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“Nadine’s been friends with my mom since my dad died, and she knows how to handle her. Mom will be calmer with her, too. If I stay here, she’ll start accusing me of planning this again.”
“You don’t have to justify not wanting to be here. I get it.”
He hesitated. “So, I know this is morbid, but…”
“Go on.”
“I have the keys to Bobby’s place still. I’m going over there to spend the night. I need to say goodbye to him on my own terms, and I have to get away from her tonight.”
A lump formed in my throat just thinking about Bobby’s house. I’d never see the inside of it again either. I wouldn’t mind saying goodbye. “What did you have in mind?”
“Come with me?” Despite his previous words, his eyes begged me to say yes. “You don’t have to stay the night. It would just mean a lot to have you there with me. I mean, if you—”
“I’ll come.”
“Yeah?”
“Of course.”
“You don’t have to sleep there, but…”
“Would you want me to?”
Daniel swallowed hard, his eyes drifting to my lips. “I wouldn’t hate it.”
I nodded. “Okay, well, I have an early class tomorrow, but I’ll think about it. And I’ll go over there with you at least.”
The front door squeaked open, and Paul appeared, holding Milky Way. He looked pale in an almost sickly way, but he lacked all the anger he’d shown the first time I’d met him. He closed the door behind him, walking toward us as Milky Way panted and squirmed in his arms. He put her down, and she darted over to me, leaping into my lap and licking at my face, waking Kennedy.
“They’re ready to take us,” Paul said, and his eyes filled with tears.
“Okay, buddy,” Daniel said, helping his sister to sit up. She wiped at her eyes, and then stared across the yard with a furrowed brow. It looked like she was gathering her courage.
I glanced toward Betty Blue and my Volvo. “Hey,” I said. “You’ve got things to deal with before you can leave, and I do too. Why don’t we meet there?”
He nodded, his focus on his brother. “Okay.”
“Say around three-thirty?”
He agreed, and I rose to go. Milky Way jumped down and went back to Paul, who seemed grateful to hold her again.
“Bye, Mister,” Kennedy said with a waver to her voice.
“Bye, Kennedy.” I pulled her to my side and gave her a squeeze. “Bye, Paul.”
He nodded at me but didn’t say a word.
Daniel gave me a quick hug, saying, “Three-thirty. If I’m late, wait for me. I promise I’ll be there.”
“Sure.”
Leaving Daniel and his siblings huddled together on the front porch broke my heart. Not because I wanted to be inserted into the middle of their mess, but because I was falling head-over-heels for him, and I cared about Kennedy, and Paul.
I hated that I couldn’t take away their pain.
***
Sitting in mycar outside Bobby’s house, I had a lot of time to ponder what it meant that Bobby would never return to it again. Daniel was late, but I didn’t mind.
