Page 69 of Charm

As soon as the door is closed behind him, Krista looks into my eyes. “You said you needed to talk tonight, Greer. I take it that means it’s important.”

“It is,” I say, waiting for an invitation to sit since my knees are quaking.

“I’ll get us some water and we can talk.” She hugs me tightly. “Whatever it is, I’ll always love you.”

“I’ll always love you, too,” I whisper. “Always.”

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Greer

“I brought you something.”I dig in the pocket of my jeans and tug out a small dark blue velvet bag. “I thought you should have it.”

Krista leans back slightly on the comfy red couch we’re sitting on. She purchased the piece while we were in college. Celia and I both told her she’d regret it, but she hasn’t.

When she moved into this apartment, she told Howie that his pristine white couch had to go. I was there when that conversation happened, and he didn’t hesitate for a second before telling her that he’d do everything he could to make her happy.

They sold the white couch days before Krista and this red couch moved in. Since then, the room’s décor has transformed to complement it, including two gorgeous black wingback chairs that face the couch and a distressed wood table with just a hint of red stain on it.

Their home is welcoming and exudes warmth. I always feel like family when I come over.

“What is it?” she asks, eyeing the bag as though whatever is inside it might bite her.

I drop it in her lap. The dress she’s wearing is one she took from Celia’s closet on the day we packed up her things. It was months after she died, but we both cried for hours as we tucked her life into a few cardboard boxes.

Krista’s gaze catches mine briefly, so I nod. “You’ll like it. I know you will.”

She nods in understanding. “I know I will, too. You’ve always been the most thoughtful person when it comes to gifts.”

I try.

I’ve always viewed gifts as an expression of what I feel for the receiver. I’ve been known to spend days, if not weeks, choosing birthday gifts for Martha and Bruce. The time I invested paid off. Every gift I’ve ever given either of them has brought tears to their eyes.

Her fingers make quick work of the lazy knot I tied the bag’s two woven strings in. She digs her hand in all while keeping her eyes on me.

I see the instant she touches what’s inside because a tear streams down her cheek. “Oh, Greer.”

I’m overcome with emotion, too, but I hold in my tears and smile. “It belongs to you now.”

She yanks the small silver cube from the bag. It was designed to resemble a child’s toy block, so each of the six sides contains a letter. It was a random purchase that Celia made weeks before Olive was born. The three of us promised then that whenever one of us had a baby, we’d pass it along.

It was sitting on a shelf in Olive’s room since the day she was born. When I told her this morning that Krista and Howie are having a baby, she’s the one who ran to get the block. She placed it in my palm and told me it was time to pass it on, since I’ve told her the story about where it came from many times.

“What about our Olive?” She smiles through a veil of tears.

“She wants you to have it.”

She nods softly. “She’s such a good girl, Greer. You’re an incredible mom.”

That’s the greatest compliment she could ever give me. “You’ll be a great mom, too.”

“I hope so.” She takes a deep breath. “I really hope so. I’m going to need you to share all your wisdom with me. I’ll need pointers every day about how to be the best mom I can be.”

I reach for her hands and cradle them in mine. “My tip for today is slather on the sunscreen. Not just on the baby but you and Howie, too. From what I hear, the California sun is brutal.”

Her gaze jumps over my face. “Greer?”

“You need to go chase your dreams,” I whisper. “I want that for you.”