Epilogue Fiona
“What’s going on, Harper? You’re not usually here on a Saturday afternoon.”
My cousin kicks her toes in her sturdy boots, scuffing the ground. “No reason.”
I wait patiently. I know something’s going on. It doesn’t take long for her to huff.
“I’m hoping that we can help out a friend of mine. I know that you’ve been wanting to take down that wall since you and Monroe got together.”
“We were going to take care of it. Monroe thinks he can do it.”
A deep sigh and she looks up at me with her eyes, sad and gray. Her eyes are the same color as mine, along with some other things that make us look more like sisters than cousins sometimes.
“Do you remember Darius? I went to school with him.”
“Yeah. But I thought he was married with kids and living somewhere out east of us.”
“He was. But something happened. We’ve always kinda stayed in touch and he reached out to me last week. He’s looking to come home and he’s looking for work.”
“With his family?” I can’t help watching my cousin closely. I know she had a crush on Darius in high school. I don’t want her to get hurt by still having feelings for her friend when he’s already taken.
“That’s the thing that happened. His wife and kids were in a car crash. It was a big one on the interstate. He was driving but he survived. They didn’t.”
“Oh, Harper,” I breathe. “That poor man. He must be devastated.”
She nods and her eyes drop to the floor as she fumbles with her purse strap. “Yeah, he is.”
“Harper. Honey, I hope you’re not thinking that this is your second chance with Darius. I don’t think that he’s gonna be in a good place for awhile and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
“I’m not thinking anything like that.”
I’d like to believe her but I can’t. There’s something hopeful in her eyes and I sigh, running my fingers through my hair.
“I guess he can come do the work. And we’ll see if we can find him some other things to do as well. But I want you to remember that you need to let him grieve. Let him get over this. The man is not gonna be in a place to start over for a long time. I guarantee it.”
She lifts her head and glares at me. “Stop treating me like I’m a child, Fee! I’m only three years younger than you.”
Taking a deep breath, I reach out to hug her. “I’m sorry, Harper. I really just want to make sure that you don’t get hurt. You’re too nice for your own good sometimes.”
She snorts into my shoulder and hugs me tight. “That’s not true at all.”
It is but I don’t bug her about it anymore. She’s an adult and she’s gonna do what she’s gonna do.
My heart aches for Darius though. To lose not just his wife but his daughter and son? That’s fucking brutal.
I don’t think I could survive that. As a matter of fact, I know damn well that I couldn’t survive losing Monroe.
Harper moves away and grabs her phone, texting someone. I can only assume it’s Darius.
I hope she knows what she’s doing.
And I have to hope that Darius still cares enough for her to not break her heart yet again.