Page 39 of This Loving Feeling (Mirror Lake)

“Hugo’s a bodybuilder,” Jess whispered. “And he’shuge.”

“We can see that,” Effie said.

“He made me breakfast this morning,” Jess said. “It was green and came in a glass, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?”

Hugo made his way back from the office, his nylon shorts making swishing noises as his massive thighs rubbed together.

“Er—Hugo,” Effie said in that sweet, deceptively innocent voice of hers, “your muscles are certainly very ... large. Your veins, too. You’d be a great example for our nursing students who rotate through the hospital.”

“Oh, yeah, Grannie. Give it here.” He did a fist pump with Effie. “I’d love to come model for some nursing students. My muscles always get me noticed by a lot of females, if you know what I mean.”

Effie joyously eyed the bulging cords of his veins as only a former nurse could. “Well, actually I was thinking they could use someone like you to help teach them to start IVs. You aren’t squeamish of needles, are you?”

The big guy actually startled. Sam shot Effie a look, which she pretended not to see.

“Hugo’s coming to the fundraiser on Saturday,” Jess said quickly. “He’s going to help us wash cars.”

He did a little biceps flex. “Put all this muscle to use for a good cause.”

“Great,” Sam said, finding herself the recipient of another fist pump.

“People think bodybuilders are vain and narcissists,” Hugo said. “ButI’mnot.”

“Glad to hear it, dear,” Effie said.

“It’s not the muscle—it’s the confidence that comes with it that counts.”

“Hugo’s a motivational speaker, too,” Jess said.

“Wonderful,” Sam said. “Are you two going out tonight?”

“Maybe after my tanning booth appointment,” Hugo said. “Or is it my waxing. I’ve got to check.” Hugo consulted his phone while Jess stood there looking a little uncomfortable.

“Well, we’ve got to get going,” she said. “See you all at the car wash, yeah?”

“Yeah. For sure.” Sam hugged her friend, maybe a little too hard. Dammit, Jess deserved better. Why didn’t she see that?

Effie waited until Jess and Hugo were out of earshot before she started in. “You girls don’t expect enough of the men you date. I knew after a few dates your grandfather was The One. We were married by the end of the year. All this fooling around before marriage. And you, coming up with a million excuses to delay getting married. You people make everything so complicated.”

“Love isn’t complicated?” Sam asked, happy to finally be cleaning up her brushes and calling it a day.

“No, dear,” she said, suddenly reaching forward and grasping her arm. “Loveisn’tcomplicated. It’s very simple. You know it in your heart, and you never have to convince yourself to love someone. You simply ... do.”

“Great. Thanks, Effie.”And maybe in a hundred years I’ll have your portrait done.

“You can make me younger in this portrait, right?” she asked.

“No. Why do you ask?”

She shot her granddaughter an obstinate look. “It must be like airbrushing,” she insisted. “You can do whatever you want. So make me look younger.”

“I’ll tell you what. Let me finish it and I’ll let you have the last word, okay?”

“Younger. And maybe blonde.”

On so many levels, this was a very bad idea.

“Quit clowning around before you knock Liz into the street,” Sam warned a group of her students who were standing at the roadside in front of the gas station parking lot just past the downtown shops. They were holding up fluorescent posters advertising their fundraiser. It was a brilliantly sunny Saturday. The girls wore bikini tops and cutoff shorts, and the guys wore swim trunks and T-shirts. They were laughing and fooling around and even though they hadn’t yet washed a car, they were all wet.

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