“I have my affairs in order.”
The words struck Remi like a dart to the chest. She blinked from the pain. It meant that Bianca was thinking she might not get better.
“That’s good,” she said, forcing composure. “Have to make sure your daughter is covered in case something happens.”
“I listened.” Bianca smiled.
Remi remembered those days during Bianca’s first bout with cancer, how she’d practically lectured her on wills, powers of attorney, and life insurance, making sure Mila would be okay.
“They’re letting me go tomorrow,” Bianca said.
“What are the next steps?” Remi asked.
“Surgery is an option, but it’s pretty invasive.” Bianca lifted her bed. “They’re going to try radiation first. But there are no guarantees that they will shrink it. The chest area is difficult.”
“Okay,” Remi took it all in. She was solemn. Seeing Bianca here again felt like déjà vu. “Where are you staying?”
“I’ve been renting a little house in Bodega Bay. It’s kinda secluded. I was there to heal.” She paused. “And to stay out of your way.”
“I would come there and stay with you, butJoieis really taking off and I need to be there to oversee things. Equipment is being delivered in a few days … filtration system is installed next week.”
“Mila will be there to help, at least until I’m done with radiation. She doesn’t go back to school for a few more weeks,” Bianca said. “Then I’m going back to New Orleans.”
Remi turned toward the window, watching an elderly couple slowly shuffle through the hospital’s glass doors.
“Why don’t you come back to the house … in Napa?” she said finally. “Just until … you know … you’re done with radiation, and you’re stronger. Or ready to go back to New Orleans.”
Bianca blinked. “You sure about that, Rem?”
Remi wasn’t sure, not entirely. But she threw caution to the wind. It was something she’d learned from Bianca.
She said it anyway. “I’m sure.”
The words hung in the air like a peace offering of sorts. Though she wasn’t necessarily offering forgiveness or suggesting that she had forgotten what happened between them, it was out there now, irreversible. And good, bad, or somewhere in between, Bianca was coming home with her.
She freshened the sheets and linens in the room that Bianca had occupied before. A vase of fresh wild irises was placed on the bedside table, their violet petals vibrant like her. Remi opened the windows, letting the early afternoon breeze flow through, carrying with it the scents from the garden below. This would be Bianca’s place of healing, and Remi did what she could to make the room comfortable for her.
She made her way downstairs and started a pot of chicken soup on the stove—a single chicken breast, wide egg noodles, chopped onions, celery, and sweet carrots. The aroma slowly filled the kitchen. She brewed a pitcher of lavender iced tea, let it cool, then placed it into the fridge.
When the doorbell rang, it startled her. The girls had gone to pick up Bianca from the hospital and she wasn’t expecting them back so soon, nor anyone else.
Leo stood on her doorstep, holding a bag of green tomatoes in one hand and a bottle of Pinot Grigio in the other.
“For you,” he said, handing over the wine. He lifted the tomatoes with a proud grin. “From my garden.”
“Well, hello.” Remi took the bag and stepped aside for him to come in. “You have a green thumb, I see.”
“I do indeed. I didn’t always have one. Something I picked up after … you know, after Viv was gone.”
Remi nodded.
He flashed a smile full of perfect white teeth. “Thought I’d fry them up for us in a nice lunch … if that’s okay.”
“Be my guest.”
Leo headed straight for the kitchen like he knew his way around. “Smells like something’s already going on in here. What’s in the pot?”
“Chicken noodle soup,” she replied. “For Bianca.”