delivers exactly what I need. “I do. From head to toe, I do.”
Public displays of affection aren’t our norm, but I lean down anyway to kiss the top of his head… and maybe sniff his hair a little. “I love you, too.” He catches my hand when I step back, and he pulls it up to his face to kiss my palm. Reluctantly, I move away until the distance is too much and my fingers slip from his. “I’ll be right back.”
The bathroom’s clean, and they’ve added toilet seat covers since Thanksgiving, which was the last time we made this trip. It looks like we won’t make it to Savannah in time for lunch, so it’s a good thing we stopped. When I get back to our table, Wade’s still buried in his phone.
He glances up as I slide into the booth across from him. “Evelyn set up an event page for Van’s reception on Facebook.”
“Are you serious?” I laugh and pick up my shake to finish it off.
“Dead serious. Over sixty people have RSVP’d already.”
I pull out my own phone to see how overboard my mom’s gone with this shindig. The first alert in my notifications is an invitation to my brother’s special event. The cover photo is an amazing shot of Van and Corey embracing in front of a gigantic Christmas tree in the foyer of the house I grew up in. Platinum bands stand out on their ring fingers. They must be in New Orleans already. That makes sense, considering how much needs to be done over the next week. The staircase winds around them and the tree they’re standing in front of. A traditional sprig of mistletoe hangs a few feet away from them in the doorway of the dining room.
For a long moment, I’m so homesick that I can barely breathe. My mom’s outdone herself on the tree this year, with white lights and ornaments in at least a dozen shades of blue. The top of it disappears from view, extending to the second floor.
As much as I’ve dreaded this trip back home, I’m starting to feel equal parts excited. Perusing the confirmed guest list only increases the longing. “My grandfather’s coming,” I say. “It looks like my mom’s sister and her family are making the trip, too. I hope they’re staying through Christmas so you can meet them.”
My mother’s mother died during my sophomore year of college, and I’ve only seen Grandpa Bull a handful of times since then. The man spent thirty-five years in the Marines, thirty-three of those married to my grandmother, and he completely fell apart when she passed. He spent the first few years holed up in his workshop, making wind chimes and birdhouses and anything else he could think of to keep himself busy.
One of my brighter cousins, Lincoln, opened an eBay shop and started selling Bull’s wares online. My grandfather didn’t need the money, and he certainly didn’t want it. After the first year, he paid to take the entire family, my mom’s part included, on a Caribbean cruise. That was the last time I saw him, and it was a few months before I met Wade.
“I hope so, too.” I assume he’s still buried in the guest list, so I continue to scroll through the list of attendees. I pause at an old familiar name the exact moment Wade notices the same person. “Troya Bergeron Hart,” he says, finally looking up from his phone. “Bergeron. Is she…?”
She posted a message on the event wall.
We’ll be in town for the holidays to visit family. I’m so freaking happy for you and Corey. I love you both, and I can’t wait to see you and your family. Thank you for including us. xoxo
I exhale, close the app, and set my phone on the table between us. “Troya is Oliver’s cousin. She’s also Van’s best friend. A long time ago, she was my friend, too.”
Chapter Six
Then
Day after day, Oliver showed up at the cemetery, though we didn’t always leave for coffee. On the mornings she wasn’t busy with clients, Miss Verity had started packing a sack of breakfast for me. Whether it was ham and biscuits or freshly cut fruit, it was always enough
Public displays of affection aren’t our norm, but I lean down anyway to kiss the top of his head… and maybe sniff his hair a little. “I love you, too.” He catches my hand when I step back, and he pulls it up to his face to kiss my palm. Reluctantly, I move away until the distance is too much and my fingers slip from his. “I’ll be right back.”
The bathroom’s clean, and they’ve added toilet seat covers since Thanksgiving, which was the last time we made this trip. It looks like we won’t make it to Savannah in time for lunch, so it’s a good thing we stopped. When I get back to our table, Wade’s still buried in his phone.
He glances up as I slide into the booth across from him. “Evelyn set up an event page for Van’s reception on Facebook.”
“Are you serious?” I laugh and pick up my shake to finish it off.
“Dead serious. Over sixty people have RSVP’d already.”
I pull out my own phone to see how overboard my mom’s gone with this shindig. The first alert in my notifications is an invitation to my brother’s special event. The cover photo is an amazing shot of Van and Corey embracing in front of a gigantic Christmas tree in the foyer of the house I grew up in. Platinum bands stand out on their ring fingers. They must be in New Orleans already. That makes sense, considering how much needs to be done over the next week. The staircase winds around them and the tree they’re standing in front of. A traditional sprig of mistletoe hangs a few feet away from them in the doorway of the dining room.
For a long moment, I’m so homesick that I can barely breathe. My mom’s outdone herself on the tree this year, with white lights and ornaments in at least a dozen shades of blue. The top of it disappears from view, extending to the second floor.
As much as I’ve dreaded this trip back home, I’m starting to feel equal parts excited. Perusing the confirmed guest list only increases the longing. “My grandfather’s coming,” I say. “It looks like my mom’s sister and her family are making the trip, too. I hope they’re staying through Christmas so you can meet them.”
My mother’s mother died during my sophomore year of college, and I’ve only seen Grandpa Bull a handful of times since then. The man spent thirty-five years in the Marines, thirty-three of those married to my grandmother, and he completely fell apart when she passed. He spent the first few years holed up in his workshop, making wind chimes and birdhouses and anything else he could think of to keep himself busy.
One of my brighter cousins, Lincoln, opened an eBay shop and started selling Bull’s wares online. My grandfather didn’t need the money, and he certainly didn’t want it. After the first year, he paid to take the entire family, my mom’s part included, on a Caribbean cruise. That was the last time I saw him, and it was a few months before I met Wade.
“I hope so, too.” I assume he’s still buried in the guest list, so I continue to scroll through the list of attendees. I pause at an old familiar name the exact moment Wade notices the same person. “Troya Bergeron Hart,” he says, finally looking up from his phone. “Bergeron. Is she…?”
She posted a message on the event wall.
We’ll be in town for the holidays to visit family. I’m so freaking happy for you and Corey. I love you both, and I can’t wait to see you and your family. Thank you for including us. xoxo
I exhale, close the app, and set my phone on the table between us. “Troya is Oliver’s cousin. She’s also Van’s best friend. A long time ago, she was my friend, too.”
Chapter Six
Then
Day after day, Oliver showed up at the cemetery, though we didn’t always leave for coffee. On the mornings she wasn’t busy with clients, Miss Verity had started packing a sack of breakfast for me. Whether it was ham and biscuits or freshly cut fruit, it was always enough
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