Page 86 of The Summer We Started Over

“Of course. But first…” Barrett hesitated. “I mean, I can’t stay here too long today, and since Bobby’s at the beach and we can talk freely—Dove, you’re staying with us for, um, a while, right?”

Dove made a sound that was half laugh, half cough. “I am. I can’t be specific, but we do need to map things out. I’ve seen doctors, had tests run, trust me on this, I have gotten second and third opinions. I’ve been informed that I will basically be getting sicker, and weaker. And that the end could get pretty ugly. I’m hoping you two and your father will be able to keep Bobby distracted.”

“When should we take you to the hospital?” Eddie asked.

“I don’t want to go to a hospital. I want to be here. I’ve seen doctors. I’ve been in hospitals. I know I can’t be cured. I came here—” Dove bent her head, choking on a word, struggling for breath. “I came here because you two are the only ones I can count on to take Bobby.”

“Of course, we’ll take Bobby,” Eddie told her.

Dove held up her hand. “Wait. I also came here because I can trust you two to trust my judgment and my decisions. I want to die in my bed in my sleep.”

“But what do we tell Bobby?” Barrett cried. “I mean, Dove, think of him.”

“He’sallI think about,” Dove insisted. “I have prepared him. I’ve already told him that I’m going on a long trip soon. I told him he’ll stay with you while I’m on my trip, and many, many years later, he’ll see me again.”

“What?” Eddie said. “Aren’t you giving him a promise you can’t keep?”

“I’ll see him again. Just not on this earth.” Dove summoned up a smile. “That’s what I want you to tell him.”

“Dove,” Eddie protested.

Dove said, “That’s what I believe.”

“Good grief,” Barrett said. “This is too hard.”

Eddie moved a chair closer to Dove and sat down. “If that’s what you want us to tell him, that’s what we’ll tell him. We’ll do everything the way you want us to do it, Dove.”

Dove reached out and took Eddie’s hand. “I want you to adopt him, Eddie. Barrett, don’t be insulted—but you just started your store,I’ve been reading social media about it and the photos you’ve put on Pinterest are gorgeous. And Eddie is the oldest and she could work at home with her proofreading or whatever she does for Dinah, and when you have time, Barrett, you can help, if you want, and of course your father could be his real grandfather, I mean, he is his real grandfather.”

“What about your mother and father?” Eddie asked.

“I haven’t been in touch with either of them. They don’t even know about Bobby.”

“Oh, Dove,” Barrett said. “That’s so sad.”

“Barrett,” Dove responded, “when was the last time you spoke with your mother?”

Barrett rolled her eyes. “That’s different.”

Dove lifted an eyebrow. “What was that quote you used to repeat whenever you were mad at your parents?”

“Oh, right!” Eddie said. “The Khalil Gibran one.”

“I remember,” Barrett said. “Something about how your children come through you but they don’t belong to you…”

Suddenly, Dove was crying. “Weren’t we so cool? All the times we sat in the family room, talking about death and life and children and sex and—”

“—and we’d go crazy in your room, dancing to ‘Hollaback Girl’ and we wanted to be Rihanna—”

“—and we’d put on fabulous makeup and false eyelashes and fake tattoos—”

“And when we were real little, we’d dress up like fairies and haveour little fairy hideaway and your mom bought us all fairy costumes—”

“And your mom gave you a fairy birthday party and she gave us all wands and light sticks!”

Dove winced and turned her head away from them. She struggled to get her breath. “I’m tired,” she gasped.

“Do you want to go back to bed?” Eddie asked.

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