“Nothing like killing two birds with one stone, right?” Eve tilted her head, the corner of her mouth curving up. “We’ll have to get you a kilt.”
“I don’t think so. You know very well that I’m of Greek descent, not Scottish.”
“Ah, but Scottish myth says that the country was founded by Greek prince Goídel Glas and his wife Scota. She was the daughter of the Pharaoh.”
Darius stared at her, the corner of his mouth twitching. He loved that Eve hadn’t stopped being a trivia queen.
“And all this time I thought it was Brutus of Troy who founded Britain,” he said dryly.
“I’m surprised you know that much. But there is a connection, so embrace it.”
“We’ll see. Do you want any dessert?”
“No. My Cherrywine float was plenty.”
When the waitress put the ticket on the table, Eve reached for it. Darius grabbed it, feeling victorious when he got it first. She rose before he could get her chair. When he gave her a flat look, she put on her saucy grin again. She also didn’t wait for him to offer her his arm, so he placed his fingers on the small of her back. It took a little more effort than he cared to admit to not put his arm around her waist.
Prep time with Eve and then five days, counting travel time. It was going to be an interesting trip.
2
“Good afternoon, Mrs. Hernandez,” Eve said as she shook hands with Sophia’s mother. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“What brings you to our house today?” The woman opened the door and stepped aside.
“I’ve got an exciting proposition for you and Sophia.” Eve wiped her feet and stepped into the pristine hallway. Mrs. Hernandez’s home would be great advertising for her small home cleaning business.
“Sophia,” she called, “we have company.”
Eve waited expectantly, wondering what kind of day the girl would be having. Lupus was an autoimmune disease that tended to run in spurts. People could be in remission and feel relatively fine and then have a flare-up that would send them to bed with swollen and achy joints, fevers, fatigue, and photosensitivity. That was one good thing about the trip to Edinburgh. The sun could create all kinds of problems, but there was a fairly good chance it would be cloudy while they were there, limiting Sophia’s exposure.
The girl came skipping down the stairs, so it must be a good day.
“Oh, hey, Eve,” Sophia said. “How long are you in town?”
“Not too long. Though, my visit today is because I have something I’d like to talk with you and your mother about.” She nodded her head toward the living room.
“Please sit down,” Mrs. Hernandez said.
Eve took a chair while the mother and daughter sat on the couch. The furniture in the room was well-maintained but worn. Eve knew from talking to Mrs. Hernandez once that Sophia’s health issues had been a financial drain. While the family business was doing relatively well, and everyone worked hard, all the discretionary income went to paying medical bills.
Now that Eve was facing them, all the ways she’d considered making the proposition didn’t feel right. If Darius decided to go ahead with the endowment, talking with people would be very different since they’d have applied for the bucket-list fulfillment. This was a proud family, and they wouldn’t appreciate the suggestion that they were in need of charity. Why hadn’t she considered that last night?
Something niggled at the back of her mind, and she struggled with it for a second before she was finally able to grab the memory. Kayn had mentioned once that Granny and Sona hadn’t wanted his charity either, so he’d had to broach the subject as them doing him a favor. That seemed the best approach in this situation too.
“I have a favor to ask of you,” Eve said.
The mother and daughter exchanged glances and shrugged, obviously confused.
“I have a friend who’s creating a charity, kind of like Make-A-Wish or Dream Factory. It’s still in the beginning stages, and they’re working out how they want the program to run.” Eve crossed her clasped hands over one of her knees and leaned forward, wishing she didn’t have to stretch the truth. “He’s asked me to come along for the medical side of things. His favorite aunt had lupus, so when he asked me if I knew anyone who might be willing to act as a test case for him, I thought of you.”
“I don’t understand what you want me to do,” Sophia said, her expression interested. The important thing was that her mother didn’t look insulted.
“Have you ever heard of a bucket list?” Eve asked.
“No.”
“Maybe it’s something we older people think about more.” Eve exchanged a knowing glance with Mrs. Hernandez who smiled in understanding. Eve continued, “A bucket list might include dream trips or things you would want to do or learn before you kick the bucket. So, essentially, my bucket list would include things I’d like to see or do before I die. For most people, it’s only a dream because how many people could afford to go on a cruise around the world?”
