That was all it took to set them off again.

“Why is no one saying anything?” Elizabeth asked. “I can’t be the only one who thinks this entire plan is lunacy. This is worse than when you two decided to free the trapped flies.”

“Well, Mom,” Amelia said, “it couldn’t possibly be worse than that.”

It couldn’t be. There were flies everywhere that entire summer, like a plague had come down.

Elizabeth pointed to Mom. “Well, say something, for God’s sake, Olivia.”

Mom shrugged. “Well, it isn’t ideal. But it makes me feel slightly better that it won’t be some stranger carrying my grandchild. It will be Amelia. That’s something.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms. “Oh no, you’re right. Perfect. Just let her sacrifice herself for your son. Who cares about her future, right?”

Now Mom was getting huffy. Lord help us all. Elizabeth and Mom had been best friends since birth, but that made them more like sisters than friends. So they fought like nothing you had ever seen—and about the stupidest things. Like the summer they chose to back different candidates for president of Garden Club, and they fought for months and almost drove Amelia, me, and our dads crazy.

Mom said, “No, Elizabeth. I’m not saying I don’t care about Amelia. You know Amelia is the daughter I never had,” she snapped. “I’m just saying that if Parker is dead set on this ridiculous scheme, then it makes me feel better to know that Amelia will be involved.”

“Have you lost your mind?” Elizabeth asked, turning her fury back to Amelia. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to carry a baby and then give it up? Do you have any idea how attached you are going to be to that baby, and how much it is going to break your heart to give it away?”

“But it isn’t mine—” Amelia started.

But Elizabeth interrupted. “It doesn’t matter, Amelia. It absolutely does not matter. Once they live inside of you, they are yours. It will kill you.”

“I am totally amenable to your raising it with me,” I interjected, smiling.

Amelia smirked at me. “That is not in the contract, my friend. If you’ll recall, I have no interest in raising babies.”

I had always thought she had no interest in babies because she knew she couldn’t have them. Evidently, I had been wrong. Well, there went that idea. Back to interviewing nannies.

Elizabeth and Mom were glaring at each other. Dad and Mr. Saxton looked embarrassed, and Amelia looked on the verge of tears. This was my moment. I had to appeal to their emotions; this was my one shot, and it had to be good.

“You guys, look. I understand that it’s unconventional. But I lost the love of my life. I have the opportunity to have a piece of her back, to make good on our promises to each other, even though she’s gone. And Amelia coming alongside me in that journey is the greatest act of love I have ever seen from one friend to another.” I grabbed her hand and squeezed it. Tears sprang to my eyes. “My life has been impossible without Greer. I have to find joy again. And I think this is how I can.”