“You know what?” I said to Margo. “Why don’t I drive, and you can sit and decompress.”
“I’m a mess.” She waved a hand, gesturing to her outfit.
“I’m going to get my bag,” Priscilla said quickly, seeming to sense we needed a minute.
I walked closer and pulled Margo in.
“Missed you,” I said first, placing a chaste kiss on her lips. “How about we drop off Priss, go back to my place and grab Tito, take him for a little walk, and bring him back here? He’s missed everyone after being with Rochelle for two days. Priss can see him tomorrow, and in the meantime, I can order takeout while you take a bath or shower.”
“Really? Italian?”
“Really. Italian with dessert.”
“You’re okay with staying in?” Her hand came to rest right above my heart.
“More than okay.”
“I’m ready,” Priscilla said, bounding outside.
“Mar, lock up,” I said. It was time to move forward.
“Thanks,” Priscilla whispered to me when her mom went back inside.
“I’ve got you covered.”
“She really needs to let it go. It wasn’t her fault.”
I didn’t know where this kid came from, but I was going to bring her on as a partner when she was old enough. “You know, your insight is beyond your years, so I hope you know it wasn’t your fault either.”
“I guess. I just want to be with my friends right now.”
I decided to leave it alone. I wasn’t a therapist or an expert.
“Ready,” Margo said, walking out the door with a long cardigan sweater wrapped tightly around her.
“Can we stop at Starbucks?”
“Absolutely,” I told Priscilla with a wink, while her mom elbowed her good side.
A sucker was born every minute, and today that sucker was me.
“Um, we can turn that off right this very second,” Margo said with a smile as soon as we dropped off Priscilla.
“You mean you don’t like Justin Bieber?”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t know you were a huge fan. Please, let the Biebs play.”
This had me laughing as we pulled away.
When we dropped off Priscilla, Sheila had come out to say hello, and asked what we had planned.
Margo had said, “Not much.”
Knowing better than to chime in, I kept my mouth shut.
Sheila glanced between us, then grinned at Margo. “Oh yeah. Let’s have coffee on Monday so you can tell me the truth.”
“’Bye, Sheila. Call me if you need anything at all with Priss,” Margo said.
