At the front door she grabbed her sunglasses and bag. The second she reached for the leashes, puppy pandemonium erupted.
“For the love of God, hold still!” Harper said, chasing Max’s wiggly neck with the leash. Lola pranced in place until Harper secured the harness around her.
“Let’s go see Auntie Gloria,” Harper said. She’d use the six-block walk to Gloria’s mother’s house to figure out how to break the news to her friend.
Gloria answered the door of the tidy brick ranch with a cheerful smile. “Harper! This is a nice surprise.” She leaned down to pet Lola’s massive head while Max shoved his tiny body between them.
“Yes, I see you too, Max!” Gloria giggled and picked him up. “Can you come in, or are you just passing by?”
Harper pushed her sunglasses up on top of her head. “I actually have some news about Aldo.” She took a deep breath and ripped off the bandage. “He’s hurt, Gloria. He came through surgery, and the doctors are hopeful. They had to take part of his leg.”
She watched the blood drain from Gloria’s face. “Aldo?” she repeated.
Harper nodded and grabbed Gloria’s arm. “He’s going to be okay. Luke emailed me this morning and said the surgery team’s only concern right now is infection.” She paused, debating. “He hasn’t woken up yet.”
Gloria cuddled Max closer. “But he will.”
“Yeah, he will.”
Gloria exhaled a shaky breath. “I emailed him Friday night after you gave me his address.”
“Then he’ll have something to read when he wakes up,” Harper smiled. “So, speaking of Aldo, would you mind giving me and my two stinky mutts a ride to Mrs. Moretta’s house? I left my car there last night and I wanted to check in on her.”
Gloria glanced down at her denim shorts and pink t-shirt.
Harper grinned. “Are you nervous about meeting his mother?”
“It’s Mrs. Moretta! She’s terrifying. Who wouldn’t be nervous about meeting her?” Gloria said, eyes wide. “Oh, screw it! Just let me brush my hair and bag up some of the cookies I baked this morning.”
***
It went better than expected. Mrs. Moretta opened the door with the announcement that Aldo was awake, and after learning that everyone else in the unit was okay, he demanded a cheeseburger.
Gloria held her own under Mrs. Moretta’s inquisition that covered all facets of life, including religious faith, how many children she planned to have, and all the ingredients in her jam thumbprint cookies.
At the end of the question and answer, Ina Moretta had merely harrumphed and nodded.
“I feel like I just got steamrolled,” Gloria said, shell-shocked.
“I think it went well,” Harper said, loading the dogs into her car.
“I can’t tell. I’m not sure.” Gloria sagged against the side of her car.
“She kept the cookies. That’s definitely a good sign.” Harper offered.
“What was that ‘huh’ noise there at the end?”
“I think that’s her seal of approval. She’s recognizing that you’re more than good enough for her son.”
Gloria shook her head. “I think I’m going to go home and take a nap.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
Harper snatched her phone off the coffee table at the first ring of the video chat alert. She fumbled with the icons once, but in seconds was treated to the face she had been missing.
“Hi, baby.” Luke looked exhausted.
It had been two long weeks since Aldo got hurt, and Luke’s reluctance to video chat told Harper that he wasn’t dealing well. Seeing his face confirmed her suspicion and her heart hurt for him.
