Page 11 of Like A Daydream
“He called Berlin before calling us,” her mom confirms. “They’re flying in tomorrow.”
“What about Jack’s parents?”
“I’m guessing Erick told them, too,” her mom answers, “but I can’t know for sure. He didn’t say anything and hung up pretty quickly. Emerson was his only family.”
“Surprised her parents are flying in that quickly,” Danielle says, rubbing a hand over her face. “With the way they moved to Europe without Erick and Emerson.”
“She’s their daughter, Danielle,” her dad says, “of course they’re going to want to make… the proper arrangements.”
She can’t believe she’s having a casual conversation about her best friend’s funeral at her kitchen table like they’re talking about the weather.
“Honey, are you okay?” her mom asks her, reaching to take her other hand. “You’re taking this more calmly than we thought you would.”
“How did you expect me to respond?” Danielle asks. “You’ve just shown up at my house and told me my best friend, my platonic soulmate, is dead.”
She breaks out into hysterical laughter, and her dad moves to the chair next to her.
“There it is,” her dad says gently as her laughter turns into sobs and she collapses against his shoulder.
An inhuman noise rips from Danielle’s throat.
He wraps his arms around her as best as he can from the awkward angle they’re sitting at and Danielle hides her face in his shirt. Like she’s four years old again and dad was going to save her from the problems of the world.
“It’s alright,” he says, rubbing her back, “let it out. There’ll be more where this is coming from.”
Her mom scoots her chair and hugs Danielle from the other side, handing her one of the fabric hankies she keeps under her watch. She combs her fingers through Danielle’s hair as she cries, unsure of what else she can do other than let the sudden pain wash over her.
“I’m so sorry,” her mother says, her voice cracking as she tries her best to hold Danielle together. “Dani, I’m so sorry.”
Danielle pulls away from her parents and wipes her eyes, but the tears don’t stop coming. This wasn’t how today was supposed to go.
Emerson was supposed to come to the store with Jack, and then Danielle would have them both over for pizza so they could make Harper her birthday cake.
Tomorrow was her party and they would be so overrun by gifts that they would have no idea what to do with.
Harper would be so happy that Danielle got her that stuffed Unicorn from the local toy store.
Harper.
“What about Harper?” Danielle asks, hiccupping as she speaks. “Where’s Harper?”
“She’s in your room, asleep,” her dad says, “Emerson’s brother asked if we could watch her until arrangements are made.”
Danielle shoves back from the table and runs up the stairs, slowing to a walk before she reaches her bedroom door so that she can have some semblance of calm on her face.
She cracks the door, letting in just enough light to see that the little girl is curled up on top of her bed, arm wrapped a soft, plush giraffe that Danielle had gotten her the year before.
Danielle sighs in relief, but her heart breaks all over again as she closes the door and collapses against it in tears. How is she supposed to look that little girl in the face and tell her that her mom and dad aren’t coming back, and it wasn’t her fault?
“They don’t know who is going to take care of her,” her dad says softly. “We don’t know if Jack and Emerson had a will, so Erick is looking into taking temporary custody while their parents try to figure it all out.
“There’s no need,” Danielle says with a sigh, sniffing and wiping her eyes with her sleeve. “I’m taking her.”
“Sweetheart,” her mom says gently, “that’s really kind of you, but her family will want what’s best for her. And being in their care is what’s best for her.”
“No, mom,” Danielle says, shaking her head. She pushes off the door. “It’s not what Jack and Emerson wanted.”
“We don’t know what they wanted, because we don’t know if they left a will or not,” her father repeats, both of her parents following down the hallway to the spare room where Danielle keeps her office.
