Please let me say I’m sorry, Cherry.
Chapter 51
Today, 8:16 AM
Cherry
Hey, I need you to do me a favor.
Hope
Let’s hear it.
Cherry
I need you to tell everybody that Tom’s coming today, and I need you to tell them not to make a big deal out of it.
Hope
WHY IS TOM COMING?
Cherry
Because he doesn’t have anywhere else to go.
Hope
You know that it’s no longer your job to take care of him, right?
Especially after everything he’s done.
Cherry
I’m not sure that’s true.
Everything is hard enough. I don’t want to be angry with him anymore.
Hope
I guess that’s your prerogative.
Cherry
Will you tell everyone not to be weird? Or rude? Tell them to be good Christians.
Hope
I can try.
Chapter 52
Cherry was still getting ready when Tom showed up at eleven.
She was wearing an expensive cherry-pink batwing sweater with wide-legged jeans and ridiculously twee high-heeled oxfords. The shoes were patent leather—juniper green and candy pink—and the jeans werejustshort enough to reveal an inch of pink fishnet stockings.
She’d braided her hair into a crown and was taking time with her cherry-red lipstick and silver eyeshadow.
Cherry hadn’t slept well, but she looked bright-eyed and Christmassy.
