She purred her answer.
“I love you too.” I stroked her coat. “Where is everyone?” I wound my way through the house toward the kitchen. “Nan!”
“Skyler.” Nan poked her head out of Dad’s room down the hall. “We’re in here.”
Stella jumped down and took off in Nan’s direction as if to tell me it was okay. I wasn’t ready to go into my dad’s room yet. I wasn’t sure if I could. Still, I found it odd that Nan and my aunt were visiting in there.
I rubbed my lips together and rolled back my shoulders. I can do this. Sooner or later, I’ll have to anyway. An onslaught of memories accosted me as soon as I ambled in. Dad’s scent was ever present, and I swayed for a brief second as I focused on a picture that hung on the wall directly ahead of me of Mom, Dad, and me at a carnival.
“Skyler, are you okay?” Nan’s voice severed my trip back in time, and I turned to my left to find both Nan and my aunt staring at me.
Nan stood near a rolling cart that held the medical supplies we’d used, and her outfit said she had gone to Sunday mass.
I found a spot next to Nan. “Why are you in here?” I swung my gaze to my aunt.
She sat primly and properly on the bed. Her blonde hair was styled in a short cut that reached her ears. She wore a soft-blue blouse that brought out the same color in her eyes behind thin, brown-framed glasses. I could see Dad in her. “I’m sorry about your dad.” Her voice sounded as though she’d been smoking since the age of ten, but if she had at any point in her life, her smooth skin didn’t show it. It had been a few years since I’d seen her, and even though I wasn’t a fan of hers, I could hear the sadness and regret in her voice.
“Why are you here?” I asked as nicely as I could, trying to keep the nerves out of my tone.
“You didn’t tell her?” Aunt Clara asked Nan.
Nan’s rosy complexion paled as she squirmed. I’d never seen her jittery.
I crossed my arms over my chest. With Nan nervous and my aunt there, I could only conclude one thing. “Please tell me I’m not moving to California.”
Nan cleared her throat. “About that…”
I ground my back teeth. “No. I’m not leaving.”
She held up a hand. “Don’t get ahead of yourself. I’m sure we will work it out.”
The room spun just the same.
“Your dad signed the updated forms for the trust and had them notarized since he wasn’t able to write well anymore.” Nan’s voice was shaky. “But apparently Mr. Wilson never received them. We think they got lost in the mail.”
At least Dad had signed them. Hopefully, they would show up. But what if they don’t? “Is that why you’re here?” I asked Aunt Clara, willing the nausea to go away.
She clasped her long fingers in her lap. “No. I’d just landed in New York from a business trip when I got Nan’s call. Instead of flying back to California, I thought I would stop here.”
Okay, not so bad. But I wasn’t ready to celebrate just yet. “So what happens now?” If Mr. Wilson didn’t have the documents, Aunt Clara was still named as my guardian.
“Mr. Wilson is out of town,” Nan said, losing some of the nerves in her tone. “He isn’t returning until midweek. His assistant is checking his mail and will keep an eye out for it. In the meantime, we just have to wait until he returns.”
“No need to panic,” Aunt Clara said calmly. “We’ll work through this.”
I liked her confidence. The last time I saw her, she’d been snooty to me.
“Dad told me with your job, you couldn’t take care of me. Right?” Hopefully, she wasn’t about to change her mind.
She smiled warmly. “I really wanted to help my brother. After all, it would only be nine months until you turn eighteen. Still, with my new promotion I’m on a plane six days a week. That means you would be by yourself, and that isn’t going to work. Nan seems like a great person to step into the role as your guardian.”
“Does that mean you’re not going to change your mind?” If we couldn’t find the trust documents, I was concerned that none of us would have a choice.
“Let’s see what Mr. Wilson advises, Skye,” Nan said.
I had to believe we could work it out. “This is my senior year, and I want to graduate with my friends.” I figured one last-ditch effort to make my wishes clear couldn’t hurt.
Aunt Clara rose elegantly, smoothing her hand down her black slacks. “I haven’t slept. Planes are horrible to get any rest. I’m staying in town.”
Nan held out her arm. “I’ll walk you out. Let’s have dinner tomorrow night and chat some more.”
Once I was alone, I dropped onto the bed, puffing out air.
I’d hardly had a chance to think when Nan returned. “I’m so sorry, Skye.” She sat next to me. “I mailed the documents. I should’ve dropped them off at Mr. Wilson’s office. But I had a ton of things to do that day.”
I placed a hand on her trembling leg. “It’s not your fault.” I couldn’t blame her. “What do you think will happen, though?” I examined my nails, deciding which one to gnaw on first. All ten of them were horrible and extremely short, unlike my friends’—they had pretty, manicured nails.
“That the envelope will finally show up at Mr. Wilson’s office. I did ask him what would happen if he doesn’t receive them. But he couldn’t talk. He was catching a flight. He just told me not to worry. So that’s what I’m trying to do. I want you to do the same.”
My pinky won, and I stuck it in
