“Julian.” I set my tiles down. “We haven’t known each other very long.”
“I know. But it’s been long enough for me to understand what kind of person you are.” His voice cracked on the last word. “It would mean everything to me. It’s the one thing I’d like to do before I die.”
I should have said no.
Every sensible part of me said no. So did Denise, when I told her the next morning.
“Claire, you can’t,” she said. “It’s against every volunteer policy we have. If you do this, I have to remove you from the program. Today.”
“I understand.”
“And people will talk. A dying man with a house, and a volunteer who marries him? Do you know what that looks like?”
I knew exactly what it looked like.
“He doesn’t have anyone,” I said. “He asked me for one thing.”
