***
Tara studied her aunt’s calm face when she re-entered the orchestra room. It was the face she put on when she wanted to appear innocent. What had she done now?
Considering they lived together, busting her could wait until it was just the two of them. Tara said goodbye to Jill and the other teachers, picked up stray Santa hats and candy wrappers, and then hurried out to her car. She drove the familiar route home, only two blocks from the school. Her aunt’s house had been a fun place to hang out as a kid, though Tara had never dreamed she would end up living there and paying rent.
Aunt Sandy had proved to be a most interesting roommate, and her interest in matchmaking was only half of it. The woman was an endless bundle of energy, always wanting to make things and do things and be places. It was exactly the type of distraction Tara had needed, though it was time to put her life back together and figure out what was next, instead of feeling stuck in neutral. The ache at losing Derek didn’t hurt as much anymore. Now it was just part of her history she preferred not to talk about. Few people knew what had really happened, and she had no intention of enlightening everyone else. They wouldn’t understand the truth anyway, so she’d keep it tucked away in her heart where no one could mangle it.
She touched a bulb on the festive wreath on the front door before letting herself in. It was big and bright and a little over-the-top, just like the woman who had made it.
Once inside, Tara kicked off her beautiful red heels and bent to pick them up. Oh, her feet cried out in relief to be out of them. Killer heels, indeed.
After hanging up her purse and coat, putting away her shoes, and washing her hands, she headed to the kitchen.
Aunt Sandy was at the counter humming to herself as she stirred something in a crockpot that smelled divine. Tara sat at one of the stools at the counter, and her aunt ladled homemade chicken noodle soup into a red bowl. Then she took out a matching plate and put a beautiful piece of toasted French bread with butter on it.
“Eat up, I know you’ve got to be starving.” Aunt Sandy always pre-empted her apologies with delicious food. She was a pro at both.
Tara tucked into her soup, letting the food warm her from the inside out and the steam relax her face.
Aunt Sandy prepared her own bowl and sat down next to her. “The concert was great. I think all the parents were very pleased.”
“Thanks. I’m happy to have it over with. We’re going to do a unit on harmonicas next and I’m so excited to teach them.”
Aunt Sandy’s eyes widened. “Harmonicas? Lots of disinfectant baths needed for those things, I take it?”
“Always. I do the same with the recorders.”
“You are a special soul, Tara. I can’t imagine all the noise that would create. And I like noise. How do you do it?”
“Kids enjoy making a lot of noise, and they’re rarely allowed to in class. I want them to equate music with fun.”
“I wish my Andrew would have had a teacher like you in school. He hated every minute of it until the day he dropped out and chased fame.”
Aunt Sandy’s son was a bass guitar player in a band. He sent the most interesting emails to his mother, but rarely visited. Since he would likely never be giving her grandchildren, she’d decided to fixate on Tara’s future instead. Or at least, that was Tara’s theory on what motivated Aunt Sandy to do the things she did in the name of love. Tara had no doubt her children, if she ever had any, would have the greatest great-aunt in the history of spoiled children.
“Aunt Sandy, we have to talk about what happened tonight.”
“I know.” Aunt Sandy sighed. “And I am sorry. I know it embarrasses you, but when I get a feeling about someone, I just have to give it my best shot. And when I met Luke at the store the other night, I got that feeling. You know?”
Tara crossed her arms. She would not be swayed by Aunt Sandy’s special feelings. Aunt Sandy’s intuition was responsible for many things, including the shortcut they took last week that turned out to be anything but short.
“What about the single dad who came up before Luke? He trapped my hands in his and told me a five-minute-long story about his daughter. Do you know how long five minutes is when someone is holding your hands against your will?”
“It wasn’t five minutes. I was there.” Aunt Sandy laughed at Tara’s responding squawk and threw her hands up in surrender. “Though I bet it felt like five minutes. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have encouraged him. We were talking, and I told him you were my niece, and suddenly he was dying to meet you.”
“Mm hmm.” Tara took the dishes to the sink and rinsed them. It was time for fluffy pajamas and their favorite show,Love Detectives. They had a special Christmas episode waiting for them on the DVR, and although Tara should have felt bitter towards all matchmaking, even the fictional kind, she wasn’t about to let tonight ruin something she’d been looking forward to.
She looked up to see Aunt Sandy watching her, looking contrite. “I’m not forgiven, am I?”
“Not yet, but I’m granting you a reprieve. It’s pajama party time and we must have our priorities.”
Aunt Sandy hurried off to change, calling out behind her, “This is why I love you, Tara!”
Tara shook her head at the ceiling. Her life was such a mess, but it was a fun mess. If there was anything she’d learned from her aunt, it was that everything would work out, and even if it didn’t, that was no reason not to find enjoyment in the little things. So, she set her disappointment aside about Luke. She’d only met him for a minute and she’d likely never see him again. By the end of the week she wouldn’t be thinking of him at all, which was as it should be.
After changing into her fleece Christmas pants and a soft t-shirt, she hurried down the hall to the den where Aunt Sandy waited in similar attire with the TV paused. Tara picked up her latest knitting project, a lap blanket in a gorgeous deep purple. She brought the finished products to the local nursing home when she had a big enough stack, and they directed her to the residents who would enjoy a visit and a gift the most.
Aunt Sandy hit play on the show sitting at the top of the queue, and they settled in to gobble up the delicious nonsense that wasLove Detectives. It featured beautiful young people at a successful New York City Matchmaking agency who frequently fell in and out of love with each other while seeking soulmates for their clients.
