The Next Thing on My List (32 page)

‘ Well done on finishing the list,’  she said.

I corrected her. ‘ Almost finishing it.’

‘ Ah. Close enough. I’ m sorry you never came back to the group, but you look good. Thin.’

‘ It was the I’ m-too-depressed-to-eat diet,’  I said.

Brie shook her head. ‘ I wish that would happen to me. I eat when I get upset. And when I get mad. Or stressed. Or if I’ m happy. I eat then, too.’

Norma swallowed a bite of her pie, then said, ‘ I hear you there. And Marissa dying so soon after she lost the weight-it was so sad. The group took it pretty hard. We had a couple meetings that were less about food and more about the process of grieving. Poor Buddy took it the hardest. He-’

I nearly choked on my drink. ‘ Did you say Buddy?’

Sebastian glanced up. ‘ Who said Buddy?’

‘ I did,’  Norma said, clearly startled. ‘ I was telling June how Buddy took Marissa’ s death especially hard. He’ s in my Weight Watchers group, and he and Marissa were quite-’

Sebastian cut her off. ‘ His name isn’ t Buddy Fitch by chance, is it?’

‘ I do believe his last name is Fitch. Why-do you know him?’

I couldn’ t believe it. I’ d been searching everywhere for this guy, and I never thought that he might be one of the Weight Watchers group. I may have even seen him the night I went for my one and only meeting. The last thing I wanted to do was face those people again. But if I had to, I would. I’ d be able to finish the list. ‘ I want to meet him,’  I said. ‘ Does he still go to the meetings?’

‘ Not since he reached his weight goal,’  she said.

‘ Oh no.’  I couldn’ t hide my disappointment. But they probably had records. Of course they did! I’ d be able to-

‘ But if you want to meet him, it’ s no problem. He’ s here.’

Sebastian slapped his hands on the table so hard that it made our drinks jump. ‘ Get outta town. Here?! In the bar?’

‘ Well, yes. When Kitty Jones invited me, she said to go ahead and extend an invitation to anyone I wanted.’

‘ He’ s here,’  I said, stunned. Buddy Fitch was here. ‘ Where?’

Norma gestured toward a man standing with his family. ‘ Over there. Here, I can take you to meet him. Let me go get my-’

I didn’ t even wait for her to finish. Here was my chance to complete the list! Oh, I hoped he’ d confess to whatever misdeed he’ d visited upon poor Marissa. If not, I’ d do whatever it took to drag it out of him.

‘ That was a great speech,’  he said when I approached. He was a husky man with thinning red hair and a square but friendly face.

‘ Thanks,’  I said, and then got right to the point. ‘ Are you Buddy Fitch?’

‘ Me? Nah. Name’ s Peter Fitch.’

My spirits sank, but then a kid’ s voice said, ‘ I’ m Buddy.’

I gasped. ‘ You’ re Flash!’  I said right as he pointed to me and said:

‘ Now I remember who you are! You’ re the lady from the race!’

‘ You’ re Buddy Fitch?’  How could the nice kid from the race possibly have hurt Marissa? There must be a mistake. ‘ I need to talk to you a minute,’  I said, leading him away.

‘ You still running?’  he asked, settling into a chair behind a giant potted fern where I thought we could get privacy.

I gave him a guilty look and admitted I’ d done it only for the list. ‘ Speaking of which,’  I said, unfolding it, ‘ maybe you can explain something to me.’  I showed him #7: Make Buddy Fitch pay. ‘ You have any idea why Marissa would write the one about making you pay?’

‘ Sure. She and I had a bet. When I joined Weight Watchers, I had thirty pounds to lose. I wanted to get on the track team, and one day when I sat next to Marissa, I told her I bet I’ d never make it. She bet me I would, and we put money on it. She promised that she’ d help me train.’

Unbelievable. ‘ So it was literal. Make you pay.’

‘ She came to run with me a couple times after school before she& um& Anyhow, I didn’ t quit. I kept running.’

‘ How much did you bet?’

‘ A dollar.’

I leaned close so my eyes were level with his. ‘ So I guess what I need to know is, did you make the track team?’

‘ Yep.’

‘ In that case, Buddy Fitch’ -I extended a hand, palm up-’ pay up.’

#7. Make Buddy Fitch pay

SOON AFTER I brought the list back to the table and crossed off the last item, my friends gathered to leave.

‘ I’ m so lucky to have all of you,’  I said, overwhelmed with emotion. It was finally sinking in that I’ d finished the list. Mere minutes earlier, I’ d thought I still had a long way to go. ‘ I could have never completed the list if it hadn’ t been for your help.’

There was much murmuring of ‘ You’ re welcome’  and ‘ Glad to do it,’  until Martucci said, ‘ Don’ t start blubbering all over me, Parker. This is a new shirt.’

‘ Are you going to give back the list?’  Susan asked.

I nodded. ‘ That was always the plan: that I’ d return it as soon as I was done. I was starting to fear that it might never happen.’

‘ It did-and on time,’  Sebastian said warmly. ‘ It must be the writer in you& can’ t miss a deadline.’

Everyone left except for Martucci, who said he’ d stick around to give me a ride home. I found Kitty Jones straightening a balloon bouquet. ‘ Here you are,’  I said, handing her the list. ‘ Complete.’  I explained about Buddy Fitch.

‘ He told me that he made the track team at his school because of Marissa,’  I said. ‘ So that’ s another thing she made happen by herself.’

She squeezed my arm, her voice breaking. ‘ Now don’ t make me cry. I’ ve managed to hold it together so far. I’ m going to take this’ -she held up the list-’ and have a good, long look at it as soon as I get home.’

I glanced around the crowd, which was starting to thin. ‘ I need to get going, but I wanted to say good-bye to Troy first.’

‘ He’ s over by the food table with his aunt Lorraine. She’ s probably grilling him about why he’ s not married yet. I’ ll bet he’ d be eternally grateful if you rescued him.’

She wasn’ t kidding. As soon as I approached, Troy said loudly, ‘ It was a pleasure chatting with you, Aunt Lorraine, but I need to talk to June here.’

‘ Guess what?’  I said as he ushered me to a quiet end of the bar. ‘ We found Buddy Fitch. He’ s here& and he’ s a kid from her Weight Watchers group. So the list’ s done.’

‘ June, that’ s incredible.’

‘ Anyway, I was about to leave, but I wanted to say thanks for everything.’

‘ I didn’ t do much, but you know I was glad to help any way I could.’

‘ By the way,’  I boasted, ‘ I wound up getting the promotion at work.’

‘ I knew you would.’  He rubbed a hand nervously through his hair. ‘ Look& about the other day when I came to your office. You told me that the phone message I left you got cut off. Which is probably for the best. I did a lot of blabbering. But the upshot was-and I know this sounds cliché-but as far as what happened in Vegas, it wasn’ t you. It was me.’

‘ It’ s okay.’

‘ No, it’ s not. I snapped at you because you were going to adopt a baby. And did I even understand you right? It sounds now like you aren’ t going to do it.’

‘ I didn’ t really want to be a single mom-I got swept up in everything. And as for Vegas, it was no big deal. Honestly. You’ ve been through so much; you and Marissa were so close. I can understand that you’ d feel conflicted.’

He shook his head and smiled. ‘ I should have seen it coming. I remember the first time I saw you at the funeral, when you came down the line shaking hands. You had that huge black eye, and when you got to where I was, I thought, Wow, she’ s hot, and found myself peeking down your blouse to see how far the bruise went. Then I was disgusted that I’ d notice something like that at my own sister’ s funeral.’

Before I could respond-and really, what could one say to that?-a woman approached and said, ‘ Troy, your grandma wants me to tell you that you’ re needed. They’ re about to cut the cake.’

‘ Tell her I’ ll be right there.’  Then he turned to me. ‘ So you’ ll keep in touch?’

‘ Are you kidding? Now that I have this new job, I’ m going to need connections in all the right places.’

‘ You got it. Anytime.’

I hugged Troy good-bye and then walked back to where Martucci sat, discussing racing strategies with Buddy Fitch. ‘ I’ m ready to go when you are,’  I said.

As we left, I paused at the doorway to take one last look inside the room. Troy and his family gathered around the cake. Twenty-five candles had been lit, and the firelight danced on their faces as they leaned close. No one sang ‘ Happy Birthday.’  I watched-drained and yet never feeling more full-as Kitty took in a deep breath. And then everyone around her helped blow out the candles in one collective whoosh.

Chapter 26

I t’ s strange not to have anything I have to do,’  I said to Martucci as he pulled his car in front of my apartment building. The evening was warm, and he had the moon roof open, exposing a twinkle of city lights.

‘ You did good.’

‘ I just don’ t want to go back to my old ways.’

He cut the engine. ‘ Then don’ t.’

‘ How?’  As I asked it, I had to marvel. Once again, I was turning to Martucci for advice, when only months ago I could hardly stand to be in the same room with him. He’ d changed in my perception from repulsive to& well, I wasn’ t sure. I liked being around him. Suddenly I was noticing things like how he smelled good& the rumbly growl of his voice& how the corners of his eyes crinkled when he smiled.

‘ It’ s easy,’  he said, grinning-and see? There went the crinkles. ‘ Think about what you would have done before, which would have been nothing. Then do something.’

‘ Very funny.’  I added, ‘ The old me would leave to go inside right now.’

He lifted an eyebrow. ‘ And the new you& ?’

I shifted in my seat so I faced him, then I placed one hand behind his head and pulled him close in a kiss. And it was nice-warm and soft and sweet-and I kissed him again, and again, and soon I was gulping him in, and he was tugging me close, tangling his hands in my hair, and it was crazy& Dominic Martucci of all people! Yet for once I wasn’ t second-guessing myself or letting myself get lost in doubt. I knew for certain that-wherever it might go or whatever might happen-sprawled across Martucci’ s front seat with my tongue greedily seeking his was exactly where I wanted to be right now.

He gazed at me, brushing my hair away from my face. ‘ For the record, Parker,’  he said, ‘ this definitely qualifies as something.’

‘ Glad you approve. I have to play it by ear now that I don’ t have a list.’

‘ Mmm. I’ ve been working on one of my own, you know.’

‘ You have?’

‘ Sure. Ever since I got a preview of your goodies in Vegas, I’ ve spent a helluva lot of hours thinking exactly what I’ d like to do to you.’  Laying kisses along my neck, trailing them softly down to my throat, he murmured, ‘ It’ s probably best you don’ t have a list right now. Mine’ s going to keep you mighty busy.’

STARING AT THE BLANK PAPER before me, I chewed on the tip of my pen. This was harder than I’ d thought it would be.

All I’ d written so far was, June’ s To-Do List.

I supposed I didn’ t need a list. My life was already so different from what it used to be, plus Martucci’ s list was proving to be quite satisfying. Still, a few goals that involved my clothes on couldn’ t hurt.

The first thing I’ d done the Saturday after Marissa’ s party was pack up the gifts I’ d gotten from the baby shower at work and drive to Deedee’ s house. Even though I knew she had the childbirth class, I figured it couldn’ t take the entire day. She might have wanted to cut me from her life, but it was going to take a machete to do it.

Deedee answered the door dressed in a tank top over an enormous swell of stomach, and I gaped at her. ‘ Cripes, you swallow the Olson twins since the last time I saw you?’

‘ I know. I’ m a big old cow, huh?’

‘ Nah. You’ re cute as ever. But that’ s a heck of a belly.’

She furrowed her brows. ‘ How come you’ re here? I thought for sure you hated me.’

‘ Not a chance. I’ ll admit I was disappointed, but how could I be mad? You made the smart choice. Now are you going to make me stand out here, or will you let me in so I can give you these gifts?’

She called Maria over, and I didn’ t need a translator for the oohs and aahs, especially when I rolled in that Cadillac of a stroller. I’ d had no qualms keeping the gifts from my co-workers. I could have put a down payment on a home with all the cash I’ ve laid out for other people over the years. I simply let everyone know it was going to a poor blind grandma, and that was that. There was no need to mention she was twenty-nine.

As Deedee chattered on about running into her archnemesis, Theresa, the other day, I smiled to myself. I’ d almost adopted a baby because I was so smitten with the idea of a little girl needing me.

Well, there was still a little girl who needed me.

Sure, she had a tendency to swear and wear too much eyeliner, but she needed me.

IT WAS A FEW DAYS after that that my brother called to tell me to check my e-mail. ‘ I sent you a file of a page to be posted by our adoption agency. You’ re a writer-I wanted to see if you had any suggestions.’

‘ You’ re adopting-that’ s great! How did that happen?’

‘ Hold on,’  he said, ‘ I’ ll let the boss explain.’  And he put Charlotte on the line.

She told me how she and Bob had talked on their way home from Deedee’ s that day and how she had realized that if she could get that excited about a baby she’ d known about for less than a day, there’ d be no problem bonding with another. The adoption process could take a year or more, she told me, but that was nothing compared with how long they’ d already waited.

‘ And you’ re not upset that you didn’ t get Deedee’ s baby?’

‘ I was for a bit. Then for the first time I realized that this is going to happen. Bob and I will be parents. The right one will come along. Sad as I was, I had to accept it-that wasn’ t our baby.’

MAYBE I’ D PUT Swimming with the dolphins.

Then again, maybe not. My mom might want to frolic among Flipper’ s little friends, but it wouldn’ t make my list.

Truth was, I’ d ambled through most of my life, not putting much thought into what I’ d wanted. Even for the past year, when I’ d worked so hard to complete the list, it had been a list of someone else’ s dreams. It was time to put my own in motion.