I sat on the edge of the bathtub, watching my wife snarl at the mirror. She was beautiful. Still pale and moving slowly from the experience yesterday, but vibrant. Alive.
“Honey, I couldn’t have woken you up if I’d tried. How about braiding it for the day?”
“Fine. I’ll braid it. But I’m going to buy that fancy detangler that smells like cookies, and you’re gonna have to deal with it making you hungry.”
I chuckled. “Noted.”
“The truck’s done,” she said, as she pulled her hair back with both hands. She split it into thirds and began the simple, soothing act of setting her unruly hair into one long rope that hung over her left shoulder.
“I know. Lorde’s ready to be picked up too.”
She nodded, not really looking at her reflection in the mirror. “I know I have to follow Hatcher.”
“But?”
“But I’m going to talk to Jo. Make sure she doesn’t want to rethink storming out of here over one little misunderstanding.”
“Maybe she’s not interested in Sunshine, babe. Maybe she’s not interested in settling down.”
Lu pulled a rubber band out of her front pocket. “I think she is. Looking for a place to settle down. And I don’t know why, but…I think this might be a good place for her. Even if Calvin isn’t the person she wants to be with.”
“There’s a god who deals with all of this stuff, you know, Lu. Love is complicated. Hell, life is complicated, ours more than most. Maybe we should just let this be. Hit the road, find that journal.”
“I’m thinking you just want to get in the truck and go,” she said. “But I’m going to pick up Lorde and talk to Jo first. Then we’ll see what we’ll see.”
“Which is code for you can’t resist one more chance to meddle.” I sighed, even though I wasn’t really upset about this.
How could I be upset that somehow, even after all these years, even after all this pain, the woman I loved was still trying to find love in the world, joy in the world? She had no reason to do so, not with how the fates had treated us, how the gods had ignored us. But she still saw good in the world.
I refused to take that away from her.
“You have toothpaste on the corner of your mouth.” I stood and reached for her just as she pressed her thumb on the edge of her lip. I pressed my thumb over hers, and her eyes fluttered shut at my touch.
I didn’t move. She didn’t move.
Nothing in the world moved but the beating of her heart.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you,” I replied, my voice rough with tears I couldn’t shed. Not yet. Because I hadn’t given up on us. Wouldn’t give up on us.
“Let’s go get the dog, the truck, and see if we can help these two kids fall in love. It’s a freaking country song, Lu. Our life’s a damn country song.”
I don’t know how much of that got through to her, but some of it must have. She laughed, just a little chuckle in her chest. And if there was a glitter of tears in the corners of her eyes, I pretended not to see.
* * *
Dot didn’t want us to go.
“Are you sure?” She stood in front of the lobby door, holding the latch so Lu couldn’t pass. “I’d be happy for you to stay here for a little longer. For as long as you want. I have that cushion for Lorde we can put in the room. You know I’d love the company while she’s recovering. You know Stella would too.”
Lu wore black jeans, combat boots, and a pale green tank top that made her braid look like a river of fire over her shoulder. “I thought Stella wanted you to book a hot guy.”
Dot’s eyes widened. She tittered and nodded. “She did. I’m going to too. Maybe advertise for a male stripper?”
“Whoa!” I laughed.
“If you don’t, she’ll never forgive you,” Lu said, somehow with a straight face.
