Harlow gently pets my head. “Unexpected things can bring sadness, but they can also bring the best things in life,” she mentions softly.
I raise my head to look at her.
Because what she says is crazy, ridiculous… and probably true.
Couldn’t he use a doorbell?Butnoooo,let’s just knock.
It stirs up some therapeutic nonsense that someone offered after Zac’s passing. I vaguely remember the wordsthat knocks means right decisions, positive change, a message from a spirit, a soul mate…
Huffing out a breath, I open the door with gusto.
“It’s me… again.” Nash has an uncomfortable look on his face.
I crane my neck and tip my nose up to search for his luggage. “Changed your mind? There are no suitcases.”
Nash steps through the threshold without a care in the world. “In my car, and I’ll get it later.”
Closing the door, I follow him to the living room where he plops himself onto the couch as if he owns the place.
“Where’s Bo?”
“Sleeping. He does that a lot in case you’re wondering. Speaking of which, what is your experience with babies on a scale of one to ten?”
“Probably a two.” He doesn’t seem bothered. At least he’s honest.
“And how do you want to handle the schedule? Are you just going to come and go as you please?”
He kicks his feet up on the coffee table, bringing his crossed arms behind his head, and I stomp right over and strip his feet off back onto the floor. “I’ll work around you guys, handle everything I need to while I’m in Lake Spark.”
“Fine.” I pick up a baby blanket on the floor and begin to fold it to keep my hands occupied. “Dishwasher and garbage, those are your chores.”
Nash chuckles. “Didn’t realize I would have a sticker chore chart. Do I get ice cream at the end of the week if I’m good?” He’s mocking me.
I throw him a tight smile. “Funny.”
He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees, his hands hanging between his thighs. “Seriously, do you need anything? The house all good?”
I take myself down a notch to bring neutrality to the room. “It’s fine. I’ve only had this house since right before Zac passed. He was insistent that he buy it, and in a rush, too. We didn’t have a lot of time once he found out that he was terminal. In fact, in the end, he didn’t even sleep here since I moved in while he was in the hospital. Still, I’m sure his spirit is here.”
Nash seems to register my meaning. “He wanted to ensure you and Bo were taken care of.”
I toss the blanket onto the arm of the sofa, giving up on folding it properly. “That’s him. He kept saying to me‘Don’t worry, Summer. I’ve made sure that you have everything you’ll need, I promise.’”The pure thought causes my lips to curve.
Perching on the sofa arm almost exhausted, I reach up to find the charm of my necklace to twist between my fingers.
“Everything made sense in his head,” Nash notes.
“So it seems.” I bring my charm to my mouth, a habit.
“What is it?”
At first, I don’t understand, but then I see Nash with his eyes set on my fingers.
“This?” I hold it up and affection warms my face. “It’s a treasure chest.” Nash seems surprised, and his eyes widen slightly. “Zac got it for me.”
To me it’s normal, but Nash’s eyes are lasered in on my chain, and most of all, I can’t help but notice his eyes have darkened. A shiver runs down my body all the way to my toes.
“A lucky guess on the charm since I never mentioned my ridiculous theory of the mystical lake. He got it for me after we…”
