He hesitated, searching her face. “Lily’s worried.”
Mary’s heart clenched. “She doesn’t need to worry. I’ll check on her.”
Her son lingered another moment, then nodded slowly. He came over, kissed her temple, the gesture old and automatic, before moving to the door. He turned.
“If you need me, all you have to do is ask. And try not to stay up all night like you’ve been doing. It’s not healthy.”
“Are you the pot or the kettle?” she teased weakly.
He gave her a smile and a wink. “I’m young. My body can take it.”
She grabbed her pillow and threw it at him. He laughed, then ducked out the door. Mary let out a breath and told herself to pull it together. She didn’t want her children or grandchildren worrying.
She heard lighter footsteps in the hallway and knew the night was just beginning. She forced a smile as Lily opened her door.
“Grandma?” Her voice was tender as she stepped into the room. Rain was still glittering in her dark hair. She looked so much like her mother that for a dizzy second, Mary saw double.
“Come here, Sweetie.”
Lily crossed the room, sat next to Mary, and curled up against her. The feel of her granddaughter was grounding and ghostly at once. Mary buried her face in Lily’s hair.
“I’m fine, sweetheart. I just miss someone.”
Lily nodded, serious beyond her twenty-two years of life. “You’ve always told me that when you miss someone, speak to them, that they can hear us all the way from heaven.”
Mary’s throat ached. “Do you think she hears us?”
“Yes.” Lily looked up. “I like to talk to her too, sometimes.”
Mary’s hand trembled. “She loved you more than anything in this world.”
“I know,” Lily said softly. “Sometimes when I can’t sleep, I hear her voice. It doesn’t sound sad anymore. Just tired.”
Mary swallowed hard. “That’s what I hear, too.”
“What were you saying to her?” Lily asked.
Mary brushed hair from her face. “I was just talking. You have your mom’s heart. So much of her lives inside you.”
Lily rested her head on Mary’s shoulder. “Then she’s not gone.”
Mary’s tears dripped silently. “No, she’ll always be with us.”
Outside, the wind brushed the windows like fingertips. The shadows shifted across the walls, and for an instant, Mary thought she saw her daughter again, watching them both, smiling, loving them as they loved her.
Then it vanished.
Lily sat with her for a long while before leaving. Mary wasn’t alone long before another knock sounded at her door. Did people have a timer on their phones so she wouldn’t be left alone for too long? If so, it would drive her insane.
“Come in,” she called, knowing it wasn’t family. They might knock, but they opened the door right after.
Harmony stepped in quietly, shadows beneath her eyes, but still controlled—overlycontrolled, Mary thought.
“You look terrible,” Mary said.
“Thanks. Right back at you.” Harmony gave her a faint smile.
“What are you doing here?” Mary asked.
