Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84802 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 424(@200wpm)___ 339(@250wpm)___ 283(@300wpm)
“Ask Colton; you could use the one he used when he divorced his second wife.”
“You’re an asshole,” she seethes.
“This has been fun,” I tell her. “Take care.” I hang up and then call my lawyer.
“Mr. Morrow,” she answers right away. “She’s been served.”
“I know. I had the pleasure of her calling me.”
“Good,” she says, “that’s what I wanted. Did she ask for Jack?”
“No,” I tell her, “she wants the house and alimony.”
“What do you want me to do?” she asks me. “I know what I want to do, but it’s not my call.”
“She can have the house and everything inside. I packed up everything I wanted when we left.”
“What about alimony?” she asks, and I inform her of a fact that Chantal doesn’t even know.
“I took a pay cut coming to New York. Will that help?” It is only for one year, then they will renegotiate the terms, but Chantal doesn’t need to know that.
“Yes,” she says, “I’ll see if her lawyer reaches out.”
“Thank you,” I tell her, and I hang up.
“I’m ready.” I hear Jack yell from somewhere in the house. I walk up the stairs, going to his room next door to mine and find his clothes all on the floor.
“What is this mess?” I ask him, and he looks at me and then around at the mess.
“I found my shirt,” he says, flattening the shirt with the Stingers logo on it. “It’s like Michael’s,” he says, and I nod at him.
“Now clean up the rest of the room while I go get dressed.” He walks around the room, bending and picking up things. When we walk out of the house twenty minutes later, we are both bundled up in our spring jackets, black Stingers beanies, and rubber boots for Jack and booties for me.
We walk down the street hand in hand as he points out the different places he wants to go to. The corner store, he wants to eat steak tonight, he says, walking in front of the butcher’s shop, and then he sees the flowers.
“We should buy Dr. Denise some flowers,” he says to me. “We could bring some to the hospital. There are lots of kids there,” he says as he skips next to me, swinging. “We can bring flowers to everyone, so they smile.”
“I don’t think we can bring them flowers, buddy, but,” I say, looking in the store and seeing handblown glass flowers. Each flower has a green stem and the top in different vibrant colors. A dark red, a light orange, a couple are pale yellow, a bright purple—the colors just pop. “You really want to bring everyone flowers?” I ask him, and he nods his head, smiling. “Let’s do it.”
We walk inside the store and grab all twenty-four of the flowers that they have. We get into a cab and make our way over to the hospital.
“She’s on floor three,” Jack tells me as we get into the elevator, and I press three.
“It’s here,” he says with glee when the elevator pings, and we walk out. “Ms. Mallory,” he says, jumping. “It’s me, Jumping Jack; I brought you flowers,” he says, pointing at me.
“Did you now?” she says, smiling.
“I’m Zack.” I smile at her, handing her one of the flowers. “I guess this is for you,” I tell her, and she leans down and kisses Jack on the cheek.
“Come and see Evie,” he says, walking down the hallway as if he’s at home.
He knocks on the door, and a little girl looks up from her bed. Her mother looks up also. “Evie, I brought flowers,” he says to her, walking in.
“Sorry to interrupt,” I tell the mother who looks at Jack with a huge smile.
“She has been asking for him all day,” she says, looking at me. “I’m Janet.”
“I’m Zack,” I tell her, and then Jack interrupts us.
“Look, Dad,” he says, taking his hat off. “We have the same head.” He smiles.
“You do.” I smile at him as he leaves his hat off. “We have to go deliver more flowers,” Jack tells Evie, who just closes her eyes.
“She’s not having that great of a day,” Janet says. “My husband is trying to get in today to visit, but he’s been working two jobs,” she says with a tired smile.
“Jack, let’s let Evie rest,” I tell him and then smile at Janet. “We will see you later. I’ll have Jack come back and say goodbye before we leave.”
We continue walking down the hall and most of the nurses have already heard about Jumping Jack when we come face-to-face with Denise.
“Dr. Denise,” Jack says, running to her. She smiles and grabs him in her arms. I watch her, and I’m in awe of her. She doesn’t have a stitch of makeup on, her hair is piled on her top of her head, and she is wearing jeans with flat shoes.