Chapter 92

The clock on the wall over the door read 6:45. Had it really only been three hours since she walked in the door and got started? Cilla laid her head down on her arms. She felt like a dishrag that had been wrung out one too many times and there was still a whole load of dishes to go. After puking herself nearly inside out she had slept the better part of the day and night and now she was wondering if Jon had been right. Maybe she should have waited another day to come back to work.

Sid breezed in, “good morning Cilla.”

She picked her head up and found a smile. She had missed that. “Hey Sid.”

He crossed the room and wrapped her in a hug, dragging her from the stool. “It’s good to see you here again. I missed you.” He set her back down “not that visiting you at Jon’s place in the Hamptons wasn’t amazing, but I missed seeing you here everyday. I love my mom and all, but it just wasn’t the same.”

She nodded her head in agreement. “I missed you too Sid. And it looks like you and Josie handled everything just fine without me. Remind me to thank her. I want to send her some flowers or something. What are her favorites again?”

Sid slipped his apron on. “She likes happy flowers, daisies, sunflowers, whatever. You know you don’t have to do that though.”

Sucking in a deep breath Cilla drew herself up and started grabbing trays, “I know but I want to. She did so much more than she needed to. I don’t know what would have happened if she hadn’t-” she stopped. Her emotions nearly got the better of her and she sniffed back a tear. “I just want her to know how much it meant that she was willing to put everything on hold for me.”

Sid set down his trays and took hers from her hands. “Oh sweetie” he sniffed and tugged her into an embrace “she thinks of you like her daughter, she didn’t mind one bit helping you out.” He held on to her for a minute longer; fighting tears of his own. “She just wants you to get better and live a long and happy life. She is willing to do whatever she can to help out.”

Cilla dug two tissues out of the pocket of her apron and handed one to Sid. “Come on now, no more of this. I can’t take it. My hormones are in enough of a mess right now and this is not helping.” She sniffled and wiped at her tears. “Let’s get these cases loaded and open up.”

They worked in tandem, falling back into their rhythm as if she hadn’t been away at all. When the last of the trays were empty and the kitchen was on it’s way to being in order she laid a hand on Sid’s arm. “Thanks.”

He kissed her forehead and headed back out front. She didn’t want any tears and damn it he didn’t want to cry anymore. He had done enough of that in the last few weeks. He and Cilla had been through just about everything two friends could after 39 years. But this had to be the scariest of all that they had ever come up against. Him coming out had been a piece of cake compared to what she was going through now.

He looked up when he heard the door swing open and he watched as she arranged more cookies in the case. Like Jon, he couldn’t fight this battle for her, but he sure as hell could fight it with her.

“What are you looking at?” Cilla straightened to find him watching her.

“I keep expecting to see my mother come through that door, not you.”

“Sorry, you’ll just have to deal with me.” She studied him for a minute. “Are you okay?”

He nodded. “Yeah. Do you need me to take you to any appointments or anything?”

She laid a hand on his arm. He was always there for her, no matter what, no matter when. He was the best friend she could have ever asked for in her life. Looking up, she could see the worry and the fear for her in his eyes along with a sadness she hadn’t ever seen there before. “No, not yet anyway” she told him gently. “Maybe in a couple weeks. Jon’s going to be out of town playing at a bunch of political rallies. He doesn’t want me to go to the appointments alone.”

He shook his head. It was just like her to think she could do everything by herself. “Smart man. I’ll go with you, just let me know when.” He pulled his arm from under her hand and wrapped it around her shoulders. “You have always tried to do everything yourself. You don’t have to Cil. We’re all here for you. Lean a little would you?”

It wasn’t in her nature to lean on anyone. It never had been. This is why there had been so many fights with Jon in the last few weeks. “I don’t know how Sid.” At his withering look she wrapped an arm around his waist and gave him a squeeze. “Okay, okay. I’ll try. But don’t get all mad and start pouting if it doesn’t happen overnight.”

“I don’t pout” he told her indignantly.

She stroked her thumb across his full lower lip. “Yes you do and you do it so prettily too.”

A throat clearing cough had them turning.

“You making time with my woman Sid?” Jon stood watching the two of them, biting the inside of his cheek trying not to smile.

Sid smiled. “Sorry, she’s so not my type.”

Cilla’s mouth dropped open. “Not your type? Since when?”

“Since about sixth grade when you grew boobs” Sid snickered.

Jon couldn’t hold back the laugh. “We need to have a drink some night so you can share some of those stories.”

Sid shook his head, “only if you’re willing to share your deep dark secrets.”

“I don’t have any.”

“Riiiight” Sid drawled. “You are a rock star who toured in the 80’s, right? You so have secrets.”

Jon shook his head, a smirk on his lips. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Standing there watching the by-play between her man and her best friend, Cilla sent up a silent prayer that there would be many more years of this in her future.