Page 30 of Between Now and Forever
“I need another paloma.” Della stands. “You haven’t touched yours, Scottie.”
She picks up her glass. “Sorry. The entertainment has been entertaining.”
Della peers into mine. “Want another?”
I should say no. My tolerance for tequila is low. But I’m really enjoying myself ...
“I’ll take one more,” I say, handing her my glass.
She follows Cricket into the kitchen.
I take my phone out of my pocket and check for missed calls or messages from Dylan, even though I would’ve felt it vibrate against my leg. Since our hug, he’s been a little less abrasive. I expected more of a pushback when I asked him to watch Carter this evening. Surprisingly, he agreed with little more than an eye roll.
A part of me wonders if he doesn’t secretly enjoy spending time with his brother. I never asked him to watch Carter in Boston. They spent little time alone together. But in the few days we’ve been in Alden, they’ve been together a ton.
Maybe it’s because there aren’t a ton of alternatives. Or maybe the slower, small-town life is as good for him as I hoped it would be.
There are no messages, so I type out a quick text to check in.
Me:Are you and Carter doing okay?
I expect it to take a long time for him to reply. Instead, he surprises me and sends a selfie of himself with his brother in the living room. A drama about a boy doctor is on the television in the distance.
My heart warms.
Me:I love you guys.
There’s no reply.
I sigh, putting the phone back in my pocket. “Sorry. I just wanted to check on the boys.”
Scottie smiles. “No worries.” She shifts in her chair. “You know, when I was eight, I lost my father to cancer.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. Clearly, that was a long time ago.”
I give her a small smile.
“But what I want to say is that my mother cried and had her moment. Then she picked herself right back up and lived her life. I don’t know how she did it, looking back. But I remember thinking that if she could smile again, so could I. We didn’t realize it then, but she helped us heal by healing herself. She went out with her friends and took us to the movies, and we took vacations. And eventually, she started dating again. Mom wound up married to the best human in the world.”
“That’s great, Scottie.”
“So while I don’t know what you’re going through and hope you don’t think I’m putting my nose where it doesn’t belong, I just wanted to share that with you. I have experience on the child side of that coin. Thought it may help.”
Her words touch me—not just because of what she said. It’s that she said it. That she cared enough to share something so private with a woman she doesn’t really know.
“Thank you,” I say. “It means a lot that you told me that.”
“Of course.”
Voices grow louder as Della and Cricket return.
“Just try it,” Della says, taunting her. “He’ll blow more than his mind.”
“You are filthy.” Cricket hands me my glass and then takes her seat. “You don’t have to do ...all of thatto keep a man happy.”
Scottie and I exchange a grin.
