The phone rang in her dad’s home office. He glanced toward the hallway. “I have to get that. Wait here.”

Joy watched him leave. She then sank to her knees and, looking under Judy’s bed, dragged out the floral hatbox. Judy’s box of lists and dreams. No way was she going to let her dad throw the box away. It contained every list Judy had written since she’d learned how to write.

She lifted the lid to make sure one list specifically was there, and it was, right on top. Judy’s most recent list, written in her crisp penmanship on yellow stationery with her embossed initials, JBE.

My Life Goals

1. Pledge a sorority at UCLA.
2. Graduate with a degree in chemical engineering.
3. Move to New York.
4. Get a job at Vintage Chic Cosmetics.
5. Marry Todd.
6. Launch my own lipstick line.
7. Have three kids.

She slid the lid back on and tucked the box under her arm. She might have cut Judy’s life short, but nobody could stop Joy from living it. She’d make sure that Judy’s dreams came true. Maybe, just maybe, if she gave up her own dreams for Judy’s, she wouldn’t hurt so much.

Joy removes everything from the hatbox now and sorts it into neat piles on Taryn’s kitchen counter: Judy’s lists, her silver bracelet with the sapphire charm, clipped articles that related to Dylan and Westfield Records, the crinkled and worn Route 66 Bucket List, the Joyride CD, and finally, three Polaroid photos.

She carefully unfolds the bucket list and reads through the bullets. Drive across country in a convertible. Do something I have always wanted to do. Do something spontaneous. Do something daring. Do something dangerous. Sleep under the stars. Dance in the rain. Make a new friend. Fall in love.

Each bullet brings about a vivid and distinct memory that gives her all the feels, except one. She never did do something spontaneous.

But she did fall in love with Dylan.

I love him.

If only she’d had the courage to tell him then. She would have saved herself and Mark years of heartache.

Her hand dives into her purse and she grabs a pencil. Careful, so as not to rip the paper, she erases the worn line through fall in love, then strikes the bullet out with a fresh one. Satisfied, she tucks the list, along with the CD and Judy’s bracelet, into her purse. She plans to keep those.

She goes for the Polaroids next, but something else catches her eye. Judy’s life goals.

She reads through the list, nonplussed.

“Hey, you all right?”

Joy blinks at Taryn. She didn’t hear her come in. She goes to show Taryn Judy’s list, wondering if she’ll be as disconcerted as Joy, but stops.

“What is it?” Taryn asks.