“Your mom sounds like a trip,” I muse, and for the first time ever…I kind of want to meet a woman’s mother. “How is she handling the whole cancer thing?”

Olivia laughs lightly. “She was a wreck when I told her, then she had about a hundred different holistic suggestions for me. Of course, she wanted to get on a plane and fly out right away, but I put her off.”

“Why is that?”

“Because while I love my mom more than anything in this world, she can be a bit flaky. And I really can’t handle flaky right now. She’ll come out soon, but I wanted to get through all of the testing and know what I was really facing before she comes to visit.”

“That’s understandable,” I say, and I know without a doubt I can’t wait to meet Olivia’s mom. I love flaky.

And I’m really liking the fact that I’m so interested in this woman I’m actually wanting to meet her mother. So weird. So very new and just weird. But I like it.

I put on my blinker and make a right-hand turn into a driveway before the little beach cottage that sits right on the ocean dunes. It’s got light blue siding with white trim and a little sign that hangs out front that says THE PENALTY BOX.

Olivia’s eyes round with surprise. “Do you own this?”

“Actually, me and three other teammates. We all went in on it together and we each get thirteen weeks a year here. This wasn’t my week, but Zack traded me out.”

“To bring me here?” she asks softly as she turns to look at me.

“Yeah…I figured you could use a relaxing weekend at the beach.”

Gratitude and tenderness fill Olivia’s eyes, and she leans across the seat toward me. I meet her halfway and her hand comes to my face, gently guiding my lips to hers. She kisses me sweetly, and it’s the first time our mouths have touched since her treatments started. I’ve kissed her plenty of times on her forehead while she’s been heaving her guts up the past two days, but I realize now how much I missed that soft mouth on mine.

“Thank you,” Olivia whispers.

I touch my forehead to hers and close my eyes. I hold on to this moment and cherish the closeness I feel to her. “Anything for you,” I murmur back.

—
We had an excellent dinner at one of the nearby seafood restaurants followed by a walk on the beach, but by eight o’clock Olivia was utterly exhausted and went to bed. I lay with her for a while, until her deep breaths told me she was under, and then I quietly slipped out of bed.

I gaze up at the stars, which are shining bright, and listen to the crashing of the waves as I sip a beer on the oceanside deck. I lean back in my chair and wonder if there is a God up there that would hear my pleas to make Olivia all better.

Pulling my phone out of my pocket, I flip to my favorites and dial the top spot.

My mom answers on the second ring and I can actually hear the smile in her voice. “Hey, sweet boy. What are you up to?”

“Just checking in to see how you and Dad are doing,” I tell her as I watch the ocean waves roll in, all coated in silver from the moonlight.

“We’re good. Your dad is anxious for the season to start. We’d like to come watch a game, maybe sometime around Thanksgiving, if that’s good for you.”

“Anytime,” I assure her. “Just let me know the dates and I’ll make some plane reservations and get the tickets.”

“You get the tickets,” she says firmly, “but we’ll make our own plane reservations.”

I hold my tongue because there’s no sense in arguing with her. My parents hate having me buy stuff for them, insisting that they are still my parents and are responsible for taking care of me. I simply smile and nod at them, but when it’s all said and done, I’ll end up making the reservations before she can get a chance to and beat her to the punch.

“Hey…I, um…wanted to let you know that I met someone that I really like and I’m sort of seeing her now,” I tell my mom hesitantly. I’ve always been able to talk to my parents about anything, but this little admission doesn’t roll out so easily. I suspect because the concept is just so foreign to me.

“Really?” my mom asks in a somewhat disbelieving tone. Okay, granted…I deserve that. My parents have long since given up on me bringing home a girl for them to meet.

“Really,” I tell her assuredly. “Her name’s Olivia.”

“Is she pretty?” my mom asks teasingly. “I bet she’s really pretty.”

“Yeah, Mom…she’s beautiful.”

I hear my mom sigh in happiness on the other end, and that makes me smile. “Tell me more,” she says dreamily.

“She has cancer,” I say bluntly, and my mom gasps.

“Oh, my God. I’m so sorry. What can I do to help?”

That’s so my mom…ready to rush in and help save the day, and I love her to pieces for it. “I’m not sure. Just be there for me…maybe to talk. This is kind of new…both the relationship and finding out about the cancer.”

“Honey…I know this is probably really overwhelming, but you have more fortitude than most people I know. There isn’t anything you can’t handle, and I know you may have waited a long time to find that special woman for you, but I have no doubts you are going to make her deliriously happy.”

“Thanks, Mom,” I say on a breath of relief. “I needed to hear that. I’m scared for Olivia, and hell…I’ve known her a little less than a week, but I really, really like her.”