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“Tragedy. I’m sorry, Colton. That was thoughtless of me.”
“It’s okay. I only meant that it may look perfect, but nothing ever really is.”
“Very true,” she sighed.
“I thought you had a busy week,” I said.
“Dad gave me a couple of days off so I could attend your mother’s funeral. The service this morning was nice. And the way you described your mother was truly touching. It sounds like she was an amazing woman.”
“She is…was,” I corrected. “I didn’t see you at the church.”
“I was in the back. There were so many people and like I said, I didn’t want to intrude.”
I’d been so overwhelmed that I never even noticed her or how full the church had been. I was glad the burial part was over. I didn’t want another person hugging me with their sympathies. I knew they were genuine, but like Dad, I needed my space.So why am I so damn glad that Annabella is here right now?
We pulled into the driveway, and at least twenty vehicles were parked there. “Looks like more people came to the house than we anticipated.”
When we entered, it was wall to wall people.
“What can I do to help?” Annabella asked.
“The kitchen is on the right. We have food in the refrigerator and tables set up. Can you help me put everything out?” I asked.
“I can handle that. Why don’t you see to your guests?” she replied, and rushed off to the kitchen.
I wanted to follow her, but someone grabbed my arm and started talking about the old days with my mom. The next two hours I heard one story after another. My dad was experiencing the same. After a long while, people started to leave, and the noise level dropped. I could finally hear myself think again.
My eyes searched for Annabella and found her talking with Jack. He couldn’t make it to the funeral because he was working, but I was glad to see him now. Not so thrilled seeing how close he was standing to her. We’d spent our lives competing over girls, but Annabella wasn’t going to become part of that game.
I excused myself from the conversation I was having and headed towards them. Jack saw me coming. “Colton, you didn’t tell me your friend from Boston was coming.”
“Must have slipped my mind,” I said.
Annabella smiled and said, “I’ll let you two talk. I have something to attend to in the kitchen.”
“Want my help?” Jack offered.
She shook her head. “No. If I need someone, I know where to find Colton.”
This was supposed to be a very somber time, but damn, I enjoyed seeing Jack shot down. It wasn’t the first time, but itwasthe best.
He turned to me and said, “I guess ladies from Boston don’t like my charm.”
“You’d have to have some first for them to like,” I replied. Then in a serious tone I said, “I really appreciate you coming by.”
“I was talking to your dad earlier. He said he hopes you go back to your apartment tonight.”
“Why would he say that?” I asked.
“Because he loves you and doesn’t want you to stop living the life that you want just because you’re worried about him. Those aren’t my words, they’re his. I’m just delivering the message,” Jack said.
They did sound just like what my dad would say. “Fine. I’ll go home tonight.”
“You don’t sound too upset. Could it be some stunning blonde that is making your apartment more appealing for you?” Jack asked.
“Not funny, Jack.”
“It’s funny in my head,” he smiled.
