Total pages in book: 107
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 100750 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 504(@200wpm)___ 403(@250wpm)___ 336(@300wpm)
Nadia and Grayson had dated for two years, and while the initial heartbreak hurt, they both had moved on. They kept in touch for the first semester, and then communication gradually decreased. Grayson had never been upset about losing Nadia. They were going in two different directions, and it was easier than having a long-distance relationship.
Grayson continued reading the article. Rafe and Nadia had two daughters, Gemma (eight) and Lynnea (six). Each time Grayson read, he felt more and more sorry for his onetime girlfriend, and he felt a pang of hurt and anger that he hadn’t known. He had never checked with his mom to see if she still spoke to the Boltons. They didn’t live far from each other. Surely, his mother must’ve heard from the neighborhood.
He picked up his phone and pressed the contact image for his mom. On the second ring she picked up. “Hi,” she said happily.
“Hey. Um, you remember the Boltons, right?”
“Yes, of course. Why do you ask?”
“Do they still live in the area?”
Sydney was silent for a moment. “No, I think they moved farther out about five years ago. If I remember correctly, Warren retired, and I think they either sold the home or their daughter lives in it with her family.”
“Nadia?” He had no idea why he said her name. The article he’d read said she lived in Boston.
“No, the other one. Sierra?”
“Sienna.”
“Yes, Sienna. She has two boys. I see them from time to time. Why are you asking about the Boltons?”
Grayson enlarged the photo of Nadia and her family and studied it. She looked happy. They looked happy. Their older daughter looked like Nadia, while the youngest looked like Rafe.
“Grayson?”
“Uh, what?”
“Why are you asking? Did something happen?”
“Curious,” Grayson told his mom.
“Okay. How are you?”
“I’m good. Can I call you back?”
“Okay. Is everything good?” There was worry in her voice, and Grayson chided himself for being preoccupied. He should’ve texted her instead of calling.
“Yes, I’m good. I promise.”
“Okay, call me later.”
He hung up and opened another browser. This time he searched for Rafe Karlsson’s obituary. As he hit enter, he had no idea what he was looking for. He guessed he was curious because he knew someone who had been affected by the tragedy, which was a first for him. He often counted himself lucky, since he’d never lost a classmate or a friend to death.
Grayson skimmed, soon learning that Rafe had died after saving the life of another runner during the annual Commonwealth Cup. Rafe was madly in love with Nadia. A doting father to Gemma and Lynnea. The only son of Otto and Cleo Karlsson. Loving brother to Freya and uncle to Leif and Astrid. He left behind his best friend and college roommate, Kiran Dunlap.
And then at the end, the sentence that rocked Grayson was there in black and white: Rafe Karlsson gave the gift of life.
Grayson sat back and focused on those words. He wasn’t a betting man, but if he were, he’d bet his salary that Rafe’s organs had been donated.
In another window, Grayson looked up the Commonwealth Cup, which was now known as the Rafe Karlsson Memorial Cup. He read extensively and took notes on what he could. There was Nadia, receiving the key to the city. He recognized her now. She wore a dark wool coat, with a black hat. Her daughters wore something similar. Nadia held the hands of her girls. The cameras followed their every move.
He lost track of how long he sat there, looking up random things, learning increasingly more about the accident, Nadia’s family, her, her husband, and anything else he could sink his teeth into. What he found interesting was the lack of interviews with her. In all the searches, he could only find one, and it was recent.
The Nadia he remembered was outgoing, vivacious, and loved having the camera on her. Captain of the cheer squad and valedictorian, she thrived in the spotlight. Grayson surmised life had probably changed when she had children, or her light had dimmed after she lost her husband.
The constant ache he’d felt in his heart changed. It wasn’t dull. It now throbbed, and no amount of rubbing the spot made it lessen. Tears threatened as he looked at the faces of Gemma and Lynnea, which seemed silly. Why would he cry for two girls he’d never met before? His mind told him it was from knowing Nadia, for feeling sorry for her. They’d once had a connection, and it was logical for him to experience some sort of sting after learning of her loss.
Grayson hadn’t seen Nadia since the summer they’d graduated from high school, when he helped her pack her car. He had mad organizational skills, and she’d begged him to help her. She carried her things to him, while he put them in her car. Warren, her father, wanted to make sure Nadia could see out of her rearview mirror when she drove. Grayson made that happen for her.