Page 48 of Here's to Tomorrow

She accepts the answer as is and takes another bite of her ice cream. “Next.”

“Probably the summer before I turned seventeen. Things were simple then. We took a week-long vacation in Herring Cove.”

Rae’s eyes just about pop right out of her head because it’s well known that Herring Cove is a swank place. We’re talking thousands of dollarsjustfor the townhome we stayed in. Crazy, yes, but so beautiful.

“That’s…that’s…” she stammers.

I laugh. “I know. It was amazing. My parents saved up for a long time for that one week of pure bliss. We passed up Christmas, birthdays, and Mother’s and Father’s Day for two years just for that short vacation. It was worth every penny too.”

“Why is it your favorite memory though?”

“We were happy. Everyone was alive and smiling. It’s the last good time I had with my family and Jess—my high school sweetheart—and I’m so thankful I got it.” That was the summer before shit hit the fan, the summer before Joey happened.

Rae’s quiet, and I wonder if I broke some weird rule about mentioning an ex on a date.

“You said alive. Your dad?” she inquires, a frown creasing her brows.

I put my spoon down and nod. “Heart attack. Two and a half years ago.”

She reaches over and places her delicate hand on top of mine. “I’m so sorry, Hudson.”

I can feel her words down to my bones, the sincerity seeping into me.

“Thank you. It sucks you’ll never to get to meet him. You two would have gotten along famously. He’s not too good with the filter thing either.”

“If he was anything like you, I’m sure he was a cool dude.” She gives a gentle smile. “Okay, time to answer question three now.”

“That one is hard. I really have no idea. Living, dead, or fictional, huh? I think I may have to go with Crowley fromSupernaturaljust so I can high-five him for all his brilliant one-liners. Cheesy, I know.”

She’s gaping at me, and I know it’s because I just came off as a huge dork.

“Okay, now you’re scaring me, Rae. Do you not know whatSupernaturalis?”

She scoffs. “How dare you insult my knowledge of amazing television! I’m just a little surprised you watch it. It’s one of my favorite shows. I watch it religiously.”

“We’re still not proposing, right?” I jokingly ask.

“Nope, sorry,” she says, scrunching her nose up. She pushes her empty bowl away from her and leans forward, practically humming with excitement. “Okay, now you do me.”

I give it a second because I know what she just said is going to sink into that crazy head of hers eventually.

Her eyes go wide and her pale face turns a bright shade of red.Ah, there it is.

“Yeah,sonot what I meant. What Ireallymeant was, ‘Please, Hudson, give me questions to answer. Do so quickly because I obviously have no control of what comes out of my mouth.’ So, let’s just pretend that’s what came out, okay?”

I laugh. “Deal. So, do I have to come up with new questions? I kind of suck at this shit.”

Rae shakes her head. “Nah. Okay, first answer.” She clears her throat. “Believe it or not, and as embarrassing as it can be at times, I actuallylikethat I don’t have a filter half the time. I feel very…honest,” she confesses, shrugging. “Silly, I know, but it’s true.”

“No, I kind of get it. I mean, I’m sure it has put you in weird situations or gotten you into trouble a time or two, but I get it.”

“Phew! Glad I’m not a total freak.”

“I wouldn’t go that far,” I tease.

She laughs it off, and I love that she laughs it off.

“Moving on before you completely shatter my ego,” she says. “I would have to say my sixth birthday party is my favorite memory. All my friends were there: my mom, cousin, aunt, uncle, everyone. My mom, Erin, painted me this beautiful ocean sunrise scene. She was so talented. The painting was flawless, so detailed it looked real, like you could step into the canvas. I used to stare at it every night until I fell asleep and would pretend I was out floating in the ocean. It was a comfort for many years. The only thing that comes close to giving me that feeling now is sitting out at Lake Quannapowitt at night.”

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