Ruby pursed her lips. “There’s plenty you don’t know, Vera.”
I sat up straighter, taken aback by her tone.
Hollis patted her knee. “That’s the past,” she said softly.
“Back to Lenny and his coffin,” Gwen said.
“All right, all right, back off,” Hollis piped in, still rubbing comforting circles on Ruby’s thigh. “Let the young lady enjoy her lunch without hounding her for information.”
I smiled at Hollis, but I had a feeling her intervention wasn’t on my behalf at all.
EXT. ABANDONED LIFEGUARD TOWER—MIDNIGHT
They sit side by side in matching uniforms except he is wearing a zip-up hoodie. She’s cold. He forgets to offer his sweatshirt.
POPPY (V.O.)
I never expected for him to find me interesting.
But every time he looked over at me, I felt like I could be.Like I held secrets unknown to even myself.
June 3, 2013
Vera S.
Is the secret that you’re constipated, Poppy?
Arlo looks over like he’s heard her voice in his head and offers his hoodie.
Chapter Thirteen
I woke up sad. Maybe it was the research I’d done on the legality of selling a preowned casket on Facebook or maybe it was the half-used bottle of my mom’s perfume that had shattered in my toiletry bag when Ruby knocked it onto the floor while she was doing her skin-care regimen last night. Or maybe it was because Brody had stopped calling me and Tess was impossibly busy and even more so impossible to get a hold of. But regardless, this morning I was sad.
And I was irritated at Ruby for humming while she made her toast and having the nerve to be in a good mood. I wished I could blame it on my PMDD, but according to my period app, that was not the culprit. However, living in close quarters with my grandmother...
“You look tired,” Ruby said as I prepared Marlon’s breakfast of prescription wet food and fish oil.
“Because Iamtired,” I said, my voice full of bite. “Your couch isn’t exactly ideal for sleeping.”
She gave me a look that reminded me I was crashing here for free. Touché. “Which I’m thankful for,” I added. “But I’m also sort of stressed about the movie night tonight.”
“I can’t for the life of me understand why you’d chooseSaving Private Ryanfor your little movie night.”
“The internet says World War Two movies are big with your demographic.”
Ruby grumbled. “Yes, the one thing missing from the final years of my life is a chance to float in a pool and watch boys stumble around Europe looking for each other.”
Okay, well, maybe I wasn’t the only one in a shitty mood. “I tried to get all of the glass shards off the floor of the bathroom,” I told her. “But be careful if you go in there barefoot. I’ll see you tonight?” I asked as I grabbed my tote bag.
“That’s what Hollis tells me, though again, I’m not one for wartime features.”
I thought the residents would love my idea of a float-in movie night. It had occurred to me after my night swim the other day that the pool was actually lovely at night. But if Ruby was any indication, my film selection might be panned and my first event a bust.
* * *
In advance of my Sunset Screening program, I spent an hour decorating the pool area with streamers and a felt red carpet I’d found online. I even wheeled out the popcorn machine and put together a candy cart.
The pool was full of floats that ranged from aesthetic (an inflatable swan) to practical (a raft-like thing that looked way more comfortable than Ruby’s couch). Morgan also gave me permission to offer the lifeguards overtime to work the event. With the sun below the horizon, it actually felt good outside.
