Page 44 of Mine Forever
I frown. “What else?”
“You need to give some sort of inspirational speech.”
“Obviously.”
“Your expenses will be covered and you’ll be paid a speaking fee.”
She tells me the fee, which is generous but means little to me. I’ll only turn around and donate it to something on the island.
“What’s the charity for?” I ask.
“Childhood cancer. It’s near and dear to their hearts.”
I pinch the bridge of my nose. It’s one of the few causes that I can really get behind.
Truth be told, I love kids and want my own someday.
I’d been so close to having that dream come true.
But everything changed four years ago.
More like ten years ago when I lost the woman in front of me.
God, this sucks.
I sigh. “So what happens if you don’t find a speaker?”
She slides off the stool and gathers our plates and cups. Without another word, she begins cleaning the kitchen, avoiding my stare.
There’s more to the story here.
Given our history, it took guts for her to find me and ask me for anything.
And yet she did.
“What are you not telling me, Eden?”
She glances up at me for a moment before focusing back on scrubbing the bacon pan. “What do you mean?”
“What happens if you don’t find a speaker?”
Her shoulders slump, and when her gaze meets mine, shadows cross her eyes. “I lose everything.”
TWELVE
eden
FOUR YEARS AGO
Manhattan
The sprayof bright yellow roses on top of the casket look garishly happy considering the occasion.
Chase stands there alone, his pitching arm in a sling, shoulders slumped, staring at it.
Most of the attendees of the funeral have walked away, sniffling into their tissues, murmuring things like…
“She died way too soon.”
