Foolish Notions Read Online Free Page A

against the bittersweet feeling of knowing she was at the other
end of the line. He shifted in his seat.
    “Hello, is anyone there?”
    “Hi, Samantha.”
    “James?”
    Well, she hadn’t forgotten his
voice. He gained a little pleasure from that fact. “Yes, umm .
. . I hope I didn’t call too late.”
    “No, I just got home.”
    He hadn’t realized how much he
wanted to hear her voice or how good it would feel when he did. Her
distinct soft tone penetrated the phone, and swirled through his
head. He had loved that voice. He had loved to hear her sing as she
had worked around the house, when she had spoken on the phone, or
whispered to him at night. That was the voice he couldn’t get
out of his head. It spoke to him when there was no one else there. He
closed his eyes and remembered how he had loved to hear her murmur
against his ear when they had made love. Her low moans of fulfillment
had driven him wild with passion and love.
    Her voice had always reached deep
within in him; it still did.
    “James, are you there?”
Samantha cleared her throat.
    “James?”
    “Excuse me?” He shook his
head abruptly as the oversized picture on the far wall came into
focus. What the hell was wrong with him? Get it together, he
demanded. “Yes, I’m here.”
    “Are you okay?”
    “Yes.” He started to doodle
on a yellow legal pad. He had to do something to divert the nervous
tension.
    “Why are you calling?”
    “My mom’s sick.”
Losing interest in the pen, he picked up a paper clip and began to
fiddle with it.
    Concern jumped into Samantha’s
voice immediately. “Marie. What do you exactly mean by sick?”
    “She has cancer.” James’s
stomach churned as a bitter taste formed in his mouth. He hated
saying the word.
    “Oh, God, I’m sorry. How is
she doing?”
    “She’s hanging in there.”
He wasn’t. He wished that he had taken the news as well as his
mom had. Oddly, he’d felt like it had devastated him more than
her. “She starts chemotherapy in three days.”
    “You’d be amazed at what
they can do these days. Treatment has come a long way in the last few
years.” Her tone was encouraging. “The drugs they are
using are more effective—”
    “Yeah, I’ve heard.”
    “James?” She paused for
several seconds. “James, are you okay? You don’t sound
good.”
    “Yes, I’m fine it’s
just that—” What was wrong with him? Why was he fumbling
for words? He was a top corporate executive, he reminded himself. He
ran a huge company, interacted with some of the most powerful people
in the world. He stifled a laugh; his communication skills were honed
to perfection, and yet it took all of him just to talk to his
ex-girlfriend.
    “What is it?” Samantha’s
voice softened. “You can talk to me.” She paused. “Do
you have medical questions? Is that why you called?”
    “My mom wants you to take care of
her.” Oh, hell, he hadn’t meant to blurt it out like
that. His intentions were to ease the topic into the conversation
after they had some time to get used to the fact that they were
talking with each other.
    “Pardon?”
    Well, at least she didn’t hang up
on him. “She has requested that you be her nurse during her
treatment. I know it sounds crazy, but she has been very persistent
about this.”
    “I don’t think that’s
a good idea.”
    Of course she wouldn’t.
    “I can give you the names of some
good nurses if you’d like,” she offered.
    James pressed his thumb and pointer
finger into his eyes—his migraine from yesterday was returning.
The intense pressure across his forehead promised to rival the pain
he’d experienced the previous day. “We’ve probably
already interviewed them,” he said as he pinched tighter.
    “What?”
    “Nothing.” He sat up tall
in his chair. The motion cleared his head enough so he could think.
“She wants you. I’ve tried to explain to her that it
wouldn’t work, but she refuses to listen. Normally, I wouldn’t
have called, but I’m