Page 4 of Love Hazard

I never truly imagined a world where she didn’t exist. Andthen, suddenly, she was gone, and I was holding her hat and setting it on acold, hard grave, unable to see the inscriptions because of the tears in myeyes. Most people left flowers, but I felt like, even in Heaven, Great-Grandmawould laugh if she saw the black and white hat with its sparkles. I couldn’tbear to take it back with me and prayed it would just stay by her side or get taken by the wind.

My dad ended up buying a new one for me as a reminder of thestrong woman who’d come before me, and I always kept in the tears that I’d onlyhad a few years with her until she was gone.

When I finally received my diploma and came home, I’d made a decision. I didn’t want a normal graduation party; Iwanted to celebrate her life and make it something we did every summer.

Remember her, celebrate, wear crazy hats, and honor hermemory—especially for my cousins and my younger brother, who’d only had her forthree years.

“You doing good?” My dad walked upto me and kissed my head, then pulled me into his arms. He always smelled likefresh water and cloves. It was a weird combination, but it wascomforting. He also always gave the best hugs. He said he’d learned from thebest, so that made sense. Great-Grandma was freakishly strong, even into hernineties.

I didn’t trust my voice, so I just sank against him. “Shealways wanted me to get my degree in something brilliant, and I literallychanged my major three times and ended up with social sciences after failingstatistics. So, really, the fact that I even got my degree is a win.” I smiledthrough the stupid tears falling down my cheeks.

She’d been my best friend.

My hero.

And now, she was gone.

“She didn’t even graduate college.” Dad rubbed my back, hispalm warm against my too-tight, strappy sundress as his fingers moved back andforth, back and forth. “And if she did finishcollege, I imagine her climbing every tree on campus, security chasing her downwith flashlights and having a food fight in the cafeteria after having anargument with her psych professor over his love of bad poetry.”

I looked up at him. He sported long, brown hair and hadcrinkles at the corners of his eyes that just made him more handsome. “That wasliterally so detailed I’m alarmed.”

“Well, she was a detailed woman. Now, let’s go celebrate herlife and your accomplishments after graduating Portland State.”

I groaned and made a face. “Do we have to? You know I’dprefer a book, the tree house that you and Mom helped build, and maybe one ofyour famous lime margaritas.”

“The margarita and tree house I can do. The book I can’t,because you’ll end up stuck in the corner of the treehouse for hours and we dohave a lot of people here to honor her and you. So, let’s just go back in, sayall your greetings, and then I’ll make up an excuse for you to escape.”

I turned and threw my arms around him. “Aw, best dad ever.”

“Grandma would have done the same.” He winked. “Butseriously, your mom’s going to kill us if we don’t head back into the party.What’s with you and this tree, anyway?”

It was tall, beautiful, the perfect reading spot, andimportant to me with its bright green leaves and long branches that stretchedinto the sky.

I used to climb when I wanted to mentally send hate notes toAugust after he’d made fun of me, and then it just became my thing. I’d escapeto it, staring at the house next door and hating that I was wondering what hewas doing after high school every time I came home on a break. Until I foundout that his life hadn’t turned out the way he’d expected either.

I’d lost my great-grandma.

He was losing his mom.

He didn’t get to go to school, while I did.

And yeah, life just didn’t turn out the way I expected itto. Now, I was stuck wondering what would have happened if we had actually become friends. I’d always had a crush on him, atleast until the stupid repeat offender kept making me feel bad about myself.Now, I was left feeling bad for him for no reason. We hadn’t talked in years.

But still.

I shook my head at my dad. “Nothing, I just like the tree.It’s soothing.”

“Soothing.” He nodded. “All right. Well, I’m going to headback in. You have five minutes before your mom comes to hunt you down, or yourlittle brother comes and farts in front of you just tomake sure you’re still alive.”

Chapter Three

“There was a reason Cinderella had slippers—weaponry.”—HazelTitus

August

She was by the tree.

“Be right back,” I told Mom, who had already fallen asleepon the chair and was tucked in with her blanket.