If she lived somewhere else, would you still be able to help her?”
Cleo shook her head. “My contract is really strict. I’ve had clients offer me a lot of money to work for them privately, but this is a small town for the rich and famous, and my boss would find out pretty quickly…and sue me for every penny I have.”
I assumed that was the case. “Is there another building in Manhattan that offers the same thing?”
“Honestly, the Trinity Building is one of a kind. That’s why people are so anxious to live here. There are private service companies, but they aren’t as efficient because they’re driving all over the place, taking care of clients throughout the city.”
Now I realized how lucky I was to live there, to have an incredible staff run my life so I didn’t have to, so I could just focus on my work and nothing else. It was a luxury I took for granted so quickly, adapting to the change like my previous life had never happened.
“But I could find her a personal assistant who could do all that. Though, to be frank, the good ones are expensive. I’m not sure what her income is—”
“I’ll take care of it. It’ll be a gift.”
“That’s sweet…”
“It’ll give me peace of mind that she has someone to help her with whatever she needs. The whole reason she’s moving here is to be close to Tucker and me. She’s not the city type. She’s used to driving everywhere, parking her SUV in a spacious parking lot, driving down quiet roads. This is a big change for her. It’ll make the transition a lot easier.”
She ignored her food and smiled at me. “You’re a good son.”
I disagreed with that. “When she called me, I realized I hadn’t spoken to her in a long time…”
Her smile started to falter as I continued. “Being with Derek made me realize how much I love him. It’s something all parents feel for their kids. That’s how she feels about me…and I don’t even take the time to call her. I feel really guilty about that.”
She was quiet for a while, my words heavy. “Well, now you have the opportunity to be different. You can take her to the theater, take her out to nice dinners, take her to the cabin with Derek… You have time to make up for it.”
Instead of turning to Tucker to express my thoughts, I turned to Cleo, who always made me feel better. She was my confidant, the person I shared all my secrets with. Even Tucker didn’t know about my past drinking problem. He didn’t know how bad things were with Valerie. But Cleo knew everything about my life…and she never judged me.
She stared at me for a few seconds before she grabbed the top paper and turned it toward me. “Based on her budget, this is the best thing I could find. It’s only a few blocks away, it’s between you and Tucker, and it has a parking garage so she can have a car. It’s three bedrooms with lots of space. Normally, this unit would be gone in less than a day, but I know the owner and—”
“You know everyone.” I lifted my gaze and smiled at her.
“Yeah, I kinda do.”
I turned back to the paper.
“So, I have it on hold for seventy-two hours. When did your mother say she was flying out?”
“She didn’t.”
“Well, if we can get her here to see the place, maybe we can close quickly so she’ll only have to stay with you for a week or so.”
Even a week was too long.
She must have seen the dread in my eyes, because she added, “Think about it this way. This is the last time you’ll have an opportunity to spend time with her in this way, in this kind of environment. You can dread it…or appreciate it.”
Cleo was the only person in the world I had these kinds of conversations with. With everyone else, including my mother, it was just rough. I struggled to understand the meaning behind their words, felt suffocated by their proximity. It was like living with Valerie again. I stayed at the lab or spent my time in the office upstairs just to have privacy.
“If you need some space, you can always rent a hotel room for the day, just to spend the evening by yourself. You could even come to my place if you want. I usually work late, so I’m not even there.”
“You would offer that?” I asked in surprise.
“Of course.” She grabbed her plate. “You’ve opened your home to me. I can open my home to you.”
She made me feel better, calmed me, chased away the anxiety. “Sometimes I think Tucker did it on purpose, said how amazing you are so she’d want to stay with me instead of him.”