It makes it easier that they agree.’ He paused. ‘But Pete’s parents also said they want the wake at the house rather than in a hall somewhere.’
‘So we’ll have to cater it, you mean?’
He nodded.
She blew out a breath. ‘Then I vote we get the local deli to do as much of it as possible, so all we have to do is lay stuff out on serving platters on the dining room table. And I’ll rope my mum in to help. Between us we can manage the drinks.’
There was no point in asking his mother to help. Dylan couldn’t remember whether she was in India or Bali, but he knew she was on retreat somewhere, and he also knew from experience that she wouldn’t allow anything to interrupt that. Even if her only child really needed her help. He’d learned that one at a pretty early age. ‘Right,’ he said shortly.
She narrowed her eyes. ‘Is everything OK, Dylan?’
‘Yes.’ He raked a hand through his hair. ‘Just this whole thing...I still can’t quite get my head around it. I still keep thinking Pete’s going to walk through the door and ask us if we missed him.’
‘Me, too,’ she said. ‘Ally’s the first person really close to me I’ve lost. I guess it’s a normal reaction, but I wonder when I’m going to stop missing her.’
‘You don’t stop missing her. You just get better at dealing with it.’
She said nothing, just looked at him. Those wide grey eyes were full of empathy rather than pity, so he found himself unexpectedly telling her the rest. ‘My grandmother. She died last year. It’s little things that catch you—a bit of music that reminds me of her, or walking past someone who’s wearing the same perfume. Or seeing something in the shop that I know she’d love, and suddenly remembering that she’s not going to be here for her birthday or Christmas so there’s no point in buying it.’
She reached over and squeezed his hand. Just long enough to let him know that she understood and sympathised, but not long enough to be cloying. Weird. He hadn’t expected to actually start liking Emmy.
He gave her the smallest, smallest smile. ‘I’ll talk to the vicar and sort that side of it out. The funeral directors just want a decision on the casket. Can I ask you to sort the food and drink?’
‘Sure. Does anything else need doing?’
‘I’m doing a eulogy for Pete. Do you want to do one for Ally?’
She shook her head. ‘I don’t think I could stand up there and do it. I would...’ She paused, clearly swallowing back a sob. ‘Well, I don’t want to let her down by crying through it. She deserves more than that.’
He’d done enough presentations in his time to be able to get through it. ‘I’ll do it for you, if you like. Just tell me what you want to say and I’ll read it out.’
She swallowed hard. ‘Thank you.’
‘No problem.’
‘I could do a wall, though,’ she said. ‘I could scan in some of the photographs from when they were small, as well as the digital ones I’ve got from more recent years. We could talk to their parents and get their favourite memories as well.’
‘That’s a good idea. I’ll talk to Pete’s again while you talk to Ally’s?’
‘That works for me.’
‘I think they’d like to stay at the house, that night,’ Dylan said. ‘I was thinking, it wouldn’t be fair for either couple to stay in Pete and Ally’s room.’
‘You’re right,’ she agreed. ‘It’s my night on call, so I can use a sleeping bag in Tyler’s room.’
‘And I’ll take the sofa,’ he said.
Funny how their minds were in tune on this one.
Would they be in tune in other ways, too? The thought crept insidiously into his head and lodged there, and even though he tried to block it out he couldn’t help being aware of just how attractive Emmy actually was.
She leaned down to touch the sleeping baby’s cheek. ‘You’ll definitely know your mum and dad, Ty. Dylan and I, we have photographs and memories, all sorts of things we can share with you when you’re older. Your mum did a “This Is Your Life” book for me when I was thirty, and I can do something like that for you of her.’
‘I’ll chip in with stuff about your dad,’ he said, touching Tyler’s other cheek.
They shared a glance and Dylan wondered—did it have to take the death of our best friends for us to get along? It was odd how easily they’d fallen into teamwork—since they’d moved into the house, he hadn’t sniped once and neither had she—and he was shocked to realise that he actually liked her. A lot. Emmy was funny, clever, good company. How had he never noticed that before?
* * *
Emmy just about managed to get through the funeral, though she couldn’t help bawling her eyes out during ‘Abide With Me’. The bit about where was Death’s sting always got to her. ‘Amazing Grace’ put a lump in her throat as well, and when the church echoed to Eva Cassidy singing ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’ there wasn’t a dry eye anywhere.
Though she was glad that everyone was wearing bright colours rather than black, to celebrate Ally and Pete’s life and the precious memories. It was important to share the good stuff as well as mourn them. To give them a decent send-off.
Tyler was an angel.
And Dylan was amazing.
He was sitting in the front row, next to her; when he stood up to do the eulogies from the pulpit, she couldn’t take her eyes off him. Even though the tears were spilling down her cheeks as he spoke the words she’d written about her best friend.
She hugged him when he returned to his seat. ‘You did a fantastic job,’ she whispered. ‘Just perfect.’
* * *
Dylan returned the hug, even though bits of him worried that he quite liked the feel of Emmy in his arms. He dismissed it simply as grief coming out. He wasn’t attracted to Emmy Jacobs.
Ha—who was he trying to kid? Of course he was.
But he couldn’t act on that attraction, for Tyler’s sake. Getting involved with Emmy would make everything way too complicated. It would be better to keep his distance, the way he always did.
Friends neither he nor Emmy had seen since university days had come to the funeral. Back at the house, everyone was talking about the room divider Emmy had made with the photographs, sharing memories and the house echoed with as much laughter as tears.
The food was working out, too. Emmy was bustling around, sorting out the drinks and topping up the empty plates. Her mum had helped out and done way, way more than his own mother would’ve done if she’d been there. Between the three of them, they’d managed to handle this.
Finally everyone went and the clearing up started.
‘You
