OBSESSED

39

JARROD

Work was slow, as to be expected for a Tuesday afternoon at the clinic.

Once I got off after my shift, I picked up a chicken salad from the store and headed home. I was tempted to call Leah.

I thought about her all day and wanted to know how her day was, what she was doing, who she was talking to.

Leaving her this morning nearly killed me. It gets harder every time.

Since I know she's still at work, I decide to call my mother instead. 

"Hi, Jarrod," she answered.

"Mom. How is everything?"

"Better." She sighed. "Dominic has been sleeping at the hospital with her. They tried to kick him out last night but she screamed bloody murder. I can't imagine why Julia likes him so much or what about him makes her feel calm, but I won't tell her that."

I swallowed down a bite of leftover chicken salad and cleared my throat. "No one will ever be good enough for her. Not in any of our eyes. Besides, he makes her happy. I'm sure she sees things in him we can't yet."

"Or she's blinded by hormones and grief. I mean, the young man couldn't tell me a single hobby he has. How uninteresting!"

Probably because his hobbies all revolve around drugs, I thought with an eye roll.

"I would let it be, Mom," I told her. "Julia's a grown woman. She can choose who she wants to be with."

"I know, I know. Thank you for coming down here to help, honey. She appreciated you bringing him. How is work?"

Shrugging, I said, "Fine. It was busy this morning but it slowed down. Nothing too bloody but a lot of flu cases."

"Mhmm, I see. Be careful, honey." I could hear her wet her lips across the line. "You know, we didn't have time to talk about your love life while you were here. Have you been seeing someone, Jarrod?"

There it was. The woman was relentless about my love life, especially since my divorce. As much as I wanted to tell her about Leah, I didn't know if Leah would appreciate that. We hadn't talked about our families hardly at all. I only knew her mother from the hospital, and she seemed like quite the lady.

"If not," my mother prattled on, "I met the cutest, sweetest nurse here who thought you were quite handsome."

I groaned. "Mother, I don't need you to arrange a woman for me. I'm perfectly capable of doing so myself."

"Well." She cleared her throat. "If last time was any indication—"

"Dear!" yelled my father in the background.

"I was just reminding him of the facts," she shot back. "Tiffany was not good for him. Anyway, honey, I just want you to find love and be happy. Okay?"

"I know," I said.

My mind was reeling over her mention of Tiffany. She never said my ex's name. From the moment I found out Tiff was cheating, my mother blacklisted her.