And I need something to ground me right now—to remind me that I’m actually here, in this physical space.
He’s smiling as he pulls me into a one-armed hug, and I find myself nestled beneath his chin. I’m surprised by how well I fit there and pissed off by the heat pressing behind my eyes.
CHAPTER TEN
CORMAC
GROUP CHAT
Name edited by Dottie Hendrickson
THE FAIRY GODMOTHERS
Dottie: Did she comment on your outfit, dear?
Ann: Of course she did. She’d have to be blind not to notice the change in you, honey.
Ann: You rolled up those sleeves, didn’t you?
Ann: The sleeves were the most important part.
Me: Yes.
Me: I’m turning my phone on silent now.
Here’s something I’d prefer for Nora never to discover:
The little old ladies my father befriended have infiltrated my life.
It started off very innocently. Dottie gave me her phone number at the wedding and asked me to get in touch, and after a couple of days, I started to feel rude aboutignoring her. She’d gone to the trouble of reaching out to me at the wedding, and she was elderly, whether Nora was willing to admit it or not.
I’d probably feel guilty if she keeled over before I kept my promise.
So I texted her on the Tuesday evening after the wedding, reiterating that I wasn’t comfortable allowing her and the other elders into my father’s new house without Mrs. Applebaum-Peebles’s express permission.
My phone immediately started ringing, which had horrified me for a good ten seconds—who calls a stranger?—before I summoned the will to answer.
“I understand completely, dear heart,” Dottie said into the receiver as soon as I utteredhello, as if we were continuing a conversation rather than beginning one. “Ann and I will simply bring their gift to your home. It’s no trouble at all.”
I hadn’t invited them, but my mother has always advised me that gifts must be accepted with grace and the magic word, so I agreed and thanked her. Dottie will bring the gift over sometime after I return from Atlanta.
The conversation could have ended there, but she asked what my plans were for the rest of the week.
“Well,” I replied after an awkward beat of silence. “I’ve got a couple of concerts in Atlanta this weekend.”
“Good for you, dear. I heard one of your jingles on the radio the other day. And will you be seeing Nora?”
I should have known better than to answer, but I confirmed that Nora was dog-sitting for me—and also that I’d agreed to go on a double date with her and the unhappy couple next week.
“What will you be wearing for your date? That suit looked quite dashing on you last weekend.”
“I’m probably just going to wear a T-shirt,” I sputtered out. “You know. Normal clothes. We’re going to some casual restaurant. It’s no big deal.”
She made a tsking sound low in her throat before whispering to someone in the room with her: “He’s going to wear a T-shirt for his double date.”
“Oh, no,”a muffled voice replied. “Tell him…”
The important message was lost to mumbles, and Dottie dropped off the line to have a garbled discussion with her friend.
