“I mean, some of it wasn’t the easiest to hear,” I admitted. She bit her lip. “But it’s better than wondering.”
Her face eased. She’d clearly been worried. “We can talk more. If you have other questions, or—”
“I’m sure I will,” I said. “But for now… it’s okay. We have time.”
It was true. And not just Her Time, that name I’d always called it, any longer. A shift in balance, more toward equal. I was glad to be there.
“That thing, about your dad and the waitress,” I said. “Have you thought about telling Kasey and Liz?”
“Oh God.” She sighed, then looked at me. “It would only make things worse. Plus the wedding. Not exactly the best time to slander the patriarch.”
“They know all the other stories, though,” I countered. “This one’s yours. Maybe they should hear it too.”
She considered this. Did not agree, I noticed. Still, it was progress.
We were quiet for a moment, both of us facing that screen door. Then I said, “I saw Jeremy this morning. When I was at work.”
“Jeremy?”
“He gave me this.” I pulled the card out of my pocket. “He’s hoping I’ll update him, so he knows how you’re doing after the surgery.”
“Really.” She took it, squinting at the print. “I was pretty short with him while we were stuck in that hole. Thought I’d scared him out of here.”
“Guess not,” I told her.
Outside, the truck started up. A beat later, it was rumblingaway. Then I heard Liz on the phone. “Anne? Are you almost here? The chair people are just leaving. Some people are going to have to stand.”
“Do you have any benches?” Colin suggested.
“Benches! You’re a genius!” I heard Liz clap her hands, that excited. “Why didn’t I think of that?”
I sighed, closing my eyes. Beside me, my mom chuckled. “Ha ha,” I said. But it was kind of funny. In a pathetic way. Just like that, I was giggling. Then she started. The next thing I knew, we were both laughing.
The door sounded. “Hello?”
“It’s me,” said Lana.
“Hello!” Colin replied. Then, like it was his house, “Come on in.”
Beside me, my mom snorted. I was trying to catch my breath, unsuccessfully, as I tried to imagine all the ways the ensuing scene might go. Once, I might have just stayed there and just waited to see.
When I left, she was right behind me.
“That brings us to…” Liz consulted her legal pad. “Parking.”
“I thought we were doing boats so we didn’t have to deal with parking,” I said.
“Some guests are too frail for boats or golf carts,” Anne told me.
“How oldarethese people?”
Liz cleared her throat. “Moving on. What about the signage we talked about for the lawn?”
We’d been here like this for almost an hour, all of us around the table. There were the usual suspects: me, Lana, Kasey, Liz, and my mom. Plus two new faces: Travis, who had taken the afternoon off to do whatever Liz told him to and, of course, Colin. What could I say? I had tried.
After I left Juvie, we’d gone down to the dock to talk. The house was too crazy. Maybe with some distance I could catch my breath and think. In true form, though, he spoke first.
“Liz is awesome,” he said. “Can’t believe you never mentioned her.”
