Short of singing me to sleep, I don’t know how this woman intends to help me getmoresleep, but I’m eager to find out.
Patty is waiting for us when we arrive. She opens the door and ushers us into her warm house. The tea is already set on the table for three, with shortbread in the center on a plate and steaming cups of hot liquid. “Sit with me, Callie,” she says.
“I’d love to.”
Callie follows her to the table and they chatter on while I let myself into the bathroom to fix a sink that isn’t broken. She’s only pulled the handle off and made it so I have to put it back on. It’s almost pathetic how badly she’s faking needing the help now, but I don’t know if I’d prefer she stopped altogether or not.
I screw the handle back on and turn the tap, making sure the water pours out the spigot just fine. Nothing is wrong with it. As usual, I brought my bag of tools in here for nothing. But it helps us both feel a little better about the arrangement.
“That’s a lot of butter,” Callie says around a mouthful.
“Wouldn’t be shortbread without it, mind,” Patty says. “Come over next week and we’ll make it together.”
“Deal. I think it would help if you walked me through it the first time.”
“You can be my sous chef like they have in all those fancy cooking television programs, and I’ll tell you what to do.” Patty’s eyes sparkle with mischief. “I heard you two are acouplenow.”
I sit hard on my chair, glad it doesn’t break under the pressure of my surprise drop.
Callie glances at me. “I’m only here for a few more weeks, so we’re not labeling anything. I still have so much school left to do in California—it doesn’t make sense to begin a new relationship now.”
“Hm.” Patty looks at me as I lift my cup to my lips. “You’re going to accept that?”
I sputter, almost spitting my tea on the table. “Should I tell Callie to quit school andnotget her doctorate, become a psychologist, and help many, many people? That would be selfish.”
Patty scoffs. “Love isn’t selfish.”
This also isn’t love, but I don’t want to break her bubble.
She glances between us. “Love makes the ordinary beautiful. It’s having the feeling of home, no matter where you are. It’s so powerful you realize what truly matters and what doesn’t.”
Cryptic.
“So if we loved each other, nothing would matter but being together?” Callie asks.
“Not exactly.” Patty lays a gnarled hand over hers. “It straightens out your priorities, hen. You’ll see what I mean.”
Callie looks as lost as I feel. She opts to eat another piece of shortbread, which is a solid plan. I do the same.
When we walk to the door with Patty to leave, she stops me. “Rhona might need a little help today.”
“I’ve seen to her animals already.”
“Aye, but not her house. It can be difficult to do everything with one hand.”
I throw my arm around Patty and give her a squeeze. “Call me if you need anything at all.”
“I always do.”
When we get in the car and pull out of Patty’s long driveway, Callie turns on the seat to face me. “Should we go to Rhona’s?”
“Do you know Rhona?”
“We met at the ugly sweater party briefly. If she’s struggling, maybe we should check on her.”
“She’ll call me tomorrow. Don’t worry.”
“You sound confident.”
