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But that wouldn’t have worked with my grandparents. They had money and the law on their side. I probably would’ve ended up in jail if I’d been at the house when they’d shown up. Because I wouldn’t have let them take her, that’s for damn sure.
My epiphany was not something I wanted to dwell on. It was in the past and I was doing my best to focus on the future.
“Billy’s wedding is in a couple of weeks. It’s gonna be at his place. Jimmy’s not happy about havin’ to wear a tux. Hell, I’m pretty sure he’ll be barefoot when he ties the knot, which I expect is gonna happen real soon. If Billy hadn’t beat him to it, I think he would’ve already made it legal with Isabella.”
More pictures began to populate in my head. Skylar was walking toward me wearing a white dress, and a veil. I saw me lifting the veil and leaning down to kiss her. I saw Luna beside us wearing a pretty sparkle pink dress.
The thing was, these didn’t register in my brain like fantasies. They were more like memories. Just like when I’d seen her behind the bar, that was how real the images were.
Clearing my throat, I pushed those ideas out of my head. I knew I was gettin’ ahead of myself, admitting I loved Skylar, babies, and marriage was straitjacket time. I would be crazy to be thinkin’ about that stuff.
So why did it feel completely sane, like the most natural next step?
I took a deep breath and rubbed my hands on my jeans. There was one more thing that I needed to talk to my mama about. Something that I had no idea what to do.
“There’s a man who wants to talk to me about you, about your accident. Do you remember Jerry Samson? He worked over at the auto shop. Isabella’s dad, remember I told you about him, Miles Santini, he hired a private investigator out in California, and he found Jerry in Alaska. He says that he has information about the accident.
“No one knows about the note. I’ve never told anyone about it.” I’d never even brought it up to my mama before when I visited her grave. “If I talk to him, I’m scared that he’s going to have evidence. Evidence that will prove it wasn’t an accident. I just don’t want you to be remembered like that. I don’t want Billy and Jimmy and Cheyenne to know that you left them.” Like I do.
I didn’t want them to carry around the burden I’d been carrying.
“What should I do?” I asked.
In the movies after someone asks for guidance when they are sitting in a graveyard, a gust of wind suddenly flares up or a person they wouldn’t expect to see shows up and gives them sage advice. There’s a sign that gives the protagonist some clue as to what to do.
This wasn’t the movies. There was no wind. There was no one else here but me. No curse. No ghosts. Just me.
I stood to leave, feeling just as confused as when I sat down and I noticed something shiny sitting on the top of Mama’s gravestone. I reached down and when I picked it up, I saw that it was her firefly necklace. The one that she’d worn every day.
I turned the charm over and read the inscription: A firefly shines in the darkest of nights. Never let the world dim your light.
I looked around for someone, whoever had put this here. There was no one.
Chills ran down my arms as I stared down at the necklace laying in my palm.
This made no sense; she was buried with this. How had it ended up on top of her tombstone?
Was this it?
Was this my sign?
If it was, I still had no clue what I should do.
