Chapter 73
We sit at the water’s break and watch the sky turn red, then gold, then purple.
Planted in the sand beside us is a bottle of champagne we stole from a cooler at the house.
I say stole, but it is our mother’s funeral.
I don’t think anyone would mind. Plus, it’s not like there was a shortage up there.
Birdie is playing in the water as it goes in and out, Nora with her, both looking at mysterious nothings just under the sea-foam. Sammie and Matt have just read Babe’s letter to me, and Austin is on the last page now.
When he finishes, he hands it back to me. “How do you two feel?”
Sammie blinks out at the water and nods, trancelike. “It helps.”
I nod too. “It helps.”
“Hey, so,” I start. “What do you guys think about keeping Birdsong?”
They all turn to look at me.
Sammie clutches my wrist, where I hold my knees up to my chest. “Didion, really?”
I nod. “Yeah. You were right. It’s home.”
She smiles that big Sammie smile I was missing the first night we arrived, and then throws her arms around me. At first I just let her hug me, but then I hug her back, squeezing her so hard she falls back in the sand and squeals.
“Thank god.” Matt sighs. “I didn’t want to impact the decision, but do you have any idea how much better it is to have property than money right now?!”
“That,” says Austin. “But also look up there.”
We all look up at the house, dusty twilight air falling on the stucco, a breeze blowing the curtains into Babe’s room. The party is still raging, the lights glowing and the music pumping.
“Not everyone gets a place like this.”
His gaze drops to mine, and he smiles and winks at me. My worn-out heart surges.
Matt pours the last of the champagne into each of our glasses. “I have a crazy suggestion.”
“Nothing is crazy anymore,” I say.
He laughs. “Okay, well … how do you guys feel about staying another night or two?”
We all look at each other. The answer is so obviously yes.
“Well, then … what do we do now?” asks Sammie.
I look back up at Birdsong, then turn to my friends. “We eat dinner.”