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We settled onto the blanket and I handed him a napkin and half of my turkey BLT. I opened the bag of chips and set them and the orange slices between us.
“Help yourself,” I said as I stood to refill Thea’s water bowl.
She’d settled just off the blanket and was focusing on her snack.
“What’s Thea eating?”
“A yogurt and peanut butter frozen treat,” I said. “Well, it was frozen. It’s probably not much of a challenge for her now.”
Proving my words, Thea stood and took another drink of water. She sniffed at the bone I’d brought, but instead of settling down to chew it like she usually does, walked to the edge of the clearing to explore.
Adam and I ate in silence. Spending time with him…especially here…should be uncomfortable, but for some reason it’s not. And if I’m being honest, that scares me a little.
“How are you, Summer?”
I looked up and our eyes met, and for a moment, it was as if no time had passed. But then I remembered that nearly ten years have gone by and anything between us is in the past.
“I’m good.” I took a long drink of water. “You?”
“I’m good, too.”
“Your mom said you’re living in Dublin.”
I raised my voice on the last word, turning my sentence into a question.
“I am,” he said. “I’ve been there just about three years now.”
“Do you like it?”
“It’s as nice as anywhere else I’ve been.” He shrugged. “I work and travel a lot, so my homebase doesn’t really matter much.”
I nodded, acknowledging his words and focused on Thea as she sniffed at a tree a few feet away.
“I’m sorry I didn’t make it to Nanny Jules’s celebration of life party.”
My heart skipped a beat at his words. I had no idea what to say to that, so I remained silent.
“I’d just gotten a promotion and moved to Dublin.”
I half listened as he rattled on about meetings and flights, but if he’d wanted to come home, he would have. The fact that he didn’t for that or anything else since Andrew and Maggie’s wedding nearly ten years ago speaks volumes. And it really doesn’t matter anymore.
I opened my mouth to say that, but he spoke before I got the words out.
“Do you ever think about us, Summer?”
My mind spun with answers to that question. I think about us all the time, the same way I think about Nanny Jules. But neither of them are part of my present and I’m living my life without them.
Thea let out a loud yelp before I had to answer.
Adam and I both hopped up and ran to her side. I saw blood on the top of her right front paw as she held it up. I carefully cradled it in my hand as I searched for the source of the bleeding. It didn’t take me long to find it.
“Sit,” I said. She did as I told her, sniffing at her paw as I studied the broken nail. “Can you hold her head?” I asked Adam.
“Hey girl, you’re okay.” He placed his hands on either side of her head and massaged her ears with his thumbs. “Let your mom take a look so she can fix you. She’s a professional, you know.”
She whimpered a few times and as I studied the damage.
“Her nail is totally broken off on one side. I need to clip the other side off so it doesn’t rip and cause more damage.” I stood and tried to think of options for getting to the clinic. “Hopefully it will stay intact during the walk back.”
