Page 166 of Her Wicked Plan

Chloe uses a hand to wipe away a tear. “Mommy is sad, honey.”

His eyes slid from her face to where his grandma was sitting. “Where did Grandma go?”

“She went to take a nap,” Chloe told him. “She was feeling tired.”

“She naps a lot.”

Chloe laughs lightly at his observance. “Yes. Look, Carter, Grandma hasn’t been feeling well lately.”

“Then we should take her to the doctor. They will give her medicine to feel better,” he suggests.

“They have given her medicine, and it’s not working.” Chloe’s fingers have intertwined, hands clasped together in her lap. “Carter... do you remember Lucy?” Our family chocolate lab passed away at the end of last year. He nods. “Do you remember how Lucy got sick and had to go to Heaven?”

Carter’s eyes light up. “The place that’s full of sunshine and dog toys?!”

Chloe and I can’t help but laugh at his words. “Yes, sweetie. Well…” Chloe glances over to me, and tears are threatening to escape my eyes. I subtly gesture for her to keep going, and then she looks back at Carter. “Grandma is going to Heaven too.”

His little face turned from brightness to confusion. “When?”

Chloe's voice becomes unsteady. “We aren’t sure, but probably soon.”

Soon.

The words hit me more than they did Carter. Soon. We only found out last month about Mom's cancer, and Chloe believes it will be soon that we will lose her.

A tear escapes Chloe, and Carter lifts his small hand to wipe it off his mother’s cheek. “If grandma is going to Heaven, why are you sad?”

I lock my fingers together, intertwining them tightly enough for me to focus on the pain to keep the tears at bay. He is young, and he doesn’t understand the concept of Heaven.

He doesn’t get why we are sad about our mother going when he thinks Lucy is having the time of her life up there.

“Because when Grandma goes to Heaven, we won’t see her anymore.”

Carter says nothing for a moment. He watches his mother continue to cry before he finally says, “Mommy, don’t cry. Grandma will have Lucy in Heaven.”

Chloe only sniffles in response, unable to speak for the same reason as me. If I open my mouth, I’ll cry and won’t be able to stop.

“They will have fun together, and then we can go to Heaven one day to see Grandma and Lucy. And I can play fetch with Lucy and rub her belly!”

“One day, Carter.” Chloe sits forward, pressing a soft kiss to her son’s forehead.

He flashes her a big smile and then leaves us to play with his dinosaurs. Our eyes stay on him while he plays for a while longer. Both of us sit in silence as he headbutts the T-Rex with the Stegosaurus.

I’m so entranced by how innocent he is. The news of his grandma going to heaven has little effect on him.

I was so in my own thoughts that I didn’t hear the front door open. I didn’t hear the footsteps coming down the hall. I wasn’t broken out of my thoughts until I heard a voice.

“Hey, man.” Myles stops right at the entryway. “I didn’t think you’d be here.”

I turn my head to look up at my best friend. “No one did.”

“It’s good to see you,” Myles says with a light grin. We haven’t spoken since I told him about Scarlet. He wasn’t as mad as I thought he would be and said she was interested in me first, anyway. He didn’t even give me shit about Veronica. That’s how down we are about this current situation.

“You too,” I respond after a beat. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s been coming over to check on things,” Chloe answers before getting off the couch. She strides over to him, taking a narrow paper bag out of his hand. My sister peers inside, inspecting what I assume to be a wine bottle, and then looks up at him with relief. “Thank you.”

My sister marches to the kitchen, wasting no time uncorking the wine and pouring herself a glass. Typically, she wouldn’t be drinking at eleven in the morning, but when times are tough...