“Okay.” Mrs. Lawson clasps her hands together and rests her forearms on her desk. “I just don’t want you stretching yourself too thin.”
Too late. I’m already so far stretched, my next move is liable to split me in half.
That’s not what the girl who has everything together would say, though. So instead, I smile, pop a granny candy in my mouth, tell her I’m good, and ask about her pets.
When I started volunteering at Creekside my sophomore year, I’ll admit it was because it looked good on my resume. But after Rosie showed up last year, I quickly stopped counting the hours.
Savannah might be my best friend, but Rosie is like the grandmother I never had. I told her that once, but she scowled and lit me up for referring to her as old.
“Tomorrow night is movie night!” I say, looking up from the paper flowers I’ve been cutting out.
“Oh, honey.” Rosie's eyes soften and she sets her cross-stitch in her lap. “You are too young and way too beautiful to be spending your Friday night, watchingHis Girl Fridaywitha bunch of old people. And I’m talking about them, not me,” she whispers, nodding her head at William.
I stifle a laugh when he inevitably hears her and scowls at her over the rim of his glasses. These two might bicker like an old married couple, but I noticed a shift in Rosie after William arrived at Creekside eight months ago. She’s always been full of spirit, but her quick wit and undeniable charm was able to make even the most hesitant man her friend. Ever since then, it feels like a light has been turned back on within her.
“First of all, the movie this week isThe Awful Truth, which happens to be one of my favorites—” Rosie rolls her eyes dramatically, but I ignore her, setting my scrap-booking crafts on the couch beside me.
“And second?”
“And second, are you ready to go for our walk?”
“In a minute, dear. I want to finish this stitch and say hello to Mr. Handsome.”
It’s not the oddly mischievous smile she wears that makes my spine go rigid and my palms start to sweat. It’s the sweet and salty scent that consumes me, the one I’ve come to recognize ashim.
10
maverick
It’s not loston me that I notice Chloe’s beauty every time I see her. Today, she’s sitting cross-legged on a deep green upholstered couch, wearing a tiny white T-shirt with the wordsI’m your dream girl’s dream girl, embroidered in red letters across the chest. There’s a massive photo album buried under tissue paper, cardstock, stickers, and scissors on the cushion beside her. Her eyes are wide on me, but I avert my gaze because I’m pretty sure she’s not wearing a bra, and getting bricked up in the shower while she yelled at me was one thing, but bulging at a retirement home is out of the question.
“Willie, my man. What are you reading today?” I ask, slinging my arm around the back of his chair.
“The Hound of the Baskervilles,” he answers without looking up from his book. “You ever read it?”
“Can’t say I have. I’m not much of a reader, though.”
He hums, and I offer a wave over to Ms. Rosie, who’s smiling, but I can’t shake the conspiratorial expression on her face.
She leans in close, reaching for my hand, and I close therest of the distance, giving it to her. “How do you feel about helping me out of having to go for a walk?”
“And how would I do that?” I lower my voice to match her.
“You could take Chloe here and help her choose a new movie for tomorrow night.”
“Rosie,” Chloe scolds the older woman, jumping up from her spot on the couch. “The movie has been decided and we are going out for that walk. That was part of your New Year’s resolutions this year, remember? Three walks a week.”
Rosie scoffs. “We’re closer to the next new year than when I said that, so maybe I should change my resolution to spending more time with friends.” She smiles up at me and I laugh, but it’s Chloe's presence at my side as she stands in front of Rosie that now holds my focus.
“That will be a great one for next year,” Chloe says. “Now, let’s go.”
Chloe holds out her hand, and Rosie’s gaze flicks between the two of us before she finally lets go of mine and slips her fingers into Chloe’s instead.
Chloe immediately takes the lead, linking their arms and steering her toward the back door. Rosie goes along with her, but not before glancing back at me over her shoulder.
“She’s a bit bossy,” she says, eyes sparkling. “But don’t let that deter you.”
“Rosie!”
