Hand-Me-Down Love Read Online Free Page B

and Marla
that she thought she could make it on her own. She wanted to get back
to the business of taking care of her house and cooking meals. Her
energy seemed boundless. It was March, and Meredith flowered with the
rest of the world as it came into spring. Azaleas bloomed throughout
the town and all around Meredith and Sean’s house. Meredith spent a
lot of time sitting on her porch, admiring the world as if she were
seeing it for the first time. “I’m fine,” she said every time
Marla called. And she looked fine every time Marla saw her. She
looked vibrant.

Chapter
Five

    In early April,
Marla was at an estate sale when Meredith called her cell. Marla
walked into a hallway of the massive house she was in to take the
call.
    “ I’m
starting to feel numb on my left side,” Meredith said. “I’ve
been ignoring it, but it’s getting too much to ignore now.”
    “ How long has
this been happening?” Marla asked. She was filled with dread. The
past few weeks had been a fantasy with everyone thinking Marla had
somehow beaten her cancer. The reality of the situation hit Marla
hard.
    “ I guess a
couple of weeks. It’s gotten worse. I called the doctor and he
wants me to come in tomorrow morning. Can you go with me?”
    “ Of course,”
Marla said. “What does Sean say?”
    “ He doesn’t
know. He’s been so happy lately, I hate to worry him.”
    Dr. Nelson
confirmed Marla’s worst fear. He was a kind man, but he didn’t
beat around the bush.
    “ Your tumor
may have grown and is pressing on nerves that control the left side
of your body. We’re going to get a CT scan to see what’s going
on. If it has grown, we can do chemo again to try to shrink it. The
location of the tumor makes it difficult to treat in any other way.”
    The sisters
left the doctor’s office in a state of shock. They didn’t talk
for a while as Marla drove them back to Bay Point. When they were
half-way home, Marla reached over and squeezed Meredith’s hand.
    “ I don’t
think I can do chemo again,” Meredith said. “I think I would
rather just keep going like I am. At least I have some quality of
life like this. Not with chemo.”
    Marla wanted to
shout at Meredith, “Please do the chemo! I want you here on this
earth no matter what.” She knew that was selfish. She had seen how
chemo had sucked the life out of Meredith. But she wanted her big
sister around forever and ever. Meredith and Sean’s Craftsman
bungalow sat on the top of a hill in the historic district of Oak
Point and had a killer view of the bay. The young couple had worked
tirelessly on the house when they first took ownership. It had not
been updated for decades. Meredith had spent hours of every day
researching paint colors and landscaping. While Sean worked every day
at the bank, Meredith had overseen the refurbishment of the kitchen,
the refinishing of the hardwood floors, the remodeling of the
bathrooms, the landscaping around the house with Japanese maples and
extra azaleas—the house was already surrounded with vivid magenta
and red and white azaleas. The patio was redone with old brick and
the back yard was a little forest of hardwoods and magnolias. One
bush that Meredith protected during the renovations was a tea olive,
its sweet scent wafting through the yard in the spring and fall.
    Marla drove up
the driveway and parked in front of the carport. She and Meredith got
out of the car and went into the house through the kitchen door.
Marla noticed right away that things had gotten messy in the house.
The sink was full of dishes and water that was cold and dirty
looking.
    “ I’ll help
you pick up before Sean gets home,” Marla offered, eyeing the
encrusted plates that were still on the kitchen table. Meredith
didn’t say anything and went back to her bedroom. Marla followed.
Meredith lay down on the bed and curled into the fetal position.
    “ Are you
okay?” Marla asked. “Can I get you anything?”
    “ I just need
to rest for a little while,”