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When I was eleven, he told me how his parents abandoned him when he was just a little boy. I’d never heard such a horrible thing before. The thought of my own parents leaving the house one day and never ever returning, leaving me to fend for myself, was horrifying.
A slow, sardonic smile crosses his face. “Yup. You got that right.”
“Look, I’d like to be Lily’s friend. Is that going to be okay with you, or would you rather I stay away?”
Several seconds of him not looking at me tick by before he answers. “I think you’d be a good friend for her. She needs that.”
“Hopefully, she won’t suddenly ditch me for some random-ass reason.”
He lets out a quick laugh. “Okay, little snark queen. I was an asshole, but I had my reasons.”
“Good to know,” I reply. “Maybe someday you’ll clue me in.”
Silently, he walks me to the other side of the barn and pulls the door open.
Before I leave, I turn to face him. He’s standing so close to me that I can smell his cologne—familiar, woodsy, herbal. My forehead comes to his chin, and I secretly hope I don’t grow any taller.
“Alex… I don’t know if you remember the time we spent together years ago, but you were really good with me. You were incredibly patient. We talked about so much. You taught me all about creativity and believing in myself. And you believed me when I needed you to. You really were my best friend, as weird as that sounds.” I swallow the crackling emotion feathering into my voice. “What I’m trying to say is, I think you would’ve been a great dad. I wish my father had spent time with me like you did. I think Lily will see that she’s lucky to have you.”
His eye softens, turning a darker chocolaty hue. “I guess you were kinda my best friend, too. You inspired me, and you helped me through some really bad times,” he says in a low, gravelly voice. “Lily is gonna be lucky to have you.”
The moment stretches with heart-tugging silence. I swallow hard and finally tear my gaze from his, not wanting to go but knowing now is the time I should.
Cherry lifts her head as I leave, but she doesn’t get up to walk me to the edge of the woods like she used to. I realize with a pang in my heart that it’s too far for her to walk now.
I bend down to kiss her forehead. “I’ll be back, Cherry,” I whisper. “I promise.”
“Penny…wait.”
I turn to see Alex coming out of the barn, pulling a small red wagon. My bottom lip quivers as he gently lifts Cherry and places her in the wagon. I almost lose it completely when Cherry wags her tail with excitement, her doggy face smiling.
Alex grabs the wagon handle and starts walking with me. “One of her favorite things was walking you back and forth to make sure you were safe. I’m gonna make sure she still gets to do that.”
All I can do is smile tearfully and nod. My heart is bursting. Any words I could possibly say are tangled up in a big ball of emotion in my throat.
We barely talk on the way through to the other side of the woods, but I take a few pictures of Cherry in her wagon to cherish. I may have even snuck a few photos of Alex, who laughed and kept putting his hand up in front of the camera. I long to print some and hang them on the string in the shed, but I doubt Alex will let me. That was Bri’s special hobby. Not mine.
As I wave goodbye to them from my own backyard, I idly spin the little ruby heart ring on my finger.
I feel like forever just started again.
Chapter 13
PENNY
“I’m going to the salon, honey. Do you want to come along? Maybe they can squeeze you in for a manicure while I’m getting my hair done.”
I look up from my journal to glance at Mom in my bedroom doorway. That’s a tempting offer. My nails haven’t seen the inside of a salon in about six months. But it’s also eight a.m. on a Saturday and I’m not even dressed yet.
“No, but thanks for asking,” I reply. “Maybe next time.”
“Are you sure? We can grab lunch after.”
“I’m sure. I think I’m going to text Lily and see if she wants to hang out.”
Mom’s forehead creases. “Is Lily a new friend?”
“I mentioned her the other day. Remember, we walked home together? She’s Alex’s daughter.”
She rummages through her purse and pulls out her sunglasses. “Alex who?”
“Alex Fox.”
Perching the sunglasses on the top of her head, she says, “The garbage guy?”
I let out a sigh. “Mom, really? He makes recycled sculptures. It’s art.”
“I didn’t know he had a daughter. Where has she been all this time?”
