We stop outside a café called The Frosty Bean. “You stay here with the boys, and I’ll run in and get us tea,” Este says, dropping my hand to pass me the leashes.
I feel my face slip into a frown, and it doesn’t go unnoticed. “You don’t want tea?”
“I can’t hold the tea and your hand at the same time.”
Her expression softens. “You’re cute. But also, you can’t hold my hand anyway. You’re flagging, and you need to rest.” She nods to one of the tables outside the café. “You can drink your tea here, I’ll finish up the walk, and then we’ll head back. Okay?”
I’m not happy about it, but she’s right. I should’ve known she would notice I was struggling.
Este brings out two steaming takeout cups—apple and cinnamon for her, lemon and ginger for me.
“We won’t be long. I reckon ten more minutes will get their energy out. Say goodbye to your daddy, boys.”
I raise a brow. “Absolutely not. I’m ‘Dad’ to them.”
“And ‘Daddy’ to me,” she replies with a wink, leaning down to kiss me. I should’ve known that was deliberate.
“Be careful, please.” Most people would scoff, considering how small and safe Wintermore is. But Este isn’t most people. She gets it.
“I will. Promise. I shared my location with you, so you can check where we are if you’re worried. We’ll be back soon!”
I watch until the three of them disappear around acorner, then open my phone and set it screen side up. I’m not going to watch her location dot, but knowing it’s there helps. Instead, I pull out my shiny new Kindle to distract myself. There are a lot of things that are harder to do with one hand, and it’s frustrating how tired my right hand gets now that it’s doing all the work. But holding my iPad frustrated me most. I couldn’t manage for more than twenty minutes without needing to put it down.
Este offered me her Kindle, but I know how emotionally attached she is to it, so I ordered one with express shipping, and I’m not sure I’ll ever go back to my iPad.
I don’t get more than a few pages into my book when someone drops into the chair opposite me. “What are you reading?”
I glance between my Kindle and Bryan, trying to think of an answer that isn’t “a kinky BDSM romance about a diver and a swimmer that your daughter recommended.”
“It’s a romcom I’m reading with Shay about a radio show,” I say, instead, remembering the book I have queued up after this one. Este swore it was a little tamer, and it would be a good one for me and Shay to read together.
Bryan’s lips lift in a smile. He and Este may not share any DNA, but their eyes crinkle in the same way when they smile. “I’m glad you two are talking more. How are you feeling?”
“Tired, but surprisingly good, considering.”
“That’s great. Where’s Este?”
“Walking the dogs. I was told to sit and rest,” I tell him, gesturing to the tea and my face-down Kindle.
He chuckles. “Sounds like her. We’re a family of fussers. Well, not Sloane. She’s more of a tough-love kind of person.” I only met Sloane for ten minutes at the hospital, but I definitely got that vibe when she dug through the bag of stuff she brought for me and Este, handed her sister a jar of eye cream, and said, “stress causes wrinkles, so you might want to get ahead of that.”
Silence stretches between Bryan and me, becoming less comfortable as the seconds tick past. I know he’s waiting for me to address the elephant in the room, but where the hell am I supposed to start? My tea is too hot, but I take a sip anyway, wishing it were my favorite calming chamomile blend.
“Look, Bryan, I…” I draw in a deep breath, looking away from his expectant gaze. “I love her,” I say, finally, and Bryan’s eyes widen.
“Huh.” He sits back in his chair, drumming his fingers on the table. “That is a bit more serious than I was expecting.”
You and me both, friend.
“Yeah, it was a surprise for me too.”
“I bet,” he answers with a wry laugh. “I would never have guessed this was going to happen when you finally agreed to let us come visit. God.” He shakes his head. “I’m going to sound like such an asshole here, but after the plane crash, Chris wanted to cancel completely. I insisted we didn’t, because I thought coming to see you, meeting you…” He trails off, but I can put two and two together.
“You thought it would scare her into getting her life back on track, so she wouldn’t turn out like me.”
He hangs his head. “Like I said, I sound like an asshole. But I basically lost my best friend. I was terrified I was going to lose her, too.”
I’ve spent the past twenty-odd years pretty self-absorbed, wallowing in my own self-loathing. I never paused to consider how many lives Georgie’s death shaped.
