Page 17 of Reaching Little Robyn

“Welcome back to the real world,” Hayleigh said. “Now get naked and shower. I’ll help Sadie set out the refreshments. You did remember to make something before you went to bed, I hope.”

“I did. I was functioning perfectly until I couldn’t sleep. There are scones and pastries in boxes in the refrigerator. I was going to use my grandmother’s coffee service, but it won’t hold enough coffee if we have a crowd. Oh, Georgie and Eli sent over some flowers so we need to get them into vases and set them out, and?—”

“And I know,” Hayleigh said, squeezing past her friend in the small space. “Get yourself bathed and dressed and join us, but don’t take too long or you won’t get a chance for a cup of coffee before the hordes descend.”

Not about to be denied the very brew that would give her a much needed boost, Robyn had her gown pulled over her head and one foot in the shower when Hayleigh giggled.

“Though that thong hardly qualifies as panties, do you normally shower with it on?”

Robyn’s growl was enough to have Hayleigh pulling the bathroom door closed though her laughter was still audible. “Thank god for friends,” Robyn said, stepping out of her panties and then under the flow of water.

Within fifteen minutes, she was dressed, her hair was sort of dry, and she was headed downstairs. It would have taken longer, but when she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, rubbing another over her curls, it was to find her bed neatly made and a lavender-colored dress laid out on top of the quilt. The skirt had a floral design and the white Peter-Pan detachable collar and apron had the sweetest little dark-purple violets embroidered on them. She’d practically swooned when she’d found them in a box at a yard sale in Porter’s Corner. The collar and apron were vintage, but the matching bra and panty set in a lighter shade of lilac were new. Evidently Hayleigh had felt free to rummage through her lingerie drawer. That knowledge didn’t upset Robyn as it had in her childhood when her sisters were always “borrowing” her things without asking. Knowing Hayleigh had done it out of love and friendship made Robyn smile. Her secret fetish might be out but she was confident it was safe with the women downstairs. After all, the Little friends she’d made since her arrival had come to be more than friends. They were her family.

“If there is anything better than the aroma of coffee, I don’t know what it could be,” Robyn said as she entered her favorite room of the house, her kitchen. Its bright white cabinets and soft yellow walls never failed to make her happy. The sunflower clock with the bee hands moving around its face always madeher smile, though today that smile was a little panicked when she saw it was almost 9:30.

“I can’t thank you enough,” she said, looking around the room. Trays of the goods she’d baked covered the surface of the butcher-block island in the center of the room. A large coffee urn was percolating, but it was the sight of her friends sitting at the table in the kitchen’s nook that had her heart swelling.

“Come, sit down.” Sadie patted a place beside her on the built-in bench.

“I have to?—”

“Breathe,” Wren said.

“And coffee-fy yourself,” Hayleigh said, lifting the silver coffee pot that had been in Robyn’s family for generations and pouring the brew into an almost translucent coffee cup with a pink rose pattern on its surface. Setting it down in front of an empty spot, she moved the matching silver sugar bowl and cream pitcher closer.

Robyn felt tears welling as she slid onto the bench.

“Hey, don’t cry. Everything is going to be great!” Sadie assured her.

“I-I know, it’s just… just that you guys are so fabulous.”

“Well, we’re not going to argue with that,” Wren said. “As long as you know how fabulous you are as well.”

Robyn nodded, blinking fast to hold the tears back, not wanting to ruin the mascara she’d just applied. She stirred a spoon of sugar into her cup and added a stream of cream before lifting the cup to her lips. About to take a sip, she looked across the table to Hayleigh. “Coffee-fy?”

Hayleigh shrugged. “If it works, it works. So, does it work?”

Taking a sip, Robyn closed her eyes and moaned.

“I think that’s a definite yes,” Sadie said.

“You might want to start offering a high tea some afternoons along with breakfast in the morning.” Wren lifted her cup.“You’ve already got the dishes for one.” Her cup was another of the mismatched sets Robyn had collected over the years. This one had bluebells on it.

“That would be fun and I’d definitely want to come,” Sadie said, turning her cup in her hand. “These are just adorable, though I admit, I’m a bit terrified I’m going to break it if I sip too hard. This china is so thin.”

After drinking half the contents of her cup, Robyn finally felt fully alert and laughed. “Let’s see if I can make it through the weekend first, shall we? And don’t worry about the china. If something breaks, it won’t break my heart. I pick up cups and saucers whenever I find them at flea markets and garage sales. That’s why no two cups and saucers match.”

“I think that just makes them more fun to drink from,” Wren said. “You make second-hand objects feel like true treasure.”

Robyn smiled. “Thanks, that’s exactly how I think of them.” She took a look around the room again. “It looks like you’ve done everything. I’m so glad you rescued me and found all the vases and the helium tank.”

“Helium tank?” Wren asked, looking to the other two who’d stepped in to help.

“Yes,” Robyn said. “Oh, please don’t tell me you actually sat here and blew up all those balloons by mouth.”

“Balloons?” Sadie repeated as if she’d never heard the word before.

“Balloons!” Hayleigh yelled, slapping her hand to her forehead. “I knew there was something missing.”

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