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This all felt perfect, except that I did notice that my exercise break had taken a little toll on my endurance. I had to choose carefully when I wanted to speak.

Luckily, Oliver had things to say himself. “I’m glad you came over last night.”

“Really? As a buffer?”

“Just in general,” he answered. “Since I moved, I’ve been pouting and acting like a kid, rather than talking to you.”

“Why?” I wanted to ask a more directed question, but one word was all I could do right now.

“It bothered me when you said that you were better off alone and that you didn’t want me around.”

Had I said that? Those words would have bothered anyone. “I didn’t mean it,” I panted.

“When I thought about it, it made more sense. You’re used to your mom’s relationships and how she drops her friends and picks up new ones. But I’ve known people for years, like the ones you met at my apartment for dinner.”

I took a few steps and gathered the oxygen to continue. “I was upset about you leaving, too.”

“I’m a few miles away, not across the universe.”

“I’m not used to friends, not real ones. I don’t have them,” I told him.

“Yeah, you do. You have Gramps. You have Carmen,” he continued. “You have me. I won’t be a pouty baby anymore.”

“I won’t, either.”

“Do you need help with those bookshelves?” he asked.

“No, thanks. I’m going to do it myself,” I said. I thought of the brave partridge in the book, making her cake without any help, and also about my mom wanting her new boyfriend to take care of her. “I think that I can do it.”

“I’m sure you can,” he agreed. “You can run by yourself, too, but I hope you don’t mind if I come along sometimes.”

I didn’t mind at all. After a few steps, I tapped his arm to see the time. But I didn’t really tap—I left my hand there for a few extra moments, glad that he and his watch were next to me.

Chapter 10

The shelves were fine. As long as no one leaned against them, touched them, or sneezed in close proximity, they would stay up. The new dining table was fine, buttressed by a lot of extra nails that I’d used when the tiny little screws hadn’t lined up well (and hadn’t seemed sturdy enough, anyway). The dining chairs were good. I had borrowed those from Gramps, so I knew that they weren’t going to break, letting my guests fall on the floor in the middle of the dinner.

I had flowers from Bruna’s shop across the street, the good wine that Carmen liked from the party store on the corner, and a meal that I had cooked and had turned out even better than I had expected. I had plates, silverware, and glasses, all new and washed by me in the sink that just wasn’t fun anymore…

Anyway, I was ready and the rest of the party would be here soon. Due to my limited number of acquaintances, I had asked both Mrs. McGlothen, the building manager, and Vera from the garden apartment. Of course Oliver was coming and Gramps. There was one more person, too: Oliver’s neighbor, the nice widow.

“Sure,” I had answered when he’d suggested adding her to the guest list. “The more, the merrier.”

It was kind of a strange group. I felt like I should have had more ages represented, some people in the middle of between those of us in our twenties and those in their eighties, but here we were. At least I had enough chairs and food, which was the important part. The other important part was socializing and all of them would be able to hold a conversation, unlike their hostess. I had been invited to a teacher’s house for dinner when I was stuck at the boarding school over one vacation, and I didn’t think I had said three words the entire time that I’d been there. When I had pointed to the bathroom and then gone in that direction, I had heard her son mention that I was a weird girl. I had been aware that he was correct.

But tonight, I was going to speak. I was ready and so was my apartment. It even smelled great, both because of the food I was making and because I had gotten a big Christmas tree and set it up in a stand. Gramps had gone with me and we had shoved it into the back of the hearse. I had decorated it with lights and ornaments, which may have looked slightly sparse but that was ok. I would get more every year that I lived here, and I wouldn’t even bother to keep the boxes that they came in. I wouldn’t need to pack them up well, wrapping them securely against breakage—because I was never moving. Never.

Someone knocked and I almost dropped the spoon I was holding. I had to take a big yoga breath in and out (I was practicing again in the mornings) before I went to answer. It was Gramps, for whom five minutes early was late, so he was right on time at ten to six.

“Smells good,” he complimented me. He had brought something in a red bag which he said was a present to go under the tree.

“I have something for you, too, but I was going to give it to you on Christmas,” I said, smiling at the gift bag.

“On Christmas? Well, I…”

“Wait one second,” I requested, holding up my index finger. There was someone else at the door and it was Oliver, a person who was also never late. He had brought his neighbor, who told us to call her Ann. She seemed nice as he made introductions and I gave her a glass of Carmen’s party store wine selection, and then I went to open the door for the last two guests.

“Come in,” I greeted Vera and Mrs. McGlothen. She had never told me to call her anything other than Mrs. McGlothen. They followed me down the short hallway into the living room but I realized that they had both stopped abruptly.