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ChapterTen
Avery
Meredith and I arrive at the Senior Center just after eleven that morning. It has been a morning. First, Jon showing up early. Then my skeevy neighbor thought I was peeking through the blinds at him. Afterward, coffee with Jon left me a little discombobulated.
It has to be why I stubbed my toe, which caused me to cuss up a storm. I thought I heard Jon laughing, but I might have been imagining it. Also, I fell when trying to put my pants on. I mean, I’ve done it before, but I’m embarrassed that Jon heard that, along with a few more cuss words that would make Fritz happy.
I draw in a deep breath and open the front door to the center. The ladies are gathered, sitting at one of the tables, drinking coffee and gossiping.
I saw all the posts on the JSE about Jon showing up at my house. The comments about how he’s living with me have been…cheeky would be the best word I could use for that. Of course, Mrs. James had a few choice comments about us living in sin, which gave me all kinds of ideas. All of them involved a naked Jon and my tongue.
I bet Jon hasn’t read them, so he has no idea there’s gossip about him. I can’t wait until he sees it. If it bothers him, he might return to the big house. That would make everything better.
Even as I think about it, I push away the melancholy. I don’t even like the man. How could I? He probably gets up at the same time Fritz and Liv do. Fritz was in the Army for years, and Liv is a former military wife. Getting up early is in their blood. I know. They’re sick puppies.
Me…I like being up all night. I need to get a nap in today, or tonight could be rough. I stifle a yawn.
“Avery, dear, are you going to join us?” Mrs. Petersen calls out.
If there is a queen bee in this group, then Mrs. Petersen is it. She keeps everyone in order, ensuring they show up for all the civic duties they need to volunteer for.
I place the little pillow Meredith claimed as hers on the floor and leave her to her late morning nap. I think I should have been a cat. All the treats, people clean up after you, and you nap all day. That sounds like a life I could really get into.
I walk over, smiling. My siblings have always found my affinity for hanging out with the LOLs weird. I don’t see how I wouldn’t want to. My grandmother moved in to help raise me when Mom opened her dance studio. We were the best of friends, always getting into trouble together. Grannie Pam always said it was because we understood each other. We were both Aquariuses, which meant we saw the world differently than everyone else.
“Good morning, ladies. Are we working on TikTok this morning?”
“In a minute. Why don’t you get some coffee and have a seat?”
I smile and do as Mrs. Petersen suggests. As I return, the door opens, and Estella steps into the center. I blink, surprised by her appearance. She is an insomniac like me and usually attends all-night events. She rarely shows up to the day events unless they are something special.
“Hey, Estella,” I call out and grab another cup to get her some coffee.
I make my way to the table, setting the cup in front of Estella, then settle into the chair next to her.
“Thank you, Avery,” she says.
“No problem.”
“I am saying that all of that album is about Taylor.”
That comes from Mrs. Denton. I turn to her. “What are y’all talking about?”
“Freddy here had never listened to Harry’s album Fine Line.”
“Oh. Yeah, it’s about Taylor.”
I should know. I’ve been a Swiftie from the moment I heard her sing. I wasn’t even a teenager when her first album came out, but I’ve loved her since I listened to the songs onDebut,as all true Swifties call her first album. I’ve stuck with her through everything, even the #Taylorisover crap. I knew she would bounce back. Music is her first love, not the celebrity.
“Are you sure?” Freddy, AKA Mrs. Fredericks, asks.
“Yeah. I mean, one of the songs is Golden. LikeFalling, she had that scene inCardiganwith the piano and all the water.”
“That is such a sad song.”
“It’s just like 1989 is about him.”
“Really?”
