I stiffened. People rarely came to visit me. Was it Robin? My stomach sank at the thought. I hoped not, but I wouldn’t doubt it. He’d never been one to give up on his plans so easily.
The knock came again, louder this time. Whoever it was clearly would not just go away, so I stood, wobbled, and walked to the door.If it was Robin, I’d have to tell him off again and hope that this time it would work.
I steeled myself and threw the door open wide. A smile cracked my lips. Ada stood there, dressed in a poofy blue gown and gossamer fairy wings. A silver wand embellished with sparkly tinsel twirled in her hands.
“What’s with the costume?” I was as confused as I was delighted. “I thought the party wasn’t until tomorrow.”
“It’s not. But I couldn’t justify buying this elaborate getup for one event. It’s doing double duty for a party a friend of mine is hosting tonight.” She paused and sniffed the air. Her nose wrinkled, and I cringed, realizing that she’d caught the scent of tequila. I knew what came next.
“I thought I’d stop by before her soiree to see how you were. Judging by the fact that you reek like a bar, I’m glad I did.” Ada arched an eyebrow.
The gesture made me feel like the same teenage girl who’d gotten caught trying to sneak into the orphanage tipsy with her boyfriend. My face fell as I recalled the fun, but totally age-inappropriate night. Ada caught the gesture and shook her head knowingly.
“It seems you need a fairy godmother around more than ever, dearie.” Ada lifted her wand and twirled it through the air. Her gaze pierced me expectantly. “Are you going to let me in?”
“Err, sure.” I opened the door wide, allowing her into the open living area. Almost right away, I wished that I’d put the bottle of tequila away—or at least capped the damn thing—because Ada’s eyes darted right into the kitchen and locked on the booze.
“Forgot to clean up after my margarita,” I lied, not wanting to admit I was one step away from drinking straight out of the bottle.
I sidestepped into the kitchen and closed the bottle. Wanting to hide my shame, I placed one foot onto the chair, preparing to put the liquor away.
“Hold on a second, sweetheart. Just set the tequila over there.” Ada gestured to the kitchen counter. “I don’t want you falling off and breaking a leg.”
I followed her instructions, my cheeks burning. “Ada, I only—”
Ada stopped me by placing a gentle hand on my arm. “Let’s sit down and have a chat.” She used her wand to point to my couch. The magical prop lit up at the tip, making me smile a little.
Fancy. No wonder Ada wants to wear that outfit more than once.
Feeling more like a teenager than I had in years, I shuffled into the living room. Despite being a grown-ass woman, I rolled with it and gave in to dramatics. It had just been that sort of day.
I flung myself onto the couch with a sigh. Ada lowered herself gracefully next to me, her lips quirking up ever so slightly. A silence hung between us for a few moments until Ada spoke.
“I noticed some tension between you and Robin today. Did something happen that you want to talk about?”
I bit my lip. It was one thing for me to be mad at Robin, but since his own parents had passed, Ada was the closest thing that he had to a mother. It would be cruel to vent my frustrations about him. What if Ada became upset with him for events that happened years ago? I might still be butt-hurt about it, but that didn’t mean she needed to be. It wouldn’t be fair to him.
Ada leaned forward. “You can tell me, you know. I love you, Marian, and want to know what’s wrong. In fact, I insist.”
I gulped. “I don’t want you to be upset with Robin. That wouldn’t be fair.”
Ada laughed delicately. “Oh, sweetie, that’s what this is about? I’m not delusional about Robin. The boy is a charmer, and I love him to death, but he’s got plenty of flaws. Just like everyone else. Tell me. Let me help you.”
I shook my head. Damn Ada and her motherly intuition. I could tell that she wasn’t leaving without an explanation. I needed to give her something—but not everything. I couldn’t do that to Robin.
“Nothing happened, today,” I admitted. “It was a long time ago. I never wanted to tell you because he couldn’t defend himself, but there are still unresolved issues between us—from when we were a couple.” I dropped my eyes to my hands and sucked in a breath. “That, and I guess that I felt bombarded by the information you shared about the orphanage. It hurt that he knew before me.”
Ada placed a hand over mine. “That’s understandable, sweetheart. But I honestly didn’t tell him. Robin discovered the orphanage’s troubles from someone else. But we’d been in contact before that, anyway. He called me a few times to ask questions about his past. The first time was about you.”
I ripped my eyes from my hands to meet hers. “What? But why?”
Ada’s lips curved up a bit. “He wanted to make sure he was remembering parts of your past correctly. Said he didn’t call you because he didn’t want to dredge up painful memories. Everything he said was correct, and I confirmed it. I hope you don’t mind, but I figured since he already knew, then you must have told him before.”
I wasn’t mad at Ada. Robin knew more of my past than anyone, and I didn’t believe for a second that he actually forgot. The man forgot nothing. So why had he called to inquire about me?
“What did he ask?”
“Mostly questions about your parents.”
