Chapter 11 #3
“You had a little girl?” Remy asked with wonder. She could easily imagine Avery as a doting father. She could see how much he loved his daughter. “Tell me about her.”
Avery seemed surprised, then pleased by her question. “I haven’t spoken about her in so long. The last time I saw her she was only six years old.”
Remy’s heart ached. She could practically feel Avery’s pain.
Avery was silent for a moment, then his face brightened a bit.
“She had my gray eyes. And my curiosity about the world. Oh, she wanted to know everything. ‘Daddy, why is the sky blue? Daddy, how does the fruit get on the trees?’” Avery’s eyes twinkled with amusement.
“And one time she asked, Daddy, what on earth are those horses doin’? ”
Remy clapped her hands and laughed heartily. “She sounds delightful.”
“Aye, that she was,” Avery said with a fond smile.
“She was my little walkin’ companion. Whenever I went into town to get supplies, she came with me, chatterin’ the whole way.
I loved hearin’ her talk. She was so excited about everything.
She charmed everybody, that was for sure.
Such a friendly little girl, smilin’ at every person and every animal we saw along the way. Brightest spot of me life, that child.”
“What was her name?”
“Charlotte,” Avery replied, speaking her name with reverence. “And because I had to go roamin’ all over the country, fightin’ in that pointless war, she grew up without a father. And that’s why I’m still here. You want to talk about Catholic guilt!” He laughed ruefully.
“Avery, it’s not your fault you were killed!” Remy said.
“I never should have left my family in the first place. Nora. She deserved so much better. She shouldn’t have had to be a single mother. And Charlotte, she was just a baby. I can’t imagine how she took the news…when her mother had to tell her that her daddy…” Avery closed his eyes.
Tears spilled from Remy’s eyes. She wished with all of her heart that she could pull Avery close and hold him.
Avery opened his eyes and saw how distraught Remy was. “Oh, me darlin’, please don’t cry.”
“Don’t worry about me. Avery, you can still be with your daughter. I’m sure she’s waiting on you where she is.”
Avery nodded. “I have no doubt that my little girl is in heaven. That’s where she belongs.”
So do you, Remy thought, beginning to feel the heartache that Lucy had warned her about.
Maybe Avery would be able to come back like Jesse.
Or maybe he would cross over and she would never see him again.
Who knew if Avery would even want to come back to life?
And who the hell was she to try to keep Avery from being with his daughter?
“Then you need to try to get home to her. Avery, I would miss you so much, but I want you to be at peace. You’ve suffered here on earth long enough. You know Lucy helped another soldier cross over, right? And do you know her friend Theresa? She has a whole counseling group for soldiers.”
Avery nodded. “I’ve seen Theresa around, but we’ve not been formally introduced. I know ‘bout her work with the soldiers. She’s a lovely woman for doin’ that for them.”
“She really is,” Remy said with affection, recalling all the times Theresa had paid for her meals. She was a wonderful friend. “Maybe you’ll let her help you? She can counsel you and help you deal with the regrets that are keeping you here.”
“I don’t know,” Avery said. “Perhaps I’ll think about it.”
Remy looked out across the battlefield, her heart heavy.
She couldn’t help imagining what it would be like if Avery were still alive.
They would be dating now. He would be her boyfriend.
He would be able to kiss her and hold her.
It’d been so long since anyone had touched her since she lived alone and her family was far away.
Not that they were the touchy-feely-huggy type anyway.
The only time she had physical contact with another human being was when she offered a hand to help a tourist down from the tour bus.
That, and occasionally punching Jesse on the shoulder when he was teasing her.
“You all right?” Avery asked, sounding worried.
Remy sighed. The sun was beginning to set, and she knew she had to leave.
“I hate to leave you here alone, Avery, but I’ve got to get going. I have two ghost tours tonight.”
“You must be so tired,” Avery said. “And you must have come right from work. You probably haven’t even eaten dinner yet!”
“No, it’s okay. I’m not really that hungry,” Remy said.
“Darling! You’ve got to eat something. You’ve been on your feet all day, and now you have to work more!”
Avery’s concerned face made her want to cry. Though she didn’t want to upset him, it felt good to have somebody worry over her.
“I can’t.” Remy sighed. “Tomorrow is payday. I get paid every two weeks and, well, sometimes after I pay my college loan and my rent and electricity and all…sometimes I can’t afford to get groceries ‘til my next paycheck hits.”
“Remy!” Avery cried, sounding horrified. “You can’t go hungry!”
“It’s not like I’m starving to death. It’s okay. I still have some cereal and a little milk left to tide me over until tomorrow.”
Avery looked so sorrowful that Remy could hardly bear it.
She regretted telling him the truth about her money situation.
There wasn’t a thing Avery could do to help her, and she’d upset him for no good reason.
She would be heartbroken if the situation was reversed and there was nothing she could do to help him.
“I’ll be okay, Avery. Please don’t worry about me.
I’m sorry, but I really have to get going.
” She stood up, and Avery stood, too. She felt a delicious ripple of attraction when she looked up at him.
He was so tall, so big. If he were alive, he could easily have picked her up and carried her to bed just like in her fantasy.
“Avery,” Remy said with a seductive smile. “Back at the tour company you said I adore you in Irish. Will you say it again?”
Avery’s face broke into a wide grin. “Adhraím thú, Remy.”
Remy smiled at him. “I know it doesn’t sound anywhere near as romantic in English, but I adore you, too.”
“Believe me, hearin’ that is music to my ears.”
Remy blew him a kiss, then headed to her car.