said. “Can you chill?”
“I’m just kicking myself because we had that pumpkin bread but I brought it all down to the Dills’, and I should have kept some for us.”
She smiled down at David, who was sitting with Masher’s head on his lap, inhaling defrosted mulligan stew as if he hadn’t eaten in days. I had to give Nana credit; when she got home about ten minutes after we did, she was unfazed by his presence at the house. She didn’t even seem to mind that I was blowing off the dance. She just went straight to the freezer to see what kind of food she could offer.
When David finally took a break from the stew and reached for a cookie, Nana made her move.
“So, David, what brings you home?”
He flinched for just a second but continued his cookie grab. “Oh, didn’t you hear?” he said lightly—too lightly. “My grandparents sold the house, and I have to go through my stuff to decide what to keep.”
We were silent. I had driven or walked by the FOR SALE sign every day since it first went up, but still the thought of someone else living in that house never entered my mind. It didn’t seem possible. I’d grown to see it as an empty, perfectly preserved memorial of my family’s last night alive.
“Who did they sell it to?” asked Nana.
“Some married couple with a baby,” said David, practically spitting out each word.
We were quiet again. There was really nothing to say to him that would be appropriate. It only felt right to stay in the small, here-and-now details.
“Do your grandparents know you’re here?” Nana asked.
“No, not yet.”
“I’m sure they’ll be happy to have you home again.”
David shook his head. “I’m not staying there. I . . . I can’t. Stay there.” He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket and squinted at the display. “I’m trying to hook up with Kevin to crash at his place, but he’s not calling me back.”
Nana glanced at me, and I just raised my eyebrows at her to let her know, Go ahead.
“Well, you can stay here if you want,” said Nana. “There’s a nice sofa in the den that I can make up for you.”
“Really?” David’s face lit up. “That would be great. I could bunk with Mash here.”
He had a look I’d never seen before. Sincerity maybe, mixed with a little self-pity. I didn’t know him well enough to pin it down.
I kept wanting to say something to him, but after my little closet episode, I found myself speechless.
“How’s your father?” Nana asked casually. I’d been hoping she wouldn’t ask that. I didn’t want to know.
And it made David’s face fall again. “He’s the same.”
“I’m sorry,” said Nana.
“I’m going to go see him while I’m here.”
“I’m sure he’d like that.” Nana paused, then put her coffee cup down. “I’ll go get the couch ready. You must be exhausted.”
She left the room and I almost followed her, but David turned to me.
“Masher seems great. Thank you for that.”
I looked down at the dog and couldn’t help but smile. “He’s a good boy. And he doesn’t even mind the new cat.”
“New cat?” David frowned.
I’d been hoping for a way to tell him what I was doing, what was going on in my life. Suddenly it seemed easiest just to show him.
“Come check it out,” I said, then simply stood and jerked my head toward the hallway.
The next morning, I woke up late. I’d gotten used to Masher waking me up at a certain time to be let out, but there’d been no wet nose on my neck at seven. Then I remembered why.
The couch in the den was neatly made up, and David’s army duffel bag lay on the floor next to it, its contents creeping out.
“Where is he?” I asked Nana, who was doing dishes in the kitchen.
“Well, look who slept in today! Good morning, lazybones.”
“He’s gone already?”
“Just to his house. Masher, too. He wanted to get an early start.” She paused and shook her head. “I don’t envy him that job. It’s one of the reasons why I keep putting off my trip home.”
I thought of David sitting in his room, with his dog beside him, surrounded by all the things he ever owned in his life. Trying to decide what was important enough to keep.
Then I remembered Suzie asking about what we were going to do with my parents’ and Toby’s things.
“Are we going to do that here? With their stuff?”
I regretted