I rolled my eyes.
“There are other people on the planet who like mushrooms on pizza.”
“My daughter and you. Two more than I would’ve expected.”
I made my way in and elbowed his side.
“Stella! Oh my goodness,” Mrs. Orrico said, letting out a gasp when I stepped through the door. My eyes fell to her cane as she padded toward us. It was almost identical to my mother’s, except hers had four prongs on the bottom.
“It’s great to see you,” I said, wrapping her up in a gentle hug. She had always been tiny, hardly passing herson’s shoulder, but she seemed even smaller now when I leaned over.
Her once-chestnut hair was mostly gray now, the blue eyes she’d passed along to Lee shining at me as she pushed me back.
“You look wonderful.”
“I don’t know about wonderful,” I said with a laugh. “But thank you.”
I hadn’t seen Lee’s mother in almost a year. She’d stopped by to see my mother one weekend I’d been visiting, and I felt as if I’d aged in light-years since then.
“You are beautiful,” she said, gripping my biceps. “You always were, but you grew up to be stunning, missy.” I laughed when she tapped my nose. “Didn’t she?” She craned her head to Lee.
“She looks great,” Lee said, a smile floating over his lips as his gaze snagged on mine.
I darted my eyes away when tingles climbed up my spine.
Memories and loneliness were a lethal concoction, altering my brain cells into producing things that weren’t there, like heat along with pride in Lee’s gaze.
“How’s Gary? Where is he now?” She squinted at me. “Overseas, right?”
“Japan,” I said. “I try to speak to him and his family once per week in that tiny window when we’re both awake, but he’s been out on this special mission for the past few weeks. He barely has time to check in with my sister-in-law, but she says he’s great. My nephew is seven and speaks three languages.”
“Wow. Seeing the world is a wonderful education, I’m sure.”
Before I could reply, a tap on my shoulder startled me.
“Hey, Stella. Nice to see you.” Lee’s sister, Debbie, came up to me to give me a quick hug. She was five years older than her brother and had already been away at college when we’d all found one another.
I didn’t know her as well as Lee’s mother, as she’d only been home on holidays then moved upstate after she graduated, but they’d always seemed like a close family.
They were the family Lee had depended on for more than just watching Bennie, and now they were leaving.
“Daddy!”
We all turned to a little voice behind us right as Bennie slammed into Lee’s hip.
“When is pizza coming? I’m big hungry.”
I bit back a laugh when her little brown eyebrows pulled together as she peered up at her father, rubbing her stomach over her pink Bats T-shirt.
“I know, baby girl,” Lee said, lifting her as if she weighed nothing more than a feather and setting her on his hip. Bennie had grown since the last photo Lee had shown me, but she seemed small snuggled up against her father. Her dark hair was in a ponytail, loose strands wisping down her neck and over her ears, just like mine had as a kid.
She craned her neck, squinting her blue eyes when they landed on me.
“This is my friend Stella,” Lee told her, following her gaze to me. “She hasn’t been here in a long time, but you talked to her on video.”
“Oh yes,” she said, nodding as she studied me. “She lives at the airport.”
“No,” Lee said, the deep rumble of his laugh combined with the sight of him and his daughter getting me right in the chest.
