“Because I have the best view.”
She laughed and declared me full of it as I reached over and took her hands in mine. “What would you like to do with all this precious free time we have?” I certainly had a few suggestions if she didn’t.
She smiled as she took a peek at her phone. “There’s outdoor music tonight, kayaking, paddle boarding, biking…you call it.” She scrolled through the hotel website. But then she swiped off the website and began to send a text.
“Is everything okay?” I asked, noticing her look of concern.
She glanced up briefly, then kept typing. “I can’t remember if I told our moms where the prescription diaper rash medicine was. I picked it up from the pharmacy at lunchtime, and I think I put it on the counter near the fruit bowl.”
“I think I remember seeing a white bag there.”
“Okay, thanks.” She set down the phone and gave me a weak smile. “I feel like I should have told them a million things. But anyway, while we’re sitting here, I thought we could have a little discussion about things we haven’t had the time to talk about yet.”
Whoa. A discussion? Now? Couldn’t we do that under the covers?Instead, I asked, “Such as?”
“Like, I don’t know your favorite color. Your favorite drink. Your favorite book.”
She looked genuinely worried about this gap in knowledge, so I said, “Blue,Moby Dick,milk.”
She looked fake-shocked. “Moby Dick? Really? I’m not sure I can date you now.”
Okay, she’d chosen to discuss books over my love of milk. That was okay, because I loved books too. “Moby Dickall about the destructive power of obsession, the untamable power of nature, the conflict between humanity and nature, the limits of human knowledge…shall I go on?”
She held up her hands. “I’m good,” she said with a laugh.
“Can I guess yours?” I regarded her thoughtfully, tapping my fingers on the wrought iron patio table. “Your favorite color is that bright pink you always dress Rosie in. You lovePride and Prejudice, and as a girl, you used to stay up reading under the covers with a flashlight—and you could never limit yourself to one favorite book. And your favorite drink is…coffee.”
Her eyes narrowed suspiciously. “How did you know all of that?”
“Your mom might have told me the covers thing,” I confessed. Rather than look impressed or give me an eye roll or two, her gaze kept straying back to her phone.
“Ani,” I said to get her to look up. “What are you worried about this time?”
“Do you think she’s crying? You know that early evenings are her worst time. Do you think she notices that I’m gone? I forgot to take her laundry out of the dryer. What if she poops all over the place and there aren’t any sleepers left?”
I reached across the table and covered her hand with mine. “All I know is that we survived, so our mothers could probably handle a baby for one evening.”
“I’m sorry.” She pulled away her hand. “I didn’t think I’d be so stressed out. I was even wishing for that monitor app you can put on your phone so that you can actually see your baby from wherever you are.”
A hard no.“If this is too much, we can leave after dinner.” Her eyes teared up. “Hey, if you’re that worried, we can leave right now.”But I would really hate that.
“Do you mean that?” She swiped at her eyes.
“No, but I thought it sounded good.” When she reached for a tissue from her purse, I got worried. “Wait—are you crying? If you’re crying, let’s just leave right now. Time away isn’t worth it if you’re stressed.”
"It’s not the worry.” She shook her head as she blew her nose. “I’m thinking how kind you always are, even though I’m ruining our time away.” She squeezed my hand hard. “I may not know your favorite food, but I know what’s in your heart. And…you’re wonderful.”
“Pizza, hands down, for breakfast, lunch, and dinner,” I said to distract her. “Now you know everything important about me. And you’re not ruining anything.” I paused. “Wonderful, huh? Undeserved. But you should also know that I think you’re pretty wonderful too.”
“Did Liv want you to date?” Ani asked without preamble. Wow, she was really getting everything off her mind, wasn’t she? Did time off always do that to her? I sure hoped not.
I had to admit, her question threw me a little. But I remembered something that suddenly made me smile. “Actually, Liv told me once that I could never date anyone after she was gone. She even said that she was the only woman I was ever allowed to love.”
Ani looked solemn. “I get it. I would never want to give you up either.”
“Also undeserved but thank you. And if seeing how Dylan looks at you is any indication of my jealousy, I get it too.” I sighed. “Liv said that partly in jest, but I understood what she was feeling. It was hard, you know? Knowing she was going to die.” I shrugged and met Ani’s gaze.
“Do you think Liv would like me?” She was still holding my hand in a vice grip.
