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“So,” she said, a bit hesitantly, “is it just the four of you going to Switzerland?”
I knew what she was getting at, and I still hadn’t quite figured out how to tell people about Rachel’s passing without eliciting sympathetic looks and nods for the remainder of the conversation.
I missed Rachel. I would always miss Rachel, and a piece of my heart would always belong to her. But I knew I needed to move forward with my life, even if only for the girls’ sake.
“Yeah, it is. The girls’ mother—my wife—passed away a few years ago.”
Skye’s head immediately tilted to the side in the look of sympathy and pity that I knew all too well.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Owen. That must have been so hard on you guys.”
“It was, yeah. Thank you for saying that.”
She was quiet for a moment. This was the second part of this conversation I always hated; no one knew what to say next. Myself included.
“I hope you’re not spending the holidays alone,” I said, trying to change the subject from my own misery.
“Oh, no. The rest of my family is all on here somewhere,” she said, gesturing around herself.
“Oh really? Your parents, too?”
“Yep, everyone. Sierra and her family, and Luke and his family.”
“I’ll have to say hello to them when we land. I haven’t seen any of them in so long.”
“I’m sure they’ll love to see you. My parents always had a soft spot for you, you know?”
“They did? What do you mean by that?”
“Well, they always wanted me to hang out with you more. They thought you were a good influence on me.”
I couldn’t resist a laugh. Me? A good influence on her? I guess I was always encouraging her to do her homework and get home on time for dinner, but I got us into some pretty dangerous situations as kids.
There was one time when we were playing at the creek, looking for frogs like we always did, and I decided I wanted to build a bridge to cross to the other side. Skye was hesitant, but she gave in eventually. Unfortunately, my bridge building skills were (and still are) completely nonexistent, so the moment we set foot on the contraption, it crumbled below us.
We fell into the creek, onto the slippery and sharp rocks, and got completely soaking wet and muddy. There were even rumors of a rabid badger living near the creek, but no one I knew had ever seen it in person.
We tromped home, trying to come up with a cover story, and I told Skye just to lie and say we got caught in the rain. Never mind the fact that it hadn’t rained in over a month. She agreed, but both of us ended up grounded for far too long.
I found it hard to believe her parents thought of me as a good influence, but I wasn’t going to argue with her about it.
“Well, I don’t know about that,” I said with a laugh. “But they were always so great to me. They were more like parents to me than my mom ever was.”
She smiled sadly. Skye knew all about my dad leaving us when I was just two years old, and my mom’s struggles with addiction. My brother and I essentially raised ourselves, which meant we got into some trouble, especially as teenagers.
But Mr. and Mrs. Harris were always next door, waiting for me with open arms. They fed me dinner more times than I can count. They bought me new shoes when mine got a hole worn through the bottom. They helped me take my cat to the vet when I thought for sure she had eaten some of my mom’s pills. And they let me stay the night whenever I needed an escape.
“They will be thrilled to see you. And meet your girls.”
“I can’t wait to see them,” I said with a smile.
Skye sat back into her seat, and I hoped the conversation wasn’t over, but I wasn’t sure what to say next. We used to have such an easy time talking to each other about anything and everything, but time had clearly taken its toll.
“Skye,” I said across the aisle.
She turned to me, and I had to pause for a second before I could continue speaking. That sparkle in her eyes was still there. It was like she had a secret; one I could never figure out.
“Yeah?”
