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“I met Sarah a little more than a month ago,” Alana whispered, just loud enough for Jeremy to hear. She spread her hands across her thighs and prayed she wouldn’t upset him more than he already was. “She collapsed on the boardwalk during a run. I was terrified for her, but mostly, I saw myself in her. I was a model for years and years. I never got as bad as some of my friends, who starved themselves away to nothing.”
Slowly, Jeremy lifted his face from his outstretched hands. He blinked twice, like a child.
“She didn’t want my help at all,” Alana continued, swiping a tear from her cheek. “But one day, I invited her over to The Copperfield House to try some of my mom’s cooking. I couldn’t believe it when she said yes. Slowly, she ate that first meal and chatted with Mom and me and Julia. I…”
She shook her head against this final sentiment, then pushed herself to say it.
“I always, always wanted children, Jeremy,” Alana whispered. “I guess, each time Sarah came around, I was allowed to pretend like I had this special relationship with a young woman who looked up to me.”
Jeremy swallowed several times, clearly speechless. Above him, Todd looked just as stricken. In a small part of her brain, Alana allowed herself to laugh at the two ex-high school jocks, brought down by their immense love for a teenage girl who needed them.
Sensing that Jeremy still didn’t have words for her, not yet, Alana shrugged and whispered, “Why don’t we just grab a drink? We can talk about everything.”
Finally, Jeremy locked eyes with hers.
After a long, staggered pause, he whispered, “Okay. I’d like that.”
