“We got this,” Leo said. “I’ll go first. They love me in there. I will make the case, and you will close the deal.”
“We are an unstoppable duo.” I nodded with determination.
Leo rang the doorbell, rocking his head side to side to crack his neck.
The door opened.
But not the screen door.
Faye stood smiling, Janice right behind her. “Hey, kids,” Faye said.
“We’re here for bunco night,” Leo said and reached for the door.
The two women didn’t move.
“No,” Janice said.
Leo’s face fell. Janice glanced at Faye, who nodded. Janice had slowly started moving into Faye’s house three months ago, but we all pretended not to notice. When I brought it up to Leo, he just smiled and said she’d tell him when she was ready.
Several more women from the Bunco Broads stood behind them.
“You aren’t welcome here!” Maxine yelled.
“No offense,” Julianne added gently.
“We are at capacity. Get out of here,” Maxine said.
“What she’s trying to say is that we have all the people we need tonight. Why don’t you two go out and dance,” Faye said.
“While you still can,” Belle added ominously.
I wasn’t sure if that was a threat or a warning against aging. Either way, it was clear my attempts to join bunco night were a no-go. Part of me was relieved. As much as I wanted to participate in Leo’s interests, the idea of a competitive dice game where a dozen women grilled me for gossip didn’t sound relaxing.
“Mom?” Leo asked pitifully.
I put my arm through his.
“Sorry, love,” Janice said, meeting his gaze.
Leo lifted his chin. “Fine. Make me go spend the night alone with mybeautiful girlfriend. Whatever will I do?” he asked sarcastically. “I don’t even understand the game. I was pretending.”
“We knew, doll,” Becky Lee said.
Leo made a faux indignant huff, and we left.
I turned around and smiled back at Janice. She gave me a little wave. After the performance at school a few months ago, Janice had apologized for putting me in a rough spot. She told me I was always welcome and that my coming into her life was more than she’d ever hoped for. I folded so easily into their lives, it was like I’d always been a part of them. Janice and I were closer than ever, and I loved her like a mother. She made it easy.
Leo and I decided to head to Genie’s. Clara and Nick, and a few other teachers, were there celebrating a long summer ahead. Leo laughed and joked easily with everybody and seemed genuinely happy. When I sensed his social battery starting to go low, I brought him to the small dance area.
We rocked slowly to the bluegrass band playing, my head resting against Leo’s chest. Warmth suffused me as I thought of how much my life had changed in the past year.
“Until it stops working,” he mumbled. “That might be a while,” he added when I looked up at him.
“I think we can do better than that,” I said.
“Yeah?”
“When it stops working. Even when things get hard, and our worst insecurities come out, even then.”
