Both Nora and Soraya gasped and peered around the tower, just in time to see khaki-wearing Christopher Stone walk by, hand in hand with a blond who was young enough to be his daughter.
“How dare he?” Soraya whispered at the same time Nora said, “Bastard.”
“I can’t believe he’s bringing her to his ... not-even-ex-wife’s bedside,” Daisy hissed.
“Maybe he’s meeting his daughter here,” Soraya said. But it was obvious not even she believed that best-case scenario she’d cooked up in her fluffy, optimist brain.
“He’s probably standing over her, gloating.” Nora’s tone was far more acerbic than she’d intended it to be.
They disappeared into the elevator, and Nora could only stand there and marvel at the audacity.
The three of them stood in silent judgment for a few more moments until Soraya sighed. “So. Lunch?”
Nora wasn’t sure if she felt hungry now, but she could always eat.
The hospital wasn’t far from the main town square, where there were eclectic clothing boutiques, a yarn store, several restaurants, and a British pub, for some reason.
It was all part of the quirky charm of Hemlock.
They let the sound of the traffic on the street stand in for small talk as they walked toward the square. “Brickroom?” Daisy asked.
“It’s too millennial gray,” Nora said. “Half the menu is avocado toast. Last time I was there, I think the server got mustache wax on my water glass.”
“We’remillennials,” Soraya pointed out.
“That doesn’t mean I have to surrender to every dish having microgreens and pickled onions on it.”
“Louie’s?” Daisy asked.
“Sure,” Nora and Soraya said together.
They walked through the alley that led to the entrance of the restaurant, up the stairs to the dining room, and stood in the entry waiting to be seated.
“I’ll probably get a salad,” Soraya said.
Nora clenched her teeth together but didn’t say what she was thinking, which was growth, really.
She was already feeling crushed by the weight of how mundane the conversation was going to be, and she couldn’t even be mad about it because she was going to be part of that mundanity.
She would rather drill a new hole in her skull than discuss the state of her life presently.
It didn’t take long for them to get seated at a four-person table by an upstairs window that overlooked town.
The square had a small clock tower in the center, with flyers tacked to every inch of surface that could be reached.
There were also drinking fountains, one with fresh water, and one with the sulfuric water that came out of the local springs. It was a time-honored tradition to trick your children into trying the sulfur water without warning them.
It was little wonder Nora had trust issues. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t from surprise sulfur water.
You were right. You were right about the world and love and everything. Hooray.
She couldn’t order that drink fast enough.
They were greeted by a waiter and handed menus. She was going to order a hamburger now, just because Soraya was getting a salad.
When the waiter returned, Nora ordered a beer, while Daisy got a white wine.
“I might actually like a glass of the zin,” Soraya remarked, smiling.
