Page 33 of Seven Summers Ago
I should enjoy the purity of this moment, of coming full circle, being with Rosie and Charlie. But it’s tainted by my thoughts of all the things that have been taken away from me.
I swallow. “We should get going.”
Rosie nods and luckily Charlie doesn’t resist. She squeezes between Rosie and me and takes each of our hands in hers. A tingle shoots up my arm at her touch. Rosie flashes me a look of—surprise, I think?
My chest throbs. I don’t speak.
Maybe bringing Charlie here was a mistake. Bringing Rosie here was definitely a mistake.
12
ROSIE
Dottie’s cottage never felt quite this big when I lived in it as it does now. With seventy years of accumulated knick-knacks, furniture, photos, and memories, it all compresses onto my shoulders like a heavy weight. I glance around the open concept kitchen and dining room and scratch my fingertips against my scalp. A few empty boxes surround me, and I don’t know where to start.
My phone vibrates from where it rests on the dining table. I glance away from the empty boxes, honestly a little relieved. It’s Stella again.
She’s been harassing me all day to come out for a girls’ night with her and her cousin, Daisy. A night out with the two friends who helped make sure I graduated high school sounds amazing. But that would mean leaving Charlie with a sitter or Jack’s mom again. The single-mom guilt that is all too familiar rears its ugly head and presses into my chest.
Stella
You know how much Charlie already loves Max. Where’s the harm in letting them play together for a few hours?
How about you bring Max here and you and Daisy go out?
Stella
I can go out with Daisy any time. But when was the last time the three of us got to hang out?
Besides a brief exchange at Dottie’s memorial, I haven’t seen Daisy in seven years. When we were teenagers, the three of us used to hang out every chance we got. It would be good to see her.
I glance up at Charlie who’s sitting at the dining table coloring in a book from Dottie’s collection. She’s got the stuffed mermaid Beck gave her sitting next to her on the bench. She’s carried it around since he gave it to her the other night. I had to practically wrestle it out of her grip so she wouldn’t take it into the bath with her.
Charlie lifts her chin, and her curious eyes meet mine. I smile, but she squishes her lips. “What’s wrong, Mama?”
This girl is too perceptive for her age. Or maybe this is what happens when you’ve been a single mom and the two of you have spent so much time together. I exhale a sigh. “Nothing, baby.”
But her brow scrunches. She’s not buying it. Or maybe it’s because I called her baby again. I can’t help it.
I purse my lips while she continues to study me like she already knows I’m about to spill what’s swirling around in my head. A few more years alone together and ours might be rightup there next to Lorelei and Rory’s relationship. Minus the takeout. My body could never.
“How would you like to play with Max tonight?”
Her brown eyes brighten and the crayon in her hand goes slack. “Really? Can I?”
The excitement is a little surprising. Charlie doesn’t warm up to strangers too easily. “Do you want to go to his house and hang out with him and his daddy, Jack?”
“Yes!” She rises on her knees and her crayon is abandoned in a heartbeat. She clutches her stuffed mermaid to her chest. “I’ll bring my new mermaid to show him.”
My lips tip into a bigger smile. “I think he’ll like that.”
I text Stella.
I’ll bring Charlie by around 6. Does that work?
Stella
Yessss!! You won’t regret it, promise!
