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“Well, you know that and I know that… We sent him home. He said Catie sat him down and gave him a double whisky, made him eat a whole bowl of pasta and double portion of rice pudding, then put him to bed, and he slept eight hours straight. He’s much better today.”
“Oh, the joys of fatherhood.”
“Yeah.”
She smiles at me. “Something you’re thinking of exploring soon?”
“I don’t know why everyone’s so keen on me becoming a parent. I’m twenty-six.”
“Twenty-seven soon. Halfway to fifty-four.”
That makes me laugh. “Cheers.”
She grins. “Do you want kids?”
“Dunno. Haven’t thought about it.”
I lean back as the waitress comes over with my coffee and our sandwiches. Kennedy hands Eddie a sippy cup, then has a big bite of her sandwich.
I crunch into mine. I was at work by seven this morning and I haven’t had time for a snack, so I’m ravenous.
She wipes some ketchup off her top lip, then says, “How was the wedding?”
“Good. Apart from the earthquake.”
“Yeah, I heard about that. No damage, I take it?”
“Nah, but it was scary for a minute. If anything, though, I think it spiced things up a bit. Makes you appreciate what you’ve got, you know?”
She meets my eyes and nods slowly, and I think then about Christian, and how she once told me she thinks about him every day.
“I thought about him,” I tell her softly. “When they were saying their vows. It made me sad to think he’ll never fall in love, or get married, or have kids.”
“Yeah,” she says. “That’s why we have to, so he can live vicariously.” She has another bite of her sandwich. “He’s watching us, you know.”
I drop my gaze to my plate and pick up a few crumbs with my finger. Despite the tragedy her family experienced, they remain religious, and I know she finds solace in the thought that Christian is with her at all times. I don’t agree, but I’d never try to pop someone else’s bubble. We all take comfort where we can.
“I know you don’t believe it,” she says. “And that’s okay. But he loved us, and I believe he watches over us. So you should go and do all the things he can’t. He’d like that.”
I dab the sandwich into the ketchup thoughtfully, wondering whether to confide in her. I love my brothers, but I’m closer to Kennedy than anyone, even my mother. Something happened in that sea cave that bound us together, and we’ve always had a special relationship.
“What’s her name?” she asks.
I look up at her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“Oh, come on,” she scolds, “I know you well enough. You’ve got a girl on your mind. Who is she?”
I lean back in my seat. We study each other for a moment.
She lifts her eyebrows.
I sigh. “She’s Alex’s sister.”
“Oh… not Gaby obviously… you mean Belle?”
“Yeah.”
Her brow furrows. “Isn’t she, like, fifteen?”
