Read Online Last Chance Hero by Cathleen Armstrong - Free Book Online Page B

take a walk with me first, I’d love to stop in afterward and have a cup of coffee with you.”
    â€œOh, honey, I’m not even dressed.” Elizabeth looked down at her robe and slippers. “Just come on in, and I’ll walk with you some other day.”
    â€œI can wait while you put something on. Don’t feel like you have to dress up. You’re not supposed to be glamorous when you exercise.” She brushed her hair from her eyes with the back of her wrist. “Look at me.”
    Elizabeth’s mouth pinched up, and it looked like she was going to find another reason to refuse the walk, but she huffed a sigh instead. “Oh, all right. Give me about five minutes, but we’d better not see anyone I know.”
    While she waited, Jess stretched out, using Elizabeth’s gate for support. When she heard the screen door open again, she looked up to see Elizabeth in a lavender warm-up suit making her way across the porch.
    â€œDon’t forget to use the ramp.”
    Elizabeth veered slightly and headed for the ramp without answering.
    â€œIs that cane going to be enough support, or do you think you need to take your walker?”
    This time Elizabeth did look up, and there was no question that she had been bossed just about as much as she was going to take.
    â€œI can manage just fine the way I am, thank you.” She made her careful way down the ramp and gave Jess a tight little smile when she joined her at the gate. “Are you ready to go?”
    They had walked for a minute or two with Elizabeth navigating the sidewalk and Jess walking beside her in the street before Jess broke the silence.
    â€œI think you’re annoyed with me, Elizabeth.”
    Elizabeth took a few more careful steps before she heaved a sigh. “No, I’m not annoyed with you, sweet girl. You’re just getting the brunt of it, I’m afraid.”
    â€œThe brunt of what?” Jess kept her voice gentle.
    â€œThis.” Elizabeth lifted her cane and shook it. “This whole mess. I was doing just fine taking care of myself and my house, driving myself where I needed to go, and then with one little stumble on my porch steps, everything changed. Now I can’t take a blessed breath without someone there to make sure I’m doing it right. My sweet daughter-in-law calls me two or three times a day. Ray and Lainie, as much as I love having them with me, moved here from Santa Fe just to look after me. And have you met Sarah, my granddaughter who lives just two doors down? Well, she comes by every day after she gets home from school. She says she wants a cup of tea, but I know she’s just checking to see if I’m still upright and breathing. The only reason in the world that they don’t hire a babysitter for me now that Lainie’s working at the diner is because they make me wear this little help button all the time. Even then they don’t want me to leave the house unless one of them is with me, for all the world like I was about two years old. Well, I’m here to tell youthat the only thing that has changed is that I’m a little stiffer than I was. Maybe I don’t move quite as fast as I used to, but my mind is just fine, thank you very much. And I can still take care of myself.”
    Jess just raised her eyebrows and nodded without speaking. She had seen Elizabeth fuss gently at her cat, or at Lainie for not resting enough, or even at Andy for not wiping his boots on the welcome mat before coming into her living room, but this was more than that. Elizabeth was frustrated and angry on a level Jess had not seen.
    Elizabeth stopped and looked up at Jess. Her cheeks were pink from the exertion of her walk, but her smile was more relaxed, if a little rueful. “My goodness, listen to me talk. I should be ashamed. I’ve got more family caring about me than you can shake a stick at, and all I can do is complain about it. I need to be counting my