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“How are you doing?” Chloe asked when I came out of Cope’s bedroom and found her sitting at the kitchen counter. It seemed that no matter what time of day or night it was, that’s where I found her.
“I should go home.”
“We can do that, but don’t you want to stay for the service?”
“Service?”
“The memorial service, sweetie.”
“I…I…can’t,” I stammered, gripping the back of the kitchen stool.
Chloe got up and put her arms around me. “You don’t have to. We can go home. Tonight, if that’s what you want.”
“I do.” I couldn’t imagine facing Cope’s parents. Or people wondering who the woman was who could barely hold herself together. “I have to go home.”
“I’ll make the arrangements.” She turned to go down the hallway to the guest bedroom.
“Des?”
“Yeah, sweetie?”
“Have you heard from them?” She’d been answering my cell phone. In fact, I didn’t even know where it was.
“Who?”
“Cope’s parents?”
She came back over and brushed the hair from my forehead. “I haven’t.”
I bent at the waist and buried my head on my arm that rested on the back of the stool, crying so hard my stomach hurt. I closed my eyes, imagining it was Cope’s fingers rather than my friend’s moving my hair from my face.
Chloe rubbed my back with her hand. “Do you want me to see if I can get in touch with them?”
I raised my head and brushed at my tears. “I just want to go home.”
“Then, that’s what we’ll do.”
When someone knocked on the door, I went back to the bedroom and threw myself on the bed, trying my damnedest not to feel sorry for myself. Cope was the one who was dead. Him, my mother, and my father. I looked up at the ceiling. “I swear, if you take Chloe from me…”
What? I was threatening God now? I couldn’t help it; she was the only person left I cared about.
I heard Chloe’s footsteps headed my way and sat up. “There’s someone here who wants to talk to you.”
“Who is it?”
“His name is Decker Ashford.”
When I went back to the kitchen, Buck was waiting with the man I assumed was Ashford. Buck came over and hugged me like he always did.
“How are you holding up?”
I shook my head, knowing that if I answered, I’d start crying again.
“I understand. Listen, there’s someone I want you to meet. Ali, this is Decker. He’s my boss and a good friend of Cope’s.”
“Hi,” was the best I could muster.
“I’ll make our reservations,” said Chloe when Decker asked me to sit with him, and Buck walked in the direction of the front door.