Free How to Save a Life by Kristin Harmel Page B

was my everything. We never had children; only each other. I don’t know who I am without her.”
    “You’re a kind man who loved deeply. And you’ll always keep her memory alive.”
    He draws a ragged breath and smiles slightly. “You sound wise beyond your years, young lady. Have you experienced great love too?”
    “No,” I say, but I’m thinking of Jamie and all the things that could unfold between us if only I had more time. “No, I haven’t.”
    “You will, dear. You will.”
    “It’s too late for me.”
    “It’s never too late,” he says. “True love only takes a moment. And then your heart belongs to someone else forever.”
    His words echo in my head as I help him up from the bench and persuade him to head into the ER, where his heart gives out once again. But as I walk to my car afterward, I wonder if I’ve really done the right thing by saving him.
    “Jill?”
    I turn around, startled to hear my name in the parking garage.
    “Jamie?” He’s striding toward me, smiling, and it’s only then that I realize that I should have predicted seeing him here, based on the timing of the last couple of days. I was so lost in thought about Merel that I hadn’t even considered it.
    “Fancy meeting you here.”
    “What are the odds?” I ask.
    “Three times in one day.” He takes a deep breath. “Which makes me think it’s a sign that I’m supposed to ask you out.”
    I can feel the blood draining from my face. “What?”
    “Dinner. You know, a situation where two people sit across from each other and eat food while talking and getting to know each other?”
    “I know what dinner is,” I say with a smile. “I’m just surprised you’re asking.”
    He shrugs. “I know. It’s forward. I should probably awkwardly flirt with you a few more times, then ask for your number, then send you some clever texts, and then finally ask you to dinner. But if there’s one thing that losing my daughter taught me, it’s that life is short, and you might as well seize the moments when you can.”
    “I couldn’t agree more.”
    “So is that a yes?”
    I hesitate. My instinct is to say no, because wouldn’t I just be stringing him along, only to vanish five days from now? He’s already lost his daughter; I don’t want him to have to lose another person he cares about too. But then I remember that whatever happens today will be forgotten, for we’ll wake up in the morning and do it all over again from scratch. The only emotions at risk are mine, and I make the instant decision that the gamble is worth it. “Yes. It’s a yes to dinner.”
    He looks surprised. “Really? I honestly didn’t think that would work.”
    “Oh. If you didn’t mean it, we don’t have to . . .” I trail off, mortified.
    “Of course I meant it. I’m just surprised that you succumbed to my obvious charms so quickly.” He grins. “My car’s just over there. Feel like following me to a restaurant? Kagan’s on Peachtree, maybe?”
    “One of my favorites. Sure. I’ll be right behind you.”
    Jamie grins and strides over to a blue Mazda parked just across from me. I climb into my own car, look at myself in the rearview mirror, and laugh. “Jill Cooper,” I say to my reflection, “what on earth do you think you’re doing?”

7
    D INNER WITH J AMIE is perfect. After we settle into a candlelit back booth and order a bottle of Pinot Noir, we fall into an easy conversation. Jamie tells me about his childhood in Missouri, how having a daughter changed his life, and why it means so much to him to stay involved at Atlanta Children’s, even though she’s been gone for six years. “I just feel so connected to her there,” he says, his expression distant for a moment. “I can’t explain it. But it’s like a little piece of her got left behind. And it makes me feel like I’m doing something positive if I’m helping other kids.”
    “And taking care of the tree,” I remind him. “That’s important too.”
    He nods.