"Can you believe she's wearing my dress?" my mom says, turning to Bonnie. And Vivi. And Colleen. Anybody and everybody who will listen. "I wore that dress when I married Daisy's father thirty-five years ago, and the luck it brought me!" Her eyes shine, as does her complexion typically dull from illness. It's like somebody has dusted her with shimmery powder, but really it's how she feels on the inside showing on the outside. My mother is glowing. "Life has been good to me." She pauses, remembering her late-stage diagnosis. "Mostly," she amends. "Daisy, I hope you are as happy with Duke as I have been with your father all these years. And you, my sweet girl, have made me the happiest mother. I can't wait to watch you walk down the aisle."
I hug her, and try not to cry, but I fail.
Mostly my tears are for her, for what we will both lose. But if I'm being honest with myself, a small portion of these tears are for me.
Chapter 21
Penn
"But what about the children?"Noelle sets down a stack of books, turning wide eyes on me. She looks like one of those vicious animals that draw a person in by making themselves look innocent and sweet, and then they bite your face off when you get close. Like a honey badger.
"So here's the thing," I say, trying to be delicate. "I'm not planning on being in Olive Township for much longer. I mean, I came here to see what was going on with the Bellamy house, understand what it needs, and then decide if I was going to try and fix it up before I sell it or sell it as is, but at the end of the day, I'm here to sell that house and then go back to where I live in San Diego."
"And you're planning on accomplishing all that within the next month?"
"And help me, too?" Daisy asks, getting in on it. "How are you going to help me with my place, make big decisions about the Bellamy house, and get out of here before the one month mark?"
I cross my arms, staring down at Daisy. Why is she on Noelle's side about this? She should be neutral. "I could leave your home in a state of distress, damsel."
Daisy narrows her eyes at me. I grin in return.
"The annual town play is really for the children." Noelle's tone turns serious. Heavy. She's injecting emotion into her words. Essentially, she's hitting me with the big guns. "For some of those children, the annual play is something they look forward to all year long. They come together, working to put on a show for the town. They even build the set, with some help from adults." A bright smile takes over Noelle's face like she's just remembered something. "I forgot to tell you the best part! We got a famous actress to play the female lead role." Her lips press together as her gaze flits between the two of us.
"Who?" Daisy asks, giving Noelle the question she's seeking.
"Tenley Roberts!"
Daisy's jaw drops. "What?" she screeches. "How?"
"Who?" I ask.
Daisy and Noelle turn astonished gazes on me. Daisy says, "Tenley Roberts. She was America's sweetheart forforever. She came to Arizona to film a movie and fell in love with a cowboy. How can you live on planet Earth and not know who she is?"
"I don't watch movies. Or TV."
Daisy throws up her hands. "You're hopeless. Useless. If you weren't providing the world with something pretty to look at, I'd say we should throw you in a pit of despair."
"Is that a real place? Is there a physical location? An address?" I cock an eyebrow. "Or is it a metaphor?"
Daisy crosses her arms. To my credit, Noelle looks amused. I keep going, because there's one more point I need to make. "Feel free to let me know if I got this wrong, but Sunshine, did you just say I'm pretty to look at?"
"I misspoke," Daisy says through clenched teeth.
An arm slices the air between me and Daisy, swift like a guillotine's blade. "Don't mind me cutting in here," Noelle says, "but let's stay on topic. Peter"—she turns to me—"if you're goingto pull a dick move and back out on the kids, I need to know this second, because I was out of time on casting the role about a week ago. What I'm saying is, I'm desperate."
Her eyebrows are lifted, asking for my decision, but also daring me to put my foot down.Shit.
"Fine," I bite out. "But I have no acting ability." Guilt rushes in. Apparently, I have some ability to act.
Noelle claps her hands in excitement, and so does Daisy, but I can't make eye contact with her. I'm too much of a shithead, a fucking fraud.
Noelle programs my number into her phone and tells me she will text me the schedule and a PDF of the script.
"Rehearsals start Monday," she hollers after me and Daisy on our way out the revolving front door.
"Cool," I mutter. "That's four days from now."
"I almost feel bad for you," Daisy says, hopping up into the passenger seat of my truck while I hold open the door for her. Slim Jim pops up from the back seat, and she lets out a startled cry, palm pressing to her chest.
