I sigh and rock forward in my seat. It’s Friday aft
ernoon and I’m still in shock at what happened the night before. I’m only just filling in Calli, after not being able to get ahold of her all day. God forbid it was an emergency or something.
“What’s not to get? He’s perfect for this trip and he said no.” Did he meet me just to mess with me? Was that his idea of a joke? Why even reply to my ad in the first place unless it was just some stupid way of getting back at me for bailing on him?
“Why go to the trouble of meeting with you and then back out?” she asks, echoing my thoughts. “I just don’t get it. And I still can’t believe you invited him to the hotel.”
“I don’t know, maybe the idea of me dying was too much for him?” I shrug, ignoring her dig at me. It’s the only thing I can think of. But even that doesn’t make sense, because he knew it was me. “Maybe he just wanted closure?”
“Closure from what?” Calli asks, confused.
My eyes widen. I said that aloud?
“I don’t know, from whatever bullshit led him to this.” I feign frustration and wave my hand at her, hoping she doesn’t question me. “Either way, I’m two seconds away from just fucking off this whole trip.”
Calli opens her mouth to respond, but then closes it. My phone vibrates in my pocket. I fish it out and check the screen, not recognizing the number. I click Open.
Cade: I’m sorry about earlier. If you still want me, I’d love to come.
Smiling, I hold up the screen so Calli can see.
She sighs and falls back against the chair, tucking her legs under her, the relief evident in her eyes. “Whew, I was beginning to panic.”
“You were starting to panic?” I laugh.
Calli waves her hand dismissively. “I wonder what changed his mind.”
“Obviously the free trip part weighs out the dying part,” I chuckle. Secretly, I’m over the moon. I thought we had a connection last night, and this confirms it. “I don’t even care. I’m just glad something is going right.”
“You should probably text him back if you expect to see him at the airport on Sunday,” Calli points out.
I laugh and tap out a message, because she has a point.
Erin: You had me worried. I’m glad you’ve come to your senses.
Cade: What can I say? I’m a man of my word. I promised you I would look out for you and I will.
I smile down at his words. They mean more to me than they normally would, because they come at a time when I need them the most. I’m looking forward to this trip more than I thought I would be, because no matter how it ends, this is my journey.
“What time are Mum and Dad coming over?” Calli asks.
“They should be here any minute,” I say, glancing at my phone. “Promise me you’re not going to get all teary on me.”
“Only if you promise not to give us anything else to cry about,” she fires back. “This might be our last meal together as a family. I want happy memories from it too, Ez.”
I smile at her and squeeze her hand. I want to tell her she’s being silly, but there might be some truth to what she’s saying. This might be our last get-together. I leave in two days, and I don’t know if I’m coming back. There are things I want to make sure they know, so that when the time comes, they’ll understand why I’m doing this.
A soft rap on the door interrupts my thoughts. Calli jumps up from her seat and rushes over to answer it. Mum comes in, followed by Dad, who is clutching a bottle of champagne. I watch as Calli hugs them both. She takes the bottle from Dad’s hands and studies it.
“1993?”
“We got it when Erin was born. Apparently it betters with age, so we were keeping it until the birth of her first child…” He stops, realizing what he just said.
“It’s okay,” I say, my voice soft. I lift myself from my chair and walk over to him.
He smiles at me, his eyes glistening with tears as he wraps his strong arms around me. I fall into his embrace, where I feel safe and loved, like nothing in the world can hurt me. There is no warmer place than in my father’s arms.
“Oh Erin, what am I going to do without you?” he whispers, kissing my cheek.