“Okay.” I waited, frozen in my chair, letter clutched in my hand, until they’d backed out and lowered the garage door.
My hands shook as I folded the letter and slid it back into its envelope. I had to fix this somehow, and I wanted to get startedtoday, but there were no counselors available to help me until next week.
I needed the outdoors. Now. I raced through the sunroom and across the lawn and then dropped onto the swing, just about the time my legs gave out. Closing my eyes, I let myself feel the panic. I’d had this image in my mind about what my first semester of college would be like, and knowing that wouldn’t happen was demoralizing.
There had to be alternatives to being a not-quite freshman at Piedmont, commuting from I-didn’t-know-where. And once I’d calmed myself down, I’d dream them up.
“Sara?”
I dragged my gaze away from the serenity of the yard. How long had I been sitting here? “Hi, Grant.”
“How are you?”
“Anxious.”
“I can see that. May I help?”
I blanked my mind, unwilling for him to read my thoughts. “You can distract me. Do Beings like to have fun?”
“Fun isn’t something we seek. However, if it is offered to us, we don’t refuse.”
“So, that’s a yes.”
He inclined his head.
“Do you know what tomorrow is?”
“It is Independence Day in America. Might your wish revolve around the holiday?”
“Yeah. We should hold a party.” Every year for as long as I could remember, we’d held a cook out, with Dad manning the grill and Mom running the show. We hadn’t planned one this year. That was about to change. “We ought to celebrate the Fourth of July with a cook out.”
“Ah. May I remind you that wishes must be humanly possible?”
I laughed as I stood. The fun was already starting. “We have over twenty-four hours. We can get the preparations done in time.”
“Naturally. Where, when, and who?”
“Here in the back yard, beginning at seven, my friends and their families and their boyfriends and Scott.”
“It will rain tomorrow evening.”
“The forecast says the probability is low.”
He raised an eyebrow at me.
“Fine. It will rain. Do you know exactly when?”
“I would predict that it will begin just past eight.”
“Predict, huh? So we’ll leave the sunroom clear for guests while it’s raining. Which means...” I walked to the house and entered through the sunroom, stopping in the doorway to the family room. Here’s where we could handle spillover. If we relocated the loveseat, we could fit an extra table for the food and stuff. “We should set up the buffet in here.” I looked over my shoulder at him. “Will it be a problem for you when Lacey brings Eli?”
His expression remained mild. “It won’t be a problem.”
“Are you still in love with her?”
“That is a peculiar question. Perhaps I don’t understand all there is to know about human love, but it’s my understanding that love does not end. It exists in infinite forms and will adjust to its circumstances.” His face softened, hinting at an underlying sadness. “I shall always love Lacey. I don’t begrudge the happiness she has found with another. And I have adjusted.”
Love does not end.I knew that to be true. If only I could adjust. “Okay, the cook out is on. Today’s wish is to make a plan.”
