“It looks like we have it all to ourselves,” she says as she peeks out the glass doors, waiting for me to open them.
“Everyone’s hiding so Jesse can’t put them to work helping her move their shit.”
Daisy smiles. Aw, there’s the genuine sweet smile of hers.
“I’m sure they don’t have too much stuff, do they?”
“Right? That’s what I thought, but Dirk acts like we’ll be here all night.”
She laughs, handing me a hamburger. “Is she moving the stuff in the studio?”
“No. She said she wanted to have a reason to come back over here.”
“That’s cool. I still like to come over and paint every now and then, even though I have my own space now.”
“Are you and Brody about ready to start filling all those bedrooms you added on?”
Her head drops, and her cheeks turn pink.
“Come on. Willow is due soon. You guys are next.”
She shakes her head. “I think it should be Kelsie or Lexie’s turn.”
I chuckle, because I know a little secret she doesn’t. “So, what did you want to talk to me about? You and Brody aren’t having troubles, are you?”
“No,” she assures me, placing her hand over her heart as if the mere thought pains her. “It’s …” She nibbles on a fry thinking about it. “Oh, I don’t know, Jackson.”
The distress on her face has me sitting forward and tipping her chin. “Hey, what’s this about? You don’t have to feel this way around me. We’re good friends, and we can be honest with eachother.” She doesn’t look away when I remove my hand from her face. “Just say whatever you need to say.”
She takes a deep breath and releases it slowly. “Okay. So, I have some news for you, and it’s shocking.”
My eyebrows rise in surprise. “That sounds serious.”
“It is.” She turns away from me, blinking rapidly as she tries to reign in her emotions. “I have a letter for you … two actually.” She rubs her finger over her eyebrow, and I can see she’s trying to choose her words carefully. “God, I should have waited until we finished eating. Go ahead, eat. This can wait.”
I shake my head. “No. I’m going to need you to talk about this right now.”
“Right, yeah.” Her hands shake as she reaches across the table and takes mine in hers. “I received a letter from your mother. It asked me to be here when you open the one that she wrote to you.”
“That’s fucking weird, isn’t it?”
Her face pulls into a grimace. “Yes and no. Whatever is written in it, she thinks I’ll be able to relate.”
My stomach begins to knot. This is weirder than weird.
She squeezes my hands. “Jackson, Brody and I are here for you.”
“Okay.”
She leans away from me and pulls an envelope from her purse. “Just remember, everything is okay. Try to stay grounded.”
Jesus. This is straight up freaking me out, but I keep a calm aura about me for her sake. I’m the president of this club. I can handle anything. I have to.
I take it from her and see my name in my mother’s handwriting. Instantly, it makes me miss her. I lean back, running my finger under the seam. I pull out the letter and begin reading quietly. No use putting this off.
My sweet boy,
Oh, how my heart aches for you as I write this. That should really be no surprise. You are the best thing it’s ever known. My soul will miss you most.
