Troy wrapped his arm around her and hugged her to him. “Summer did CPR until the paramedics took her. She did a really good job.”
Tears streamed down Summer’s cheeks, and she wondered if she’d ever run out. It didn’t feel like it. It felt like she’d cry forever.
“Are you Mrs. Moore?” A man in scrubs asked.
Pamela turned toward the man. “I’m Miss Moore. Ashlyn Moore is my daughter.”
The man took a deep breath. Even though Summer knew what he was going to say, she allowed herself a glimmer of hope. “We tried to revive your daughter in the ambulance,” he said. “The paramedics used the paddles, but they couldn’t get her heart beating again. I’m so sorry.”
“No, that can’t be right,” Pamela said. “She’s only seventeen-years-old. How could this happen?”
“We’ll let you know more as we do.” The man turned and walked away, taking all hope with him.
Pamela shook her head. Summer could see the realization of Ashlyn being gone sinking in, ripping her up inside, the way it had done to her. “She can’t be…” Tears bordered her eyes, then she turned and embraced Summer. “She just can’t. I was finally getting to know her better.”
“She was so happy this morning,” Summer said. “Last night meant so much to her.”
“But I was too late. I didn’t even get a chance to do all those things with her that I promised we’d do.”
Summer searched for the right words. “What’s important is she knew you wanted to. She knew you loved her.”
Convulsions shook Pamela, and Summer was afraid she’d pull the both of them to the floor. She moved Pamela over to a chair and sat her down in it, then sat in the one next to her. Troy took the chair on the other side of Summer.
They sat like that for what seemed like an eternity.
Chapter Thirty-One
The birds outside the window chirped, sounding way cheerier than this day deserved.
Summer groaned when she sensed Gabriella. “Not you. I’m not in the mood.”
“Well hello to you, too,” Gabriella said, her voice also sounding too cheery. “You certainly know how to make me feel welcome.”
“You’re not welcome. I wish you’d never come into my life in the first place.” She felt Gabriella’s hand on her shoulder, but she continued to stare outside at the stupid sunshine.
“I know you’re upset, but you did very well. Everything was resolved before she passed on.”
Summer whipped around. “She died. I hate you for taking her. And I hate whoever gives the orders.” She glared until tears blurred her vision.
“I know this is hard. But you made a big difference in Pamela’s and Ashlyn’s lives. I’ve been doing this for a long time, and I’ve never seen a Cipher make the connection you did. Not only did you help her resolve her relationship, but you gave her a new relationship. You take those memories with you. Your mom was amazing at the short jobs. It looks like you have a gift for the longer ones.”
Summer shook her head. “I can’t do this over and over again. I can’t get attached only to see them die. It’s too much.”
“We understand that,” Gabriella said. “We’ll give you some time before the next assignment.”
“I don’t want another.” Summer wiped at the tears running down her cheek. “Ever.”
“Well, someone is going to need you in the future, and I know you’ll help them like you did Ashlyn. By the way, even from Heaven, she’s not going to forget about your promise to her.”
“Promise?”
“She talked to her mom. You need to talk to that boy.”
Summer dropped onto the foot of her bed and stared at the spot on the wall where the paint was flaking. “I kill people. I can’t have a boyfriend.”
Gabriella sat next to her. “Don’t be ridiculous. You don’t kill people; you help people. Ciphers are perfectly capable of having good relationships. Your mom had your dad.”
“My dad lost his wife.”
Gabriella sighed, wrapped her arms around Summer in a side hug, and kissed the top of her head. “I’ll visit you later, when you’ve had a little time to recover. But you really should keep your promise. You owe it to Ashlyn. You’d hate to have any unresolved business, wouldn’t you?”
“Nothing personal. You seem like a lovely person-angel-thing and all, I’d just rather you not visit for a really long time.”
“You might find you miss me when I’m gone. And at least next time it won’t be so hard because you’ll have experience under your belt.” Gabriella stood and smoothed her hand down her skirt. “One last thing. Your mom wants me to tell you that she’s proud of you and she misses you. Then she wanted me to add one last thing.” Gabriella tapped her lip. “Let’s see, the exact wording was, ‘Be good. You’re awesome. I love you.’”
Just when Summer didn’t think she had any more tears left, fresh tears filled her eyes. “Tell her I love her back. And that I miss her like crazy.”
“It’ll be nice to deliver a message like that for a change,” Gabriella said. “Goodbye, Summer Dear.”
“Goodbye, Gabriella. I’m sorry that I yelled at you earlier, and just… Thanks for all your help.”
Now Gabriella looked like she was going to cry. As always, her outline glittered for a few seconds before she disappeared.
A growl rumbled through Summer’s stomach. Seeing people’s deaths always zapped her of her energy. The last thing she felt like doing was eating, but she knew how sick she’d get if she didn’t. So she dragged herself downstairs to the kitchen to see what they had to eat.
She found a twenty stuck to the fridge with a note from dad.
Order yourself dinner. There’s a new package of Oreos in the pantry. Call if you need anything.
Love you, kid
Dad
After the school had called and informed him Summer wasn’t in class, Dad had called her cell. When she had trouble completing a sentence, Troy took over and filled him in on all that’d happened. He’d offered to skip his meeting in LA and come home early. Summer knew he’d been prepping for the meeting for weeks, though, so she assured him she’d be fine.
Now she wished he was here.
On autopilot, she picked up the phone and ordered a pizza. Needing a distraction, she headed to the living room and turned on the television. Already Summer was dreading the nightmares that came after a vision—especially since they’d involve her best friend’s death. In honor of Ashlyn, Summer had ordered a liter of Diet Coke to go with her pizza. Hopefully the caffeine would help keep her awake as well.
Ten minutes into a show she couldn’t focus on, the doorbell rang. “That was fast.” Summer grabbed the twenty off the coffee table and headed to the front door.
When she swung the door open, Troy stood in place of her pizza. “I came to keep you company,” he said. She wanted to hug him for knowing she needed someone, but she wasn’t sure she’d ever let go if she did.
“Come on in,” Summer said, stepping aside to let him in. “Pizza should be here soon.”
As soon as they were seated on the couch, the deal she made with Ashlyn kept going through her head. It seemed like such a weird time to tell him she was crazy about him, but guilt gnawed at her, pushing her to keep her promise.
“Summer,” Troy said before she could start her speech about her feelings. “Why did you keep saying that you hate your job? And how did you know that Ashlyn was going to die in the ambulance?”
If she told him that first, there was no way she could follow it up with how she felt about him. “We’ll get into all that in a minute. First, I have to keep a promise I made to Ashlyn. I need to tell you something.” Summer bit her lip, trying to think of the right way to say it. “I like you, Troy. More than just a friend. I know you might not feel the same way, and that’s okay, but—”