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time accepting
the situation. And he was home with Maggie every morning. If he
knew all that she was doing he would probably have been the one to
drive her around. I cringed to think of his reaction when he found
out. Hopefully it happened during Jane’s shift.
    Parking my car on the street in front
of Maggie’s house, I ran my fingers through my long wavy hair
before getting out. I had learned the first day not to take Ford’s
spot in the driveway.
    I was dressed in tight jeans, a navy
blue cardigan with a white tank top underneath and my secondhand
Uggs that I had found at the thrift store. The agency required we
wear scrubs unless the patient preferred us to wear regular
clothes. Some people, like Maggie, wanted to feel like the aide was
more of a friend than a health care worker.
    I got out of my old Honda and shut the
door gently so it didn’t fall off. Before I made it two steps up
the sidewalk, the front door opened and Ford came out looking mad
as hell.
    Uh oh.
    He wasn’t wearing his signature ball
cap, and his hair was sticking up in all directions like he had
been running his fingers through it. His faded jeans hugged his
long legs as he stalked down the steps, muttering to
himself.
    I halted in place, hoping he would
just get in his truck and leave. But today was not my lucky day
when his angry blue eyes landed on me. I didn’t think he could look
any meaner than he usually did, but his eyes narrowed at me and his
frown deepened.
    “You,” he shouted across the yard,
pointing his finger directly at me. I really hoped there was
someone standing behind me, but I knew that wasn’t the case. I
sighed and braced myself for the onslaught of Hurricane Ford. He
must have found out about his mom’s preparations, and now he was
going to take it out on me.
    Normally I would be able to handle
this situation professionally, but Ford was different. None of my
other patients’ family members had made my palms sweat and my
stomach churn because of their…hotness. If I was being reasonable,
his irate demeanor and general gruffness should have been a
complete turnoff. Instead it only served to make him more
interesting. Several times over the last two weeks I had caught
myself wondering what had made him that way. It wasn’t his mom -
anyone could see he loved her and treated her with the utmost
respect.
    Ford strode across the cold crunchy
grass and stopped just a foot away from me, bordering on invading
my personal space bubble. His hands were clenched in fists at his
sides, and he was practically vibrating with tension.
    “Why didn’t you tell me what she was
doing?” He demanded, leaning down so his face was only inches from
mine. The smell of his cologne was faint but enticing, and I was
unnerved by his close proximity.
    Taking a step back, I exhaled and
answered as calmly as possible, “Maggie is my patient, not you.
It’s my job to support her and help her with anything she
needs…”
    His lip curled up in a snarl, and he
abruptly turned away to pace the sidewalk with both hands in his
messy hair.
    “Well, I’m her son. And I need to know
what’s going on at all times. You can’t just waltz in here and help
her die,” he ranted. “After today, I don’t want you here. I’m
calling the agency for a replacement,” he growled, still facing
away from me.
    I wanted to be understanding of his
pain, but he just made it so hard. His words hurt. Not just because
he was basically firing me, but because it felt like he was blaming
me for everything that was going on with his mom. This time it
wasn’t possible to not take his words personally.
    It wasn’t until Maggie touched my arm
that I realized Ford was gone and I was still standing on the
sidewalk.
    “Come inside, Poppy. Let me make you
some coffee,” Maggie said gently. I followed her into the house,
swiping away the tears that had pooled in my eyes.
    She sat me at the kitchen table and
busied herself with brewing a pot of coffee. Normally I only