Everyone quiets.
“Are you moving back home?” Katie asks.
“I am home. Jenny and I will be sharing a room.”
Jenny smiles at me, relieved I told everyone the truth. The club looks surprised, but not Maggie. Maybe that is what Jenny wanted to talk to her about this morning.
“Get back to work,” Maggie says, waving her towel. “Don’t you all go acting like this is a shocker.”
I give Jenny a wink and then head outside with my granddaughter.
“You are a stinker, you know that?”
She nods, not even denying it.
The day ends up being long but good. I’m so proud to be a member of this club. They really stepped up for me this time.
We’re all relaxing on the patio while the kids play out back. Jenny is sitting beside me with her eyes closed and a small smile on her face.
“You’ve got to be tired. Why don’t you go on up and get to bed?” I encourage.
“I don’t want to miss anything,” she says.
“Then you’ll never get any sleep,” Billie Rose tells her. “There’s always something going on around here.”
She finally opens her eyes, and her smile widens. “I love that.”
Suddenly, we’re all turning toward the sound of blood-curdling screams. Every one of the kids comes running from the trees with Aspen trailing behind them.
Everyone jumps to their feet. Jenny jerks from her chair, running toward our granddaughter with a speed I didn’t know possible. She scoops her up in her arms, even though Aspen is the only one who isn’t screaming.
Petey grabs Charlotte by her arms. “What’s wrong?” he asks her.
“S-she –” Charlotte points to Aspen. “She has a big spider, and she was chasing us with it.”
Jenny sets Aspen on her feet, dropping to her knees beside her. “Let me see,” she says.
Please God don’t let that be a black widow.
“It tickles, Nana,” Aspen says, pulling her hand away to show her.
“Oh, isn’t he a handsome spider,” Jenny tells her, her shoulders falling in relief.
The other mothers all cringe as Aspen and Jenny place their hands side by side, transferring the spider from one to the other.
“Doesn’t it tickle, Nana?”
“It does.” Jenny turns to the other children who are keeping their distance. “This is a jumping spider. They’re nice … I promise,” she tells them.
Hesitantly, a few of them move closer. Jack is the first to be brave enough to check it out.
“Do you see his little turquoise fangs. Aren’t they beautiful?”
Petey tries to encourage Charlotte to have a look, but she is firmly wrapped around his legs, still trembling.
Jenny notices her. “It’s okay to look from there,” she tells her.
Aspen squats down by her grandmother, and together they show everyone how he jumps between them, casting a web.
