Aunt Lynn looks between the two of us like she may swoon.
“How in the world did you two finally meet?”
“It’s actually a funny story,” I say.
“Well, you’re the first ones here. Let’s sit down, and you can tell me all about it. In fact, I was hoping you’d be early like you are because I have something to tell you too, Mimi.”She leads us into her living room and gestures to the pale green couch she’s had forever.
Aunt Lynn’s gray hair is stylishly cut in a blunt bob. Her eyes are bright and her skin youthful looking with enough lines to show the wisdom she gained from her deepest loss nearly twenty years ago. She’s wearing a pretty yellow sundress and a gold chain she’s never without. That was the last gift Tony gave to her.
Michael and I sit down on the couch, and my aunt takes the tan loveseat across from us. I look out her picture window at the lovely garden she tends to daily in the summertime and point to the mountain view beyond.
“Isn’t this a wonderful view?” I say to Michael.
He grins at Aunt Lynn. “The best. Looks just like the photos you’ve sent over the years.”
She wags her finger at us. “Thank you. But don’t change the subject, my dears.”
I laugh as Michael says, “It’s a pretty amazing coincidence.”
We take turns filling her in on the coffee shop run-in and then meeting the next night for our “blind date.”
Lynn’s shoulders shake with laughter. “And when did you make the connection to me and Tony?”
I clear my throat. “Tony’s Lucky Queen pin fell out of my purse, and Michael saw it.”
Aunt Lynn’s hand goes to her mouth. “Ohh.” She turns to Michael. “That must have been a shock.”
He nods but doesn’t elaborate.
And she wisely shifts the topic to easier subjects.
We move from the beautiful weather to how fun it is that Michael and I are both staying on Wild Ranch.
“You must go on a trail ride,” Lynn says. “Mimi, you love to ride.”
“Do you have somewhere you get to ride when you’re not on Wild Ranch?” Michael asks me.
“I used to go to a place just outside Wilcox. But I got so involved with my career that I stopped making the time.”
“I’ll ride with you this afternoon,” he says.
“You hate to ride,” I tease him.
“I was exaggerating,” he says, his cheeks flushed.
My aunt is still looking between us with interest.
And Michael keeps talking like he feels her eyes on us. “Luke’s always made me ride a little whenever I’ve come out here. He says it should be a required life skill like swimming.”
Aunt Lynn smiles. “Spoken like a true cowboy.”
“Thathe is,” Michael says. “He runs the ranch. His parents gave him the reins when they retired.”
“How lovely. Speaking of passing things down…” She rummages in her purse that’s sitting next to her. “Mimi, I’d like you to have this. If you want it. And please be honest.”
When she hands me a key hanging from a silver chain with an anchor, I have no idea what it’s for.
I dangle the key from my fingers. “What is this?”
