“Maya?” The nurse smiled at her. “You can come back now.”

Maya followed her to the recovery area and found Elaine sitting up. Her friend was pale, but otherwise looked okay.

Maya took her free hand and squeezed. “Hey. How are you feeling?”

“Not too bad.” Elaine smiled. “The doctor says the tumor was very localized. So we can stick with the original plan. A few days to recover, then six weeks of radiation.”

Maya squeezed her fingers, thinking a hug right now wasn’t going to be the best thing. “That’s exactly what we wanted to hear.”

“I know. I’m so grateful.”

The nurse turned to Maya. “Elaine tells me you’ll be taking care of her tonight.”

“Yes. She’s staying with me.”

“Good. The postsurgical instructions are pretty simple. I’ll go over them with you. I gave them to Elaine before her procedure, but it’s always good to have someone else following along. Plus, we’ll send her home with written instructions.”

“I’ll make sure she does everything she’s told.”

* * *

BY NOON, ELAINE was settled in Maya’s guest room. She’d had some soup and crackers and taken her pain medication. Sophie jumped up onto the bed, then curled up next to Elaine, as if understanding this was a time to be quiet.

“I’m fine,” Elaine said firmly as she stroked her dog. “Exhausted, but fine. I didn’t sleep at all last night. In fact, I haven’t slept for a couple of nights. So I’m going to stay right here and rest. I want you to leave.”

They’d been having the same conversation for about fifteen minutes. Elaine wanted her to go to work for a few hours, and Maya didn’t want to leave her friend.

“It’s a small incision,” Elaine continued. “I don’t even have a drain. There’s nothing to do. I can shower in the morning and resume my normal life. No strenuous exercise for a week and then I’m healed.”

Except for the fact that she still had to deal with radiation and having cancer, Maya thought.

“I’m here to take care of you,” Maya insisted.

“You’re making me nervous. You hover. Go and let me sleep. Come back in two hours and let Sophie out. That’s all I ask.”

“I’ll wait an hour, then walk Sophie. If you’re still okay, then I’ll go.”

“You’re very stubborn,” Elaine murmured, her eyes already closing.

“It’s one of my best qualities.”

Elaine had fallen asleep almost immediately. She’d barely stirred when Maya had taken Sophie out for a quick walk. The dog had immediately done her business, as if wanting to get back to her human’s side. Elaine didn’t even notice when Maya had touched her forehead and cheek to see if she was too warm.

After writing a note to say where she was and making sure fresh water and Elaine’s cell phone were on the nightstand, Maya had let herself out and walked to her office.

Now she set the alarm on her phone so she didn’t get caught up in work. She would head home in ninety minutes to look in on her friend.

Maya circled by the editing room on her way to her office. The editing room door stood open and Eddie Carberry sat in front of the computer. Even more surprising was the fact that the older woman was looking at Maya’s footage from a previous shoot.

“Oh, my God. It was you.”

Eddie looked up, her expression more triumphant than repentant. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

The interview played in the background. Considering the clip had been on Eddie’s show, her being the one to find it shouldn’t have been a surprise, but it kind of was.

“You’ve been going through my footage.”

Eddie glanced back at the screen. “It’s good stuff. You have a real eye. That kiss was a find.”

“You stole it.”

“Copied. You still have it yourself. So it wasn’t stolen. Besides, now you’re famous.”

For kissing Del. Something that would have rocked her world a little more if she hadn’t been dealing with Elaine’s cancer surgery.

“Don’t do that again,” she said firmly.

“Why not? You should thank me.”

How could this little old lady with her short curls and bright eyes be so confident? Was it an age thing? Personality?

“I’m not thanking you for stealing my stuff.”

“I got you on national TV. That’s a trick. And it was good publicity for the town, which is actually your job. Yup, I think some flowers are in order. Maybe a box of chocolates. See’s are my favorites. Gladys likes them, too.”

Maya felt as if she’d stepped through the looking glass. “I’m not sending you flowers or chocolates.”

Eddie sniffed, then stood. “If you’re going to be like that.”

“I am.”

“You should be more appreciative of what people do for you.”

Maya watched her leave, then went over to her computer and activated the security program. As soon as it was up, she put a password on her files, then walked to her office.

She was still trying to make sense of everything that had happened in the past eighteen hours when Del walked in. The second she saw him, she had an overwhelming urge to step right into his arms and have him hold her until she knew everything was going to be okay. On the heels of that came the need to tell him that his mom was fine. That he shouldn’t worry. Only he didn’t know anything was wrong with her and Maya couldn’t tell him.