Afterward Sophie fell asleep. Jimmy walked over to the window across the room and stood in front of it. I pulled up a chair next to Sophie’s bed and just watched her for a while. Her face looked more peaceful than I’d seen it in a long time; the tight muscles along her jaw were relaxed. Her skin was regaining some color too; a little bit of pink had bloomed under her cheeks and her lips had lost that awful purple shade.
“Now what?” I thought. “Does this mean she’s all better inside? That things will be different? Is it all over? Am I supposed to go home now?”
Aiden walked in with a little white box in his hand. “Hey,” he said softly. “How’s she doing?”
I stood up. “Better. She’s sleeping now.”
“Can you come outside for a minute?” he asked. “I have something to give you.”
Jimmy was still looking out the window.
We walked out into the parking lot, which was starting to fill up with more cars. It was light out, the air pale and new. “This is for you,” Aiden said, pushing the little white box into my hands. “I wanted to make you something, after that day we talked about my mother. Open it.”
It was the tiny bowl, the one the size of an orange, the one I’d said was too small to eat out of. Except now it looked different. Before, it was just a pale brown color. Now it was a rich honey hue, the surface burnished and glossy, with a rough, pebbled texture. “You salt glazed it?” I asked.
He nodded.
“Thank you,” I said. “It’s beautiful. But I still don’t know what I’m supposed to eat out of this.”
“It’s not for eating,” Aiden said. “It’s for your earrings, so you don’t lose them anymore.”
I grinned and then moved in for a hug.
His arms tightened around my shoulder. “I’m gonna miss you, Julia,” he said softly.
“Me too.” I squeezed him around the waist, tucked my head under his chin. “I’m so glad I met you, Aiden. You have no idea—”
“Actually, I think I do,” he said, cutting me off gently. “Because I feel the same way.”
I took a step back, let my eyes drift over his face. “You do?”
Aiden nodded. “Being able to talk about my mother again…” He shook his head. “You know, I told myself that I was done with the whole grieving thing after that night at the gorge. It was time to move on, be a big strong man.” He shook his head. “But being able to talk about her again with you…” He took my hand. “It was something I didn’t realize I needed to do until I did it.” His thumb moved gently over the tops of my knuckles. “And I’m just so grateful. I feel like I can go off and really start the rest of my life now, you know? Without feeling like I’m leaving her behind.”
I moved in for another hug.
He was right.
We felt exactly the same way.
chapter
54
Jimmy and Aiden left a few hours later, Jimmy promising Sophie that he was going to get to work on a little stepstool for her to get in and out of bed when she got home, and Aiden promising me that he would put my little earring bowl in a safe place. I watched them leave from the window, Jimmy slinging his arm around Aiden’s shoulder, drawing him in close before they got into the red truck. I felt lucky to know them. Both of them.
“It’s none of my business,” I said to Sophie. “But I really think you should let the Table of Knowledge guys help you with the rest of the house.” I nodded toward her foot. “Especially now. I know you think you’re Wonder Woman and all, but—”
“I know.” Sophie cut me off abruptly. “I’ve been thinking about that a lot. It’s so stupid of me to push them away when they want to help so much. Besides, if I keep going the way I am, even with all your do-it-yourself expertise…” She stopped for a moment and laughed. “I’ll never open the place!”
I grinned. “Good,” I said softly.
Behind us came a light tap on the door. I turned as Sophie sat forward and then I stood up, almost knocking my chair over.
“Mom! Dad!”
Mom rushed in first, her face streaked with old tears. She clutched me to her wordlessly and held on, as if she might never let go. Dad waited patiently behind her, his hand resting lightly on her shoulder. Something twisted inside me as I watched him with new eyes, as I felt her, and I pulled away. Mom looked startled for a brief second, and then her eyes moved to Sophie. “Honey,” she said, her voice breaking. “We got into town this morning—we wanted to surprise you, both of you—and when we couldn’t find you at the house, we went across the street and they told us…”
“Who told you?” Sophie asked.
Dad shrugged. “Some big guy with suspenders,” he said. “But everyone in the place seemed to know that you were here.”
Sophie grinned. “It’s a small town.”
I took a step back. “I’m gonna go outside for a minute. I just need some air. I’ll be right back.”