“Do you ever fall asleep up here?” I asked.
“All the time.”
I leveled her with a look. “And you’re not worried about gettingmurdered that way? Literally a sitting duck on the roof?”
“Well, at least they’d know someone from the building did it.”
I sighed, grabbing extra towels from the rack by the pool and walking to Jessie’s chair.
“Lay back.”
She quirked an eyebrow at me but did as I asked. I covered her legs with one towel and her upper half with the other.
“Want me to tell you a bedtime story or would you rather me sing a song?”
“Seriously, Ben? What are you doing?”
“Becoming your best friend.”
“Jockey,” she warned. I settled into the pool chair next to her and covered myself in towels, too.
“What’s the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?”
“No. Back up. You were going to sing to me? What song?”
“Paradise.”
“Like Coldplay or like Guns N’ Roses?” she asked.
“Neither. John Prine. That Muhlenberg County song from Kentucky. My mom used to sing it when we couldn’t sleep.”
“That’s surprisingly sweet,” she said, looking at me with puppy dog eyes.
“I’m going to ignore the shrouded insult in there.”
“Sorry. I’m still adjusting to you not being a total jock meathead thug.”
“I know. That’s why I’m being so forgiving,” I said with a grin. “Now answer my question. What’s the most relaxing place you’ve ever been?”
Jessie took a deep breath, closing her eyes for a moment. “I used to go to summer camp on a lake. Every night when the sun went down, my friends and I would sneak off for some quiet time, just watching the sunset over the lake. It was really nice.”
“Okay, great. I can work with that. Keep your eyes closed.”
That, of course, made her eyes pop open to give me a scathinglook.
“Promise I’m just helping here.” She closed her eyes and I went on. “Once upon a time, there was a girl named Jessalyn. She loved going away for summer camp with her friends. She did camp stuff all day, like capture the flag, greased watermelon contests, and cafeteria food fights.”
Jessie giggled, but kept her eyes closed. She looked so pretty with her head cocked to the side, going with me as I painted her a mental picture.
“After one especially tiring day, she and her new best friend, Ben,” she giggled again, “snuck away from the campfire to watch the sun set over the lake. She was so exhausted from a long day of camp fun, but she was glad to be in the calming presence of her bestie, Ben. Ben and Jessalyn listened to the wind rustling through the trees lining the lake, the bugs chirping, and the birds singing their goodnight songs.”
I looked over to find Jess’s face relaxed. I softened my voice and kept going.
“She had on a cozy sweatshirt and felt the warmth of her friend Ben’s company. The smell of the campfire was in her hair, the taste of burnt marshmallows on her tongue. She closed her eyes against the pinks and oranges of the sunset, enjoying the final moments of a good day.”
I stopped talking and she didn’t move. Her breathing was long and steady. I checked my phone. Almost 2 a.m.
I knew she slept up there alone sometimes, but I couldn’t in good conscience leave her up there by herself. So, I settled in and went to sleep myself.
