I scratched my head. "Okay, what else?"
"Do you have a programmable thermostat?" Tallulah asked.
"I do."
"Schedule the temperature in your house no higher than sixty-seven degrees at bedtime. Our internal body temperature decreases when we're ready for sleep, and a cool room helps the process and activates sleep-promoting hormones."
She gave a few more suggestions, including doing eye exercises while my eyes were closed, which she demonstrated. I don't know how I didn't laugh. Probably because I was afraid she might punch me if I did.
Finally, she ended with, "The eye exercises don't work for everyone. If they don't, I recommend you take magnesium glycinate, but of course, consult your doctor first. Magnesiumglycinate is a calming mineral. It relaxes the brain and is gentle on the stomach."
She had given me quite a list, none of which involved taking drugs. I was intrigued. "Do you recommend any particular brand?"
She gave the names of two brands—one of which I was fairly certain I had seen at my local supermarket—and recommended a dosage.
"Thank you. I'll try your suggestions." I was willing to try anything to get some rest. Sleep deprivation wasn't only causing me to be tired. I also suffered from occasional headaches and figured they'd only get worse.
"If you have follow-up questions, Mom would be happy to help. I mean, we're all going to be family soon." Blossom looked at her mother. "You should give him your number."
Tallulah's smile was tight. "Should I?"
Keke turned away and coughed, which sounded suspiciously like laughing.
"You don't have to give me your number. You've done enough," I said.
"No, Blossom's right. If you have questions, call me, and I'll be happy to answer them." Tallulah removed a sage green card from the small crossbody bag and scribbled a number on the back. "My cell."
To my surprise, she had horrible handwriting. It was like chicken scratch.
I pointed. "Is that a four, or..."
"Six," she said.
"Oh, okay. And, um, this number right here is?—"
She interrupted my question, rattling off the entire number. Hopefully, I'd never need to call her because I wouldn't remember what she said.
"Got it. Thank you. I'll leave you ladies alone so you can head to lunch."
We parted ways.
On the way to my car, a silver and orange VW bus passed me, and I wasn't surprised to see Tallulah behind the wheel. An orange and blue dreamcatcher with blue feathers hung from the rearview mirror.
Blossom waved, and I waved back, a smile tugging at the corners of my lips.
Chapter 10
Tallulah
The coffee shop smelled yummy, the perfect combination of espresso and cinnamon. Most people were seated, but a few stood with covered cups of coffee clutched in their hands.
"Hi," I whispered, winding my way between the tables and waving at familiar faces. There were a few dozen people present tonight for the first after-hours tenants' meeting of the small businesses occupying the first and second floors of the recently renamed Freedom Capital Building.
"Hey, Tallulah," Shelley said.
She sat at one of the tables. She and her wife owned Sugar Crumb Bakery on the first floor, and she still wore her gray apron, dusted with flour as if she had stopped in the middle of preparing one of her confectionary masterpieces to come to the meeting. She baked with organic flour and sourced local ingredients as much as she could, like the honey they used in some of the desserts.
"Hi, Shelley, how's it going?"
