“I have a little sunroom, where I paint.”
There was a beat of silence, then Audrey, “You paint?”
“I do.”
“What kinds of things do you paint?”
“Landscapes mostly.”
“What other rooms do you have?” Alice demanded.
“Well, I have a bedroom and a kitchen.”
“What kind of bed do you have?”
There was a pause, then, “Huh?” I could practically hear Emily’s confusion.
“You know, what kind of bed do you sleep in?” Audrey clarified, without really clarifying at all.
“Um, a queen bed?”
“I TOLD YOU!” Alice’s voice went up about three octaves.
“Told her what?”
“That you are a real princess!”
Emily laughed. My heart squeezed so tight I had to press my hand against it.
That laugh. Jesus Christ, that laugh.
“I hate to disappoint you, but I’m definitely not a princess.”
“You are. You just don’t know it,” Alice said very firmly
“I think I would know.”
“No, you wouldn’t,” Audrey argued. “Mia didn’t.”
“Who’s Mia?”
“She’s the princess of Genovia and she didn’t know it until she was in high school.”
“Ooooh, I see. Well, I haven’t had any visits from random grandmothers recently, so I guess that means I’m just a normal person. Sorry to disappoint.”
“You still could be.”
“Do you think so?”
I stood there with my palm flat against my sternum, listening.
The Keurig beeped. Grateful for the distraction, I grabbed both mugs, made the coffee and, taking a guess, added cream to Emily’s. Then I just stood there, holding two cups of coffee, listening to my daughters interrogate my neighbor about whether she owned a crown.
This was fine. This was completely fine. There was no reason for my chest to feel this tight. No reason for my throat to close up at the sound of Emily laughing with my girls.
Moments later, there were footsteps in the hallway, then they all came back through the kitchen door. Alice was holding Emily’s hand, Audrey trailing behind and chattering about how they’d watched Princess Diaries three times already.
I held out the mug and Emily took it, her fingers brushing mine briefly. “I took a gamble and added cream, but I can make it again if you prefer it black.”
