“God?” Imani said. “Granny Cook talked to me about God. A lot. I didn’t understand half of it but I had a dream about her the other night. She’d written everything down in a book and I was reading it.”
“Now that’s a cool way to hear from your Granny. Did she have any wisdom in her book for me?”
“Forgive yourself.”
Gemma’s eyes spilled over. “Easier said than done. Please keep that in mind as you go through life and make decisions.”
“I will. I promise. And I’ll talk to you, no matter how awkward, if I change my mind about, you know, things.”
“Good.” She kissed Imani’s temple. “But don’t. Your mama would be proud of you.”
Imani took the photo album. “You’re in almost every picture. One day can we go through the photo album and talk about them?”
“Of course. And I’m not proud of being in every picture. What was I thinking?”
“You’re so funny. I know you have all the stories.”
“Name the day and we’ll trip down memory lane over a bowl of buttery popcorn. Even better, I’ll get your parents’ friends to come over. Haley and Cole, Buck and JoJo, Taylor and Jack Gillingham. We all have stories.”
“There are days when I never think of them. It’s as if they never existed. I feel guilty about it.” Althea’s dress was still folded in Imani’s lap. “Every person whose blood is in my veins is either dead or moved away.”
“Your gigi will come around. There’s nothing saying you can’t call her.”
Imani shrugged. “What if she doesn’t want to hear from me? Besides, you, Pops and Memaw are my family now.”
“We are but we can still include your Shumaker and Cook relatives. Hey, I think you have second cousins in Arkansas and Texas. We can reach out, see if they want to get together. And when I adopt you, if you still want me to, we’ll slice our hands and mingle our blood like old-world societies used to do when they formed a covenant.”
Her eyes widened. “You’d do that for me?”
“Really? I was joking, but yeah, if you want. Yes. Of course.”Absolutely.
Imani folded the dress back in the box. “I get scared sometimes. Like everyone will leave me. I don’t want to say anything because I don’t want you to think, like, you’re not doing a good job. You are, Gemma. I promise.”
“I won’t leave you.”
“But what about the prince?”
“What about him? He lives four thousand miles away. I haven’t even heard from him since I came home. Consider it a summer love.”
“Was it? Love?”
“Okay, consider it a summer friend-fling.”
“Imani?” Justin’s voice pushed through the door. “We should go. We told JoJo we’d meet her at five-thirty.”
“Go,” Gemma said. “I’ll put the dress away.”
“No, I want to. It was my mama’s.” Imani carefully folded up the gown then slipped the photo album underneath. She slid the box back into the closet then checked her appearance in the mirror. She started for the door then looked back.
“Gemma, I know the video is embarrassing. But if the prince rejects you for that, especially without an explanation, he’s not the prince I knew in the summer.”
“Oh, Imani, he’s in a difficult position. He’s a leader. A ruler. The woman he marries must be above reproach. Set an example. Let this be another lesson to you. Don’t do, say, post, or share anything on social media you’d not want anyone to see. That you wouldn’t want someone to uncover ten, twenty years from now. It could hinder you from getting a job or some grand opportunity. Character and values matter, Imani.”
“Our teachers tell us not to think no one reads our posts.”
“Imani, we have to go,” Justin said.
She opened the door and a blushed-cheeked teen boy waited on the other side. He was a doll. “One sec, Justin.”
