Page 9 of Save Me
I grab my chest, overly dramatic. “You’re killing me.”
“I know, I know.”
“What about cooking out? We have a grill here, and the stove here is world class. I can grill while you do the sides?”
“Sounds like a plan.” She holds up her hand for a high-five.
Surprised, I automatically slap her one. “Let me show you around in there, and let you decide what you want to make. I’ll be in there in just a minute.”
Quickly, I pull Ash aside, explaining to him what’s happening.
“You want me to see what Emma and Syd are doing? That way they won’t be here by themselves?”
“Yes. That way they won’t feel out of place. I would really appreciate it.”
“I’m on it, and I’m happy for you, buddy. You thought you’d never see her again, and now this opportunity has been dropped in your damn lap. Don’t fuck it up, because we don’t get these much in our lives. You know that.”
He’s right. I had one before and was too stupid to realize what I had. There’s a reason I came upon them on the beach, there’s a reason they’re here today, and I’ll be damned if I don’t pay attention. Hell, I asked the universe to show me.
I see you. I hear you. I’m open.
CHAPTER SIX
AMY
An hour and a half later, I’m standing over a steaming stove, making mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, green beans, and broccoli. Beside me, Emma laughs as the boiling water for the mac and cheese comes up over the lip of the pot she’s using; it makes a hissing sound.
“That sounds like a snake,” Sydney, her and Ash’s daughter, giggles.
“It does, doesn’t it?” I grin over at her.
It’s been a long time since I was around a group of people, much less more than one kid. It’s interesting to me to see her personality compared to Rosa’s. I’ve been watching intently, trying to figure out if I’ve done what I should when it comes to my daughter. While Rosa is precocious, she’s very closed off to new people, typically. The way she’s attached herself to Gunner isn’t something I’ve ever seen her do before. Right now she’s outside with him, grilling. I can’t remember the last time she let me out of her sight long enough to hang out with someone she barely knows. The whole serial killer thing perpetrated by Eve probably has something to do with it, but I’m enjoying not being attached at the hip with her.
Sydney gives me a grin back before she runs away, probably to join everyone else outside.
“Are you doing okay?” Emma asks as she stirs her side of the stove. “I know it’s a lot to meet all these guys. It’s a lot to take in, and they don’t seem to realize it. They just grab you up and embrace you into their group, not realizing some people aren’t exactly as social as they are.”
“You’ve just described exactly how I feel.” I wipe my forehead. “I’m thankful for the invitation, and honestly Rosa’s never really had a dinner like this before, but it’s slightly overwhelming.”
Emma is quiet as she continues to take care of her side of the stove. She nods understandingly but remains quiet. I get the feeling she’s one of those people who seem to understand that you can have a companionable silence, which I appreciate. She doesn’t ask invasive questions either, although she’s commented about how nice it is to have another child around here.
“Even though they’re completely overwhelming, they’re all some of the most amazing men I’ve ever met in my life—especially Gunner,” she winks slyly.
“He seems to be a really great guy.”
“He’s one of the best. He and Ash have been best friends for years, and I’ve gotten to know him since Ash and I started dating.”
“How long has that been?” I ask, desperately wanting to get the attention off of me.
“We’ve known each other most of our lives.” She gets this dreamy smile. “And I watched from the sidelines as he got into a marriage he never should have been in, but it gave him Sydney. I truly can’t imagine my life without Sydney, so I do my best to believe that we all have our separate journeys to get to where we want to go. A little over a year ago, they came into the diner where I worked, and it was like he saw me differently. Maybe itwas the way I carried myself that day, maybe it was something else entirely, but we started dating, and now we’re engaged.” She shows me the ring.
“That’s beautiful!”
Her cheeks redden with more than the heat of the steam. “I think so. It means the world to me.”
I think back to my engagement ring. It had been his mother’s, and after the incident, she’d asked for it back. Since she was grieving her son as much as I was grieving losing my husband, I agreed to give it back. Now, I wish I had kept it so that when Rosa asks questions, I could show her something that had been her father’s.
“Okay, this looks done.”
