Daphne comes in for a hug, squeezing me so tight I can’t breathe.
“Be good this summer,” she says. “Embrace the messy and complicated.”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah.”
“I want some really good stories next time I see you.” She lets me go and steps inside the Jetta, and I watch from the end of Rue’s driveway as my sister heads to the airport.
As I walk up the sidewalk to the front door, my phone rings in my pocket.
“Hey, Aunt Rue,” I answer. “How’s condo shopping?”
“Sweetie, we got an offer on the house,” she says. “I accepted it. We have to be out by the end of July.”
“That’s great,” I say.
“Full asking price too.”
“Awesome.”
“Anyway, just wanted to let you know, no more showings for the rest of the summer,” she says. “And when I get home Wednesday, I’m taking you out for a nice steak dinner. You’ve been such a great help these last few weeks. Cleaning. Organizing. Dealing with Taylor and the showings.”
I laugh. “Thanks, Aunt Rue.”
“I’ll still pay you through August,” she adds.
“Don’t worry about it.”
“No, no. I will.” She clears her throat. “Anyway, I can’t wait for you to see the new place.”
“Oh, you found one?”
“No.” She exhales. “But I will. And you’ll love it. I told my agent I won’t buy a place that doesn’t have my great niece’s stamp of approval. Someday when I’m long gone . . .”
“Don’t talk like that.” I take a seat on the edge of Rue’s front steps, reaching for an orange day lily and running my fingertips along its satin petals.
“Sweetie, death is a fact of life. Let me finish.”
“Okay.”
“Someday when I’m long gone, I’m passing my condo along to you, Demi, Derek, and Daphne.” There’s a wistfulness in her voice that breaks my heart. I can’t imagine a life without Great Aunt Rue in it, and I don’t want to think about it. “My hope is that you’ll keep it in the family and use it as a shared vacation home. And I’m getting a three-bedroom unit so you can all bring your families.”
My eyes mist, and the bright afternoon sun makes them burn. Closing them tight, I thank her.
“That means a lot, Aunt Rue.” I sniffle. “Thank you so much.”
“I love you kids,” she says. “You’re the closest thing I’ve ever had to kids of my own. Your father was my first nephew and the only one who ever kept in touch when they all flew the coop.”
“Dad’s really big into keeping the family together,” I say.
“Which is more than any of his siblings can say.” Aunt Rue clears her throat. “Anyway, I love you, sweetie. I appreciate you spending your summer down here, letting me run you ragged. I’m sure you’d rather be back home with your friends and family.”
“It’s fine,” I say. And I mean it. Growing up, my summers with Aunt Rue were part of the routine, and as I’ve gotten older, they’ve become cherished memories. I’ve realized those summers are numbered. I’m more than happy to be here. “I’m right where I want to be.”
“All right. Enough of this sappy crap.” Rue laughs. “I’ll see you in a few days. Hold the fort down for me, will you?”
“Of course.”
Aunt Rue hangs up, and I rise to head inside. And then I freeze. Zane’s black SUV is parked at the foot of Rue’s driveway and the passenger window is rolling down. When I finally see his face, he’s motioning for me to come his way.
“Hey, gorgeous,” he says when I approach him.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
He points to the golf clubs in the back. “Going to hit some balls. I’ve got some charity thing tomorrow with the team. I’m a little rusty.”
“I love golf,” I say. “I worked at a golf course back home for a few summers. And I played on the girls’ golf team in high school.”
“Oh, yeah?” His expression changes, and I wait for him to invite me along. He doesn’t. “That’s cool.”
I wrinkle my nose. “You going by yourself?”
“Yeah.”
Refusing to invite myself along, I respond with an insincere, “That’s cool. Have fun.”
And I walk away. Clearly he doesn’t want to spend time with me if it doesn’t involve clothes on the floor and his throbbing manhood shoved into any orifice he can find.
“Delilah,” he calls. “Hey.”
With my back toward him, I wave. He’s lucky I don’t flip him off. I mean, I get that we’re fuck buddies, but that was a dick move. I slept in his arms last night, in his bed, in his house. He made me pancakes and kissed the top of my head.