“Thank you.” I turned to Cash as he took a huge gulp of water. “Are you sure you’re okay?”
“I’m good,” he replied, but his face didn’t lookgood. In fact, he looked like he’d seen a ghost.
I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Really, I’m fine.” He averted his gaze and looked at the menu.
“Uh-huh. Then why are you being weird all of a sudden?” I asked.
“I’m not being weird.” He kept his eyes glued to the menu as though it were going to somehow save him.
“You’re being weird, and it all started when I ordered my drinks.” I leaned closer. “Cash Montgomery, are you judging me for my drink choices? Are you a cocktail snob?”
He shook his head. “No, not at all. That’s not it. I promise.”
“Spit it out.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m really not going to let this go, so you should probably just get it over with and tell me.”
He sighed and chewed his lip thoughtfully. “What you ordered… that was Carrie’s exact drink order. Down to the two limes and the diet coke.”
I winced.Way to go, Ella.“Oh… I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have pressed the issue. I—”
“No, it’s not a bad thing at all,” he assured me. “If anything, it’s exactly the opposite.”
I furrowed my brow. “How so?”
“Before I left tonight, Delilah, my mother-in-law, called,” he said. “She’s kind of known for getting thesefeelings.Premonitions, sort of. Almost like messages from the universe, the Great Beyond—however you want to look at it.”
“Is your mother-in-law theGhost Whisperer?” I asked in a vague attempt to lighten the mood.
He chuckled. “Not quite. But she said something was telling her to call me today, and she wanted me to know that Carrie wanted me to be happy.”
“And are you?” The question escaped my mouth before I could even consider the weight of it. “I didn’t mean with me, of course, and you don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”
“I’m the happiest I’ve been in quite some time.” He reached across the table and took my hand in his, sliding his thumb over my fingers. “And I have you to thank for that.”
Warmth bloomed in my chest, and I squeezed his hand. “Cash…”
“This may sound crazy, but between what Delilah said to me and you ordering Carrie’s favorite drinks, it just feels a lot like a sign from her that I’m right where I’m supposed to be.” His eyes crinkled at the corners when he smiled at me, and even seated, I felt my knees go all wobbly like a giraffe on roller skates.
“I love that you still have that bond with your in-laws,” I said, and I meant it. “Craig’s family was never in his life, but I’ve gotten to see him in Grace every single day.”
He nodded. “I’m grateful to them. For loving me and for the ways they help me remember her. Like how on the first Saturday of every month, Delilah and Richard send me this toasted praline coffee and a box of macaroons from a little mom and pop store in Charleston because they were Carrie’s favorite. I loved them too because it was something we always shared together. We looked forward to that package every month. Our tradition was that we’d do the Sunday crossword puzzle and have a pot of that coffee while we enjoyed the macaroons.”
I didn’t know Delilah and Richard, but I loved them already. “And they still send it to you?”
“Every single month.” He placed his elbow on the table and propped his chin on his hand. “But the other thing I love about them is that they’ve always given me room to live how I need to in order to move on. Like that first year after Carrie died, I spent Thanksgiving with you guys at Liv’s because the thought of being at her family’s home for the holiday without her was just too much. They weren’t upset. There were never any hard feelings or guilt trips. They’ve helped keep Carrie’s memory alive, but they’ve also helped remind me to keep living.”
“They sound like amazing people, Cash.”
“They are,” he said. “One day I want you to mee—”
He was interrupted by the sound of my phone singing “Girls Just Want To Have Fun” from my purse that hung on the back of the chair.
“Sorry. That’s Grace.” I grabbed my purse, fiddling with the zipper. “Do you mind if I take this? I haven’t been able to talk to her in a couple of days.”
