I look at Zack, then back at Lily, my heart heavy. I thought we were beyond this. “Your mommy’s in heaven, honey.”
“I know. But I thought maybe she talked to God an’ he let her come back.”
“It doesn’t work that way, honey.”
“I knew you’d say that.” She turns her eyes on me, as blue and clear as the Caribbean. “But would it be okay if we go check?”
I don’t know how to answer. I look at Zack.
He meets my gaze, then lifts an eyebrow. “Hey—weren’t you supposed to call Sarah?”
I give him a grateful smile. “Oh, right—I was!” I push back my chair. “Excuse me a moment. We’ll talk more about this when I come back.”
Zack nods and gives me a secret thumbs-up. “Lily and I will clean up.”
I go into my office and call Sarah. “Sorry to interrupt you at dinnertime,” I say.
“That was an hour ago,” she says. I hear loud toddler shrieks in the background. “This is letting-the-heathens-unleash-their-limitless-energy-outside time.”
I laugh, then explain about Lily wanting to visit Brooke’s house. I remind her that the therapist in Alexandria had cautioned that it might confuse Lily to return there.
“I think Lily’s a lot further along in the grief and recovery process than that therapist thought,” Sarah says. “It’s very common for bereaved children to fantasize that their loved one is in the last place they saw them alive.”
“Really?”
“Yes. And anyway, now that Lily’s living just a block away instead of in Alexandria, it’s natural that she’d want to go back. So yes, I definitely think you should take her. It’ll help her get some closure.”
“That’s what I thought, too, but I wanted to get a professional’s opinion.”
“I think your instincts about Lily are solid and right,” Sarah says. “You need to start trusting them.”
“Thanks, Sarah.” I hesitate. “There’s one more thing I’d like some professional advice about.”
“Let me guess. Zack?”
“How did you know?”
“Just a feeling.” I can hear the smile in her voice. “What’s up?”
“Jessica’s divorcing him. He’s staying here in New Orleans.”
“Get out!”
“I’m serious.”
“Wow. I figured they were having some troubles, but... wow!”
“Yeah. Zack wants to discuss how much—or how little—I wanthim in Lily’s and the baby’s lives. And mine, as well. What do you advise?”
“Oh, Quinn, honey—you’re the only one who can answer that.”
“But what’s best for Lily and the baby?”
“The closer the relationship children have with both parents, the better. That’s all I can tell you.”
“So... what do you think? Weekly? Every other week? Twice a week? Every other day?”
“You need to figure out what works for both of you,” she says. “Relationships are like most things in life; it’s usually a good idea to start slowly, see how things go, and adjust as necessary.”
