Page 69 of Take My Name

I nearly choke on my food from laughing. “I can’t believe I never knew this about you.”

“It’s my first tragic story.”

“You poor thing. Now tell me your favoriteadultbook.”

“Oh, now you’re specific.”

I continue eating as she gushes about a book I’ve never heard of, which doesn’t mean much since I’m out of the loop on most things. She explains how it’s a love story between a couple who would’ve never met if fate hadn’t brought them together at just the right time. They don’t like each other at first, but because they’re forced to live in the same house for a few weeks, their walls eventually come down and they become friends. Except, she’s keeping a secret.

“She finally reveals that she’s sick and her body didn’t respond to the treatment. It was makin’ her sicker and the doctors couldn’t guarantee the treatment would work. She decides she’s not gonna continue and instead writes a bucket list of everything she wants to do before she dies. But since she’s a bridesmaid in her friend’s wedding, that’s how she ends up inthe same house as the guy because he’s a groomsman. But had she continued doing treatment, she wouldn’t have been able to be in the weddin’ since she lived across the state and wouldn’t have been able to travel.”

“Oh…so kinda like the butterfly effect?”

“Right! And it goes deeper than that. Her friend is marryin’ the guy’s brother and the bride and groom almost didn’t meet because of a whole event that led to ’em being in the same place at the same time but nearly missing each other. So if they never met or got engaged, the two main characters would’ve never had the opportunity to meet either.”

“Wow…” I say with a smile. “I can see why you love this book.”

“It’s much deeper than how I’m explainin’ it, but its main message is livin’ your life like it’s your last day and not takin’ it for granted that you’ll get another chance to do the thing you’ve been puttin’ off because that day may never come. It’s why she made the bucket list. Her chance was now or literally never.”

My heart pounds against my rib cage at the words that hit too close to home.

“Safe to say, I sobbed and think about that book all the time. If I ever manage to get my hands on a signed copy, I’d display it like an Olympic medal in a bullet-proof case.”

I chuckle at that because I’m not surprised. Even in high school, her bookshelves were always neat and organized, and she rarely let anyone touch them.

“How’s it end?” I ask solemnly.

“They fall deeply in love, he helps her complete her bucket list—except one—and when she’s too sick to travel, he stays by her side until she takes her last breath. I cried uncontrollably.”

“Damn, that is sad. What was the one thing on her list they didn’t complete?”

She sucks in a sharp breath as if she’s holding back tears. “She added to it after they fell in love and it was to find another woman to love him after she passed because she didn’t want him to be alone or grieve her for too long.”

“Jesus…that’s…” I shake my head, unable to form the words as I get choked up.

“The epilogue, though…I was unwell for weeks.”

“Oh no. Did he die too?”

“No, but we get his point of view for the first time and we get his perspective on the first time he met her, when he first confessed his love to her, and some other little bits that were really heartwarming. Then it skips to three years later and he’s back at one of the beaches they went to where she wanted to collect seashells. He had this…urge. This feelin’ that he needed to go there that exact day, so he packed up his car and drove four hours down the coast. When he arrived, there wasn’t anythin’ noticeable about why he felt drawn to go, but he sticks it out and wanders about for a while before deciding to leave. Just then, a little girl runs up to him crying that she lost her mommy. He’s freakin’ out like, oh my gosh, did her mom get swept up in the water or somethin’. He starts walkin’ around but doesn’t see her.”

“Well, that’s weird…”

“Right? Finally, the little girl points to a woman exitin’ a restroom, frantically searchin’ for the child. He calls out to her and she rushes over, quickly grabbing the little girl and thanking him over and over. Once she’s calmed down, they exchange names and he realizes he knows her.”

“Oh shit…why do I have goose bumps?” I can’t help being invested.

Maisie laughs. “Guess who she is?”

“Pft…no clue.”

“The girl’s sister!”

“No way.”

“I swear! They’d only met a couple times and once was at the funeral. The little girl was only two at the time, so he didn’t recognize her either.”

“So…were they brought together so he’d find the child instead of someone else who coulda taken her or were they brought together because they were meant to fall in love?”