Page 23 of The Forever Formula
“Yeah, pretty sure you got me back when you ran away from me the first night we kissed, and you took my clothes along with yours.”
Rachel belted out a laugh. “Oh my gosh. I forgot about that completely. Well, not the kiss part, but the part where I took your clothes and mine. Sorry about that.”
“You more than made up for it,” I said low, gazing into her eyes. The memory of exactly how heated me to the core.
I left her with that thought, for no particular reason, and ordered her a Kodiak Creek Ale from the beer trailer.
“Here you are, babe,” I said automatically before realizing what I’d said.
Shit. I did not mean to call herbabe.
When I met Rachel’s eyes again, she was giving me a look of warning, if I read it right.
“We should go check on Megan and Austen. I don’t trust him,” she said, changing the subject.
Relieved, I nodded. “That’s a fair assessment.”
An uneasy truce between us, we headed off through the crowd in search of Austen and her friend.
10
EAT PRAY LOVE
Rachel
“Are we doing this?” Megan asked me the next morning. Her tone wasn’t mean, but she knew I was debating it.
I nodded. “He did tell me he wanted his ashes spread here, so yeah, we’re doing this.”
I didn’t say it out loud, but I knew I would feel terrible if I sold the place after. Maybe that was me being silly, though. This was what Grandpa wanted. I needed to honor that.
Megan gave me a sympathetic look. “I know, sweetie. This is hard.”
I inhaled a sharp breath through my nose. “All right. Let’s do it.”
As much as I selfishly wanted to keep his ashes on the mantel, I needed to follow his directions. Grabbing the urn, I headed to the back door. Megan slid it open for me and followed me outside.
“So, do I just open it here?” I asked her, as if she’d have the answers.
“Wherever feels right to you,” she said gently.
Being a nurse in the hospital meant we both had a certain bedside manner when it came to death. I was grateful for hers in that moment.
“Down by the garden. Is that unsanitary?” I asked.
She shook her head. “I think you’re good.”
It was the end of summer, anyway. Nothing would be grown from the land until spring. By my hand, or someone else’s. I couldn’t think about that now, though.
I shook away the thoughts and marched down purposefully to the garden. Grandpa had spent hours out here, toiling in the dirt, growing delicious vegetables and herbs.
As I opened the garden gate, I steeled myself, clenching my jaw tightly.
Pulling open the lid, I pulled out the little plastic baggy inside. It hadn’t occurred to me that the ashes would be in something like that. Seeing the plastic seized my throat up tight.
I let out a sharp inhale and untwisted the tie while Megan held the urn.
Then, as if Grandpa Paul was baby Simba, I held the bag high over my head. “I’ll miss you, Grandpa,” I said, my voice strangled as tears started to fall.
