Free Hollywood Hero: A Sexy Billionaire Romance (The Director's Assistant Book 4) by Nikki Steele Page B

haven’t been out of bed all day.”
    “You mean you haven’t had breakfast or lunch, either?”
    Mom sighed, exasperated. “What did I just say? I wasn’t hungry.”
    I turned away so she wouldn’t see the tears in my eyes. “I’ll, ah, I’ll fix you something.”
    How could this deterioration have happened so quickly? I’d heard this was how it happened, sometimes. An older loved one took to bed, then just didn’t eat . It couldn’t be like that, could it? It was too soon.
    Maybe Mom really had caught some bug that was bringing her down further than usual. Maybe this was a minor speedbump on a road that stretched much further into the distance.
    In the kitchen I put on water for a pot of tea, then set about getting dinner ready. What would I do without her? I couldn’t begin to imagine. Her eventual passing… well, that was something I’d had to come to terms with not long after she was originally diagnosed with a bad heart. Still, I’d always imagined it wouldn’t happen for years—that we had a lot more time together. Maybe that was a mistake we all made, thinking we had more time with our loved ones than we actually did.
    It was all so unfair . If this was the end of our time together, if she was going to keep deteriorating at such a rapid rate, our last days would be filled with my anxiety. I wanted to be able to really enjoy her, to focus solely on her. To be with her, so she wouldn’t have to be alone or with a stranger.
    Instead, it seemed that lately I’d been wracked with anxiety when I visited her; my mind in a million different places. I wasn’t really present—in the moment. I hated Janus so much for that, along with many other things.
    I loaded the dishwasher and scrubbed the sink while waiting for the water to boil. While the tea steeped I gave the kitchen floor a quick mopping, too. I least, I thought wryly, those tapes had been put in perspective. I’d still have to do something about that, eventually, but for now Mom was more important. She hadn’t eaten all day. Had she eaten yesterday? And would she tell me if she hadn’t? How much longer would she be able to go without having round-the-clock care? And how would I afford it, once she did?
    I took a tray with sandwiches, soup and tea into Mom’s room, forcing a smile to my face. “What would you like to watch?” I asked, knowing there had to be a movie involved at some point.
    “I don’t know. Whatever sounds good to you.”
    I sighed. Was this the way it was always going to be? It was as though she’d given up already. Even I knew once a person gave up, that was the end.
    “Mom. I want to help you. But I need your assistance. You have to meet me halfway. Please, let me know if there’s anything I can do for you.”
    “You want to know what you can do for me?” she asked. I nodded. “You can stop being so worried and fretful all the time. Every time I see you, you look more upset. There are dark circles under your eyes, your skin is pale, you’ve bitten your nails down to nothing.” I looked at my hands— darn it if she wasn’t right . “If anything, I’m more worried for you than I’ve ever been for myself. It’s part of being a mother. You tend to care more about your kids.” She shrugged.
    I smiled, picking up a half sandwich. “I wish there was something I could tell you to make you feel better. I really do.”
    “Have things between you and Archer gotten any better?” she asked.
    That much I could ease her mind on . I smiled, the first time I had since I walked in the door. “They have. We made up last night.”
    Mom’s eyes went wide. She sat up a little straighter. “Ooh, tell me all!”
    “ Moooommm … I can’t tell you things like that…”
    She laughed. “That’s okay, you’ve told me enough already. No need to get into details.” Her smile lit up the room. “I’m so glad, Josie. See, I told you I knew that look in his eyes!”
    “Well we didn’t even have to make up, not really. It