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“My parents moved here when I was six. My dad was working for the railroad, but many years later he got his MBA, and went to work for a big Wall Street company. They spent a lot of time in New York City and D.C. rubbing shoulders with all the right people. My mom loved that and got big into the social scene. They were mighty proud when I got a football scholarship to Alabama State, our old home town.”
Lydia spoke up. “And then you made MVP All-Star Player—and went on to play pro ball for the Raiders, right?” she said, leaning into the window sunlight again.
“Yeah, but only for two seasons when I busted out my knee. And then Josh . . .” his voice trailed away. He didn’t really want to think about football right now. That was so many years ago. His life was completely different despite how much he’d loved the game.
Lydia was puzzled for a moment, then said, “Your brother? He was sick, right?”
“Josh got leukemia,” Wade said briefly, the pinch growing in his chest when he talked about the brother four years younger who’d been like a best friend. “Don’t you remember me telling you about that?”
Lydia twisted in her seat. “Yes, I remember! Sometimes I just forget details. Is that what the flowers are for in the back seat—to put on his grave? I was hoping they were a surprise for me to celebrate the fact that we are finallyofficially official! Ring and all now,” she added, watching it sparkle through the windshield.
She leaned past her seatbelt to take Wade’s arm in a partial snuggle, as if trying to make up for her lack of compassion.
With a small smile, he patted her hand, then spun the wheel to turn into the cemetery’s entrance and find a parking spot.
After turning off the engine, he jumped out to open the door for Lydia, who shifted in her seat, stretching out her long, tanned legs to show them off. He was on to her sexy shenanigans, but what was funnier was that she had told him she did it on purpose. To entice him into letting her move into his new house before they had set a wedding date.
Wade kept making excuses to hold her off, and he couldn’t figure out why exactly. Getting married at thirty-one was going to be a big change. Maybe bigger than he’d anticipated.
Was he turning gun-shy about marriage and getting the jitters? No, Wade was tired of the single life and wanted to settle down and have a family.
“So, do you need to find the cemetery map to look up your brother’s grave location?”
“Josh,” he said patiently. “His name is Joshua, like the famous prophet who parted the Jordan River after Moses was taken up into heaven.”
Lydia wrinkled her nose and laughed. “Really, Wade? You’re quoting the Bible at me?”
“Nope,” he said with a quirk of his mouth. “I just meant that I know exactly where my brother is laid to rest.”
Lydia lifted a hand to shade her eyes from the sun. “It’s kind of muggy out here. Do you mind if I stay in the car with the AC on?”
Wade cocked his head, surprised by her request. But not that surprising. Lydia didn’t like to talk much about life—or death. Especially not terminal illnesses and dying. That was for the movies. And other people.
“Sure, staying in the car will keep you cooler than hiking the cemetery in the hot sun,” was all he said now, reaching back for the bouquet of flowers he’d picked up earlier. “Give me fifteen.”
“Okay, darling,” she sang out. “But if you find a big tree with some shade, we could do a little personal engagement ring celebrating. If you know what I mean!”
Giving a laugh at her innuendo, Wade shook his head. “I’ll keep a lookout, sweetheart. For now, sit tight. I’ll try not to be gone too long.”
He climbed out of the vehicle and closed the door, giving Lydia a quick wink.
She was probably just teasing him when she mentioned having a make-out session out here on the lawn. He was surprised she brought it up—thiswasa graveyard after all. She didn’t like picnics, and there was no blanket in the trunk of his car to spread out to keep her new dress from getting grass stains.
Wade left her the car keys and blasting her favorite music. It didn’t take long to walk to the back rows of the cemetery with the big trees, and the shade felt nice in the growing heat of late afternoon.
Once he found the headstone, Wade crouched down to run a finger along the lettering on the granite headstone. “Hey, buddy,” he said in a deep voice while his throat closed up with emotion.
Joshua William Kennedy. Beloved Son, Brother, and Best Friend to all.
The dates were painful. Josh had passed away in the hospital the day before his sixteenth birthday.
“I think about you all the time, bro,” Wade said in a low voice, even though the cemetery was deserted, and no one could hear him talking out loud. “Hope you’re having fun up there in heaven. And you get to eat all the rocky road ice cream you want.”
He took off the plastic wrap around the daises and chrysanthemums that the florist had recommended and placedit in the green holder at the bottom of the headstone that was half filled with water. Probably from yesterday’s rain shower.
He gave a chuckle, remembering his last conversation with Josh before his brother had slipped into a coma. They’d cracked jokes about him getting a pair of angel wings and flying around the universe to learn if there were actual aliens a billion galaxies away.
“Don’t forget to take your camera,” Wade had told him. Josh had been huge into photography, and he was good. Won awards at the State Fair every year in the junior division.
