Marta rolls her eyes. She’s on the tall side with broad shoulders, thick hips, red hair that’s faded to mostly white these days, and if she’snot wearing yoga pants and some variation of a T-shirt declaring her the world’s best mom, that’s when you know something’s up.
Nothing’s up today. She’s full-onWorld’s Best Mom.
“Ignore him,” she tells Tavi. “He’s always cranky. It’s the hernia.”
“It’s not the hernia!”
“It’s the hernia,” Marta whispers.
“It’s not the goddamn hernia!”
“That’s better than me telling them you’re a grumpy old fart!”
“I’m only a grumpy old fart because I live with you!”
Marta heaves the same long-suffering sigh that my mother liked to use when one of my stepfathers would burp at the table.
“Come on in, honey.” Marta pulls the door open wider and beckons us inside. “Thanks so much for coming. Hopefully we won’t take too much of your time. I heard you have a big renovation job for the Olsons starting today.”
“Always have time for you, Marta.”
“And it’s lovely to meet you.” Tavi smiles her influencer smile—the one that saysI’m harmless and you can trust me because I have a cute dog and the internet loves me, thoughharmlessis definitely an exaggeration—and holds out a hand. “I’m Tavi. And this is Pebbles.”
Pebbles grins too.
Deeper inside the house, Banshee growls low in her throat.
Banshee’s an overpossessive boxer-Lab mix. Hannah adopted her three years ago, but when Hannah moved in with Andrew, Banshee didn’t have enough room in their apartment, so the dog moved in with Ken and Marta.
Pretty sure Banshee is half of what’s wrong with Ken on any given day.
I would’ve offered to take her myself, but Mom had a dog back then, and those two wouldn’t have gotten along.
“I’ll put our dog out back,” Marta says. “You come on in too, honey. I’d love to hear how the progress is coming on the school. Any chance we’ll all get tours sometime soon?”
Pebbles slinks deeper into the purse while Tavi follows me into the house. “No, not soon,” she says to Marta, perky personality shining through like she flipped a switch the minute we got an audience. “We still havesomuch work to do.”
“I heard your brother playing at Ladyfingers the other night.” Marta lunges for Banshee’s collar as the dog stalks into the kitchen just off the dining room, and she tries to pull the dog past the stairs toward the side exit. “He’s so talented! And I saw your sister’s plans for the new Ferris wheel, and I’m so glad she’s keeping the old one, too, and I think you Lightlys are just the best thing to ever happen to Tickled Pink.”
“Ella Denning was the best thing to happen to Tickled Pink, and don’t you forget it,” Ken yells.
He might lovePink Goldas much as Estelle Lightly does. Not many people in town still talk about the movie the way they did when I was in grade school, when it was required viewing once a year, but Ella Denning, the movie’s star, will forever be universally adored. She was one of a kind.
“Ella Denning’s dead, may her soul rest in peace,” Marta hollers back. “And it’s lovely that we have people who are willing to come here and love our town as much as she did.” She grunts, then disappears down the back hall, dragging Banshee along.
I’ve offered to do that for her before, too, many times, and I always get told no, that it’s her daily exercise.
Marta’s, I mean.
Can’t argue with results. She can outlift me at the gym, and I’ve quit trying to compete.
“Wow, yeah, I can see the appeal to the whole family,” Tavi whispers to me.
“Your family’s one to talk,” I reply.
She rolls a single eyeball, which is oddly adorable. “People would be so much better if they weren’t so peopley.”
“Best part of people is that they’re peopley.” I pause. “Most days.”
