My cheeks burned. Sophie couldn’t have known Billy would already be gone. I made sure to keep my eyes on Arlo and not see if anyone had noticed me blushing. Over the past week, I had to have been a hot topic in the Dupree household.
I can’t even imagine what Anna must be going through right now with me dead in the ground.
I winced. Sophie never did mince words, but geez.
But I know one thing—she needs all the love she can get, and she needs to be surrounded by it. Completely. At the end of three months, the three of you can decide how to proceed. But I’m asking that you take this seriously and do this one last thing for me. Please. Love my girl. All to pieces.
“All to pieces” was a Dupree thing. A ranch thing. Bo and Jenny had said it a lot when their kids were younger. We love you. All to pieces. Do the job and do it right. All to pieces.
It was thepleasethat got me, and I didn’t need to think about it for another second. It might be crazy and uncomfortable to live with detached, apathetic Silas, but if this was what Sophie wanted, then I would do it. Three months was nothing in the grand scheme of things.
Mr. Llewellyn paused to open a water bottle on the table and take a gulp. “We’re almost done.” He swigged and replaced the cap.
Anna, your natural inclination might be to stay at Granny and Gramp’s house, but let’s be honest—you need young parents. People with enough energy to keep up with all the adventures you’re going to have. College, world travel, marriage—parents who can love on your babies. And Uncle Si and Aunt Lemon will be there for every minute of it. They love you SO much.
And so do I. All of you.
Oh, and Ford, sorry I made you stick around for this. You’ll get over it.
Ashton snorted into his fist. Ford glared at him.
Mom and Dad needed you nearby this week. So thank you for staying.
Ford caved at that. The corners of his mouth turned up almost happily, and his expression softened.
All my love,
Forever,
Sophie
We all sat there for a few seconds, silent. I squirmed in my seat, a thousand thoughts in my head.
Finally, Jenny broke the silence. “I could’ve done that.” She blew her nose into the tissue.
Bo rubbed her back. “I know you could. She must have her reasons.”
Mr. Llewellyn held up the letter. “That’s it. That’s all she wanted.” Jenny reached for the letter. He handed it to her, and she started skimming. “Just to be clear. The ninety days begin today. It’s May seventh. So, it will last until August seventh.”
Mr. Llewellyn held his hands out. “I know you all have questions, and I’ve blocked out the rest of my schedule today to stay and answer them. But there’s one more piece of unfinished business.” He reopened the manila folder and pulled out two more envelopes identical to the first. “These are to be read three months from now only when the living period has been completed. She was very strict about that.”
He handed the first to me. My name was swirled in Sophie’s fat, perfect cursive:
She dotted the I with a heart just like she always did. Seeing my name in her handwriting made my throat close up, and I blinked back tears. He walked over to Silas and gave him the other envelope. Silas barely gave it a glance before his hand fell to his side. His cheeks were flushed and I couldn’t tell if he was embarrassed, angry, or both.
“Can we talk now?” Holden asked.
“Please.” Mr. Llewellyn nodded, opening the floor.
Holden talked at the ceiling. “Good grief, Sophie. Shoulda known you’d go out with flair.”
Ashton went next. “Do they have to do it? What if one of them just, I dunno, doesn’t want to? I mean, how can Sophie dictate their lives for the next three months?”
“I’m in,” I blurted. They could argue and complain and chalk it up to Sophie’s hardheadedness, her need to boss everyone around—but for me, if it was what Sophie wanted, I could at least do this one last thing for my best friend.
“Me too,” said Anna with a resolute nod. “It’ll be fun.” She turned to the final part of the equation, along with everyone else. “Please, Uncle Si?”
Silas pounded his fist against his temple. A vein bulged in his neck and he shook his head, looking livid. “Damn it, Sophie.” His eyes slid sideways to me for a split second and then he strode out of the room, the envelope slapping against his thigh.
