“Well, I had a job interview earlier today.”
“Really?”
“You’re looking at the newest Target sales associate!”
“She even gets to wear red,” Mom said proudly.
“Training starts on Monday. And from there, I’ll either go back to school or I’ll find another job.”
“And the Mom Scouts?” asked Rachel.
“Will continue, but maybe with a partner,” I said. “The video about getting my Tattoo Badge went so well that I’ve decided to bring Mom on board.”
“Tattoo?” Abi and Rachel asked at the same time.
I turned over my forearm to show a tiny butterfly tattoo slathered in Vaseline.
“But wait ... there’s more,” Mom said, holding out her arm to show a matching butterfly on her forearm. When we put our arms together, the two butterflies became one.
“That’s awesome!” Rachel said at the same time Abi added, “Look at you, Heidi!”
I knew Mom and I were in a honeymoon of sorts, that all our arguments weren’t completely behind us, but it felt as though we could work through anything now. And Mom and Connie were thinking about moving to Atlanta, so I was hopeful Mom and I could continue making videos together. As it turned out, she was a natural.
Rachel coaxed the cork out of the bottle with a pop that brought me back to the present. We each drew out our #MomScouts tumblers, and I wanted to cry for the joy of seeing them all there together.
Once the wine had been poured, we sipped, then paused in an appreciative moment of silence.
“What’s this?” I asked.
Rachel smiled. “It’s a wine called the Sisters from the Jones Family Vineyards. It’s ... complex.”
Just like life. Just like us.
“It’s delightful, that’s what it is,” said Abi.
I frowned. “The only problem with this lid is that I can’t smell the wine.”
“Aha!” Rachel said. “Now you’re learning how to tell a good wine.”
I would absolutely have to take Rachel with me back to wine country.
Oh. We could all go. We’d do a Mom Scout special and highlight only the places we wanted to highlight!
As if on cue, a figure appeared over the hill.
Wait. That wasn’t Dawn. That was ... Harriet.
Her luxurious auburn hair, it should be noted,didmove in the breeze.
“Hello, ladies!”
“Hi, Harriet,” I said. “What brings you to the very end of the subdivision?”
She surveyed our spread but didn’t admonish us. “Well, I was going for my evening walk, but I saw all of you and wanted to ask you to consider voting for me since they extended the HOA election another week.”
“What platform are you running on?” asked Abi before she stabbed a party meatball with a tiny plastic sword.
“Eliminating bullshit.”
