“Yeah. I’m gonna stay in town for a little bit.”
“Good. I’ll see you there.”
As I hugged her brother next, I could feel the weight of Beth’s eyes on me.
By the time I got to her, it took less than a second for her to pull me into a tight hug.
She was trembling. I felt her hot breath against my skin as she cried into my shoulder.
Her hands gripped my arms as she said, “Heath. You made it. It’s so good to see you. You have no idea.”
Mascara ran down her face, but the smudges accentuated her bright blue eyes. I’d forgotten how pretty Beth was.
“How are you holding up?” I asked.
“Just floating on through. It still feels surreal.”
“I know. I can’t even believe that’s him over there. It feels like he should be standing right here, smacking me on the back, and swearing at me for not calling him enough.”
She cracked a smile. “I’m certain that he’s looking down right now and that he’s so happy you’re here with us.”
“I’m happy I’m here, too. I wish it were under different circumstances. But there’s nowhere else I belong tonight.”
Her gaze lingered on mine before she looked down and reached for the little boy’s hand. “Owen, this is Heath. He’s one of Mommy’s oldest friends.”
The boy looked up at me and said, “He’s not that old.”
I chuckled. “I’m getting there, little dude.” Reaching out my hand to him, I said, “It’s nice to meet you.”
He took it. “You, too.”
The line had to keep moving, so I said to her, “I’ll see you after.”
She grabbed my hand to stop me from leaving. “There’s a dinner tonight at the house. Please come.”
“Yeah. Your mother mentioned. I’ll be there.”
“I’ll text you the address.”
I nodded. “Okay.”The Hurley home was a modest, single-family house surrounded by cactus plants in the Arizona desert. It was nothing like the two-family house Beth grew up in on Long Island.
Ann had set up a catered buffet in the dining room and had invited about fifty people back to the house after the wake. Even though the mood was somber, there was a lot of talking. I just wanted some food and to sit down for a bit. It had been a long flight, and I was starting to feel jetlagged. Tomorrow would be an even longer day with the funeral.
Beth’s brother was married now, too. His two kids were running around with Owen. Ann was quiet, being consoled by different people on a constant basis. I couldn’t imagine how crushed she was. She and Pat had been married for over thirty-five years. They were the perfect example of a loving couple and loving parents. I’d always envied Beth’s family.
Pat’s passing was such a sad reason to be here, but in a strange way it was probably one of the only things that could’ve shifted the focus off of my own situation. Death has a way of doing that.
As I took my plate of chicken cordon bleu and rice over to a corner in the living room, I gazed at some of the framed family photos that were sitting on a bookshelf. Man, how I wished I could run my troubles by Pat right now. I wondered how he’d feel about everything, what advice he’d give me. I hadn’t ever thought about opening up to him about Gia, mainly because it became a little awkward to talk to him about women after the Beth thing went down. I knew he cared deeply about me, but things definitely changed after I’d broken his daughter’s heart before they moved. I would always regret crossing that line in my friendship with her back then, but I couldn’t take it back. I was a dumb fucking teenager who couldn’t control his dick.
Beth discovered my hiding spot in the corner of the living room. “Hey. There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
My head was still turned toward the photos. “I was just looking at these photos, thinking about your dad, how lucky I was to have him in my life growing up.”
“He loved you like a son. Even after you and I grew apart, he always talked about you, Heath. Always. He really missed you after we moved.” She hesitated. “I missed you, too.”
I finally looked at her, and our eyes locked. It was really good to see Beth. At one time, she’d been my best friend. In a weird way, in his death, Pat had given me exactly what I needed: a place away from home but with the comfort of familiar faces.
“Hey,” I said. “I was gonna ask…if you’d accept my help tomorrow, I’d be honored to be a pallbearer.”
“That’s really nice of you. I know Daddy would love that. I’ll talk to Mom. We can definitely make that happen.”
“Thanks. It would really mean a lot to me.”