First Kiss Last by Sara Miller (read e book .TXT) 📗

dream and noticed she had the batter mixed and the oil heating up. She worked on the cinnamon sugar mixture she would coat them with.

“That’s all true. Every single detail of that. Except . . .”

“Except what? That I wasn’t there?” Leah laughed, “Yeah, I know.”

“So why was Mom so mad? I never did understand.”

“I woke up before I knew if you were okay. I’d been holding your hand and I saw the counselors running toward you . . . and then nothing. It was like the second I knew you had help, I woke up. But I was so scared. Gigi said I woke up screaming and crying. I told her what happened and she drove me straight home. Mom sent me to my room but I snuck out and listened. Gigi told Mom to get up to the camp right away. Mom refused. She said dreams weren’t real. She said— “ Leah wished she had caught herself before she started to say more. Lily would demand to know. She didn’t wait for her sister to protest. She was ready to release this too.

“Gigi said ‘you know that girl has a gift’ and Mom said ‘gifts like that aren’t from God and I’ll have no part of it.’ She ignored it and me until the camp finally called. And when she was getting ready to leave, she said to me ‘well if you were there, why didn’t you stop it!’ She raised her hand like she was going to hit me but Gigi stopped her. I never wanted to tell you that. Now you know why I never talked about my dreams.”

Leah started dropping the batter into the fryer in donut hole-sized pieces. She fiddled with them, making sure they cooked evenly. When the first batch was ready, she scooped them out one at a time and put them on a stack of paper towels. She blotted off the extra oil, then tossed them in the cinnamon sugar mix. She transferred her sugar coated creations to a plate and pushed the plate toward Lily.

Lily had not spoken since Leah finished her story. It was very un-Lily like and made Leah anxious.

Lily selected a donut hole and took a small nibble since they were still quite hot. “It’s good!” she smiled and ate what was left of the one in her hand.

“Thank you.”

“You made donuts,” Lily said, looking directly at her sister.

“Donut holes,” Leah corrected.

“You made donut holes,” Lily repeated. “From scratch. Without a recipe. Like you’ve done it a million times. And you learned it from Gigi in your dreams.”

Leah nodded and took a donut hole for herself but didn’t eat it.

“Wow.”

“Yeah . . .” Leah blew out a long breath.

“I believe you. Mom was wrong. I never knew she talked to you or about you like that. I would have—”

“You would have, what? We were kids, Lily. Don’t even think about it. Okay?”

Lily nodded but her face was scrunched up like something was still bothering her. Leah ate her donut hole while she waited for Lily to come to terms with her thoughts.

“So . . .” Lily eyed Leah’s baby belly.

Leah moved to a kitchen chair and put her arms around her bump protectively.

“Your mystery man—no, I’m not asking his name this time! You and him . . . in your dreams and . . . that,” she gestured at Leah’s stomach.

Leah nodded. Lily had the gist of it.

“I don’t remember you being in my dream. Is that why you don’t want to contact him? He won’t remember either?”

Leah wanted to say yes. It was the perfect end-all solution. Lily looked like she would accept this answer. But it was a lie.

“No. I’m pretty sure he remembers the dreams too.”

“But how? No one else could!” Lily looked frustrated. Like she wanted to understand so badly but couldn’t put it together.

“Gigi could.”

“Her ring! You found Gigi’s lost ring,” Lily remembered. “She said ‘I was baking with Leah’ or something like that and you knew what she was talking about. Mom and I didn’t. But you did, because you dreamed it and . . .” She paused, putting the pieces together. “Gigi did too?”

Leah only nodded. She let Lily have time to process her thoughts and have a second donut hole.

“So, that means,” Lily returned to her original topic, “if he remembers too, can’t you just call him up? Or dream talk to him? Or—”

“Allison! Emmie! Come see what I made!” Leah was done with the conversation and ended it by summoning reinforcements. She heard them stomp up the stairs from their basement playroom.

Allison emerged first, sniffing the air. Emmie was not far behind.

“I told you I smelled something yummy!” Emmie told her sister. Staring at the sugary concoctions, Allison did not look like she minded being wrong.

“Can we have some, Mom?”

“Please?”

“Of course, but wash your hands first!”

The girls hurried to do as they were told. When they were back at the table, Leah enjoyed watching them devour the sweet treats. She had one donut hole then busied herself making a second batch. Leah was just covering them with sugar when Robert returned home.

“Here’s all my favorite girls!” he announced upon entering the kitchen. “And what’s this?”

“Donut holes, Daddy! Aunt Leah made them!” Emma said.

“And they are sooo good. Try one!” Allison insisted.

Leah smiled. Her nieces were her biggest fans. Robert helped himself and readily agreed. The donut holes were a hit. The kitchen, however, was a mess. Leah rubbed her lower back with her fist and stretched.

“Leave it,” Lily commanded. “Go lay down or at least put your feet up.”

Leah was too physically and emotionally drained to argue. She hugged Lily and left the room.

As she lay down to rest, she realized she had to use the bathroom. She awkwardly climbed back out of bed and made her way down the hall. She was surprised to find Lily.

“I have to pee,” Leah pointed to the bathroom door.

Lily laughed and nodded, “I remember those days!”

Leah watched Lily grab a towel