“Hey, I’ve been here a good ninety seconds and you hadn’t offered me a drink yet. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do. Opener?”
“Do you want to just look in the drawers until you find it?”
“I can.”
He rolled his eyes good-naturedly, took the beer from me, and opened it with his hand. “Twist off. You don’t know everything after all.”
“First time for everything.” I touched my bottle to his. “To your dad’s health.” He looked down. “He is okay, right?”
Alex sighed and leaned against the counter. “Yeah. He’s home and seems fine, all things considered.”
“Then what’s wrong?”
“It just kind of hit me tonight.”
“What did?”
He hesitated. “He’s getting old. Like he’s going to die someday. Maybe soon.”
I shuddered involuntarily. Despite my often rocky relationship with my mother, I couldn’t imagine life without either of my parents. But my dad was sixty-two and my mom was sixty. Yes, my grandma was still going strong, but she was my only remaining grandparent. And my dad’s father died younger than he was now, before I was born.
I had really only contemplated their mortality as an adult once, at my other grandmother’s funeral. It was the only time I had seen my father cry. And I realized, as I sat next to him, my mother on his other side, each of us holding one of his hands, that one day I would be in his position. It was a thought I tried to suppress as much as I could, telling myself my mother would live to be at least a hundred just in case I gave her a late grandchild, and my dad—well—he biked a lot and was in really good shape. Better than I was. He would be okay because I needed him to be. Right?
Two heart attacks though—that didn’t bode well. And I couldn’t lie and say it did.
“I’m sorry,” I said finally. “I wish I had some awesome answer or a magic wand I could wave to fix that, but I don’t.”
“I know. And it happens to us all eventually.”
“Unless we become vampires and make our parents vampires too.”
He shook his head and chuckled. “What is wrong with you?”
I hopped up onto the kitchen counter next to him. “So much.”
“Clearly. Your butt is where I prepare food right now.”
“Hey, you said to make myself at home.”
“Remind me not to eat anything you’ve cooked if this is how you are at home.”
“That is so cute.”
“What is?”
“You thinking I can cook.”
Alex shook his head. “You’re a mess.”
I jumped down from the counter and cocked a finger at him. “Yes. But I am a mess who knows how to make you feel better. You wanna go watch a documentary about a murderer?”
He looked at me askance. “That’s supposed to make me feel better?”
“Totally. You’re always talking about how to properly dispose of bodies whenever I say I’m going to kill someone.” He laughed. “You in?”
The corners of his eyes crinkled warmly, and I couldn’t help but smile back. “Yeah. I’m in.”
“Good.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
From: Caroline Morgan [[email protected]]
To: [bridesmaids]
Subject: Bridal shower and bachelorette updates
Date: March 1
We’re just over three months away from Caryn’s big day, which means it’s time to make sure everything is perfect for our celebrations of the bride.
The shower is set for May 5 at Kenwood. I’m having everything done in-house, so all you need to bring is your lovely selves.
For the bachelorette weekend, I understand that Olivia and Dana said they would prefer to stay at a different hotel instead of the Ritz because the other hotel has a rooftop pool and bar. However, the fitness room there is basically a treadmill in a dungeon （I’m attaching pictures for comparison） and to do that to Caryn just weeks before her wedding would be cruel. You two can plan your own separate trip if you want, but this weekend is about Caryn. Not to mention, we don’t want a repeat of the sunburn you got before Mia’s wedding, do we, Dana?
As for the itinerary itself, I’ve only booked a loose outline of activities, so we have plenty of flexibility. We have reservations for dinner for all three nights, a spa day, an “aphrodisiac tour,” reservations at a few boutiques, three fitness classes, and a party bus each night. But the rest is wide open! I also hired a photographer to document the whole experience for us, of course, so plan to look your best!