Page 74 of Beautiful Dreamer

“Thank you for pushing me the other night. I’m not sure I wouldhave let her come by otherwise, but somehow you knew it’s what I needed.”

“You’re welcome. I just want to see you happy. That, and I miss myown mom and thought, if there was a way for you to have yours back, maybe itwas worth exploring.” Devyn’s voice got quieter on that last part.

“I hadn’t thought of it that way. You must miss her a lot.”

“Yeah. Being back was really hard at first because of it. One ofthe reasons I’d stayed away. But now? It’s like I can feel her all around me. Istumble onto a new memory of her almost daily, prompted by a location or aperson I hadn’t thought about in years. It’s been surprisingly nice.”

“I feel like I’ve watched the world fall off you since you’ve beenhere. One layer at a time until it’s just you standing in front of me. I cansee you so clearly now, Devyn. Who you are.”

“That’s exactly what it feels like, too.” Silence hit. “Liz, can Iask you something?”

“Anything.”

“How do you feel about company tonight?”

Elizabeth laughed. “Well, that depends. How fast does that littlecar drive?”

“I’m betting money on NASCAR status if that answer is yes.”

“Get over here and kiss me,” Elizabeth said, and hung up thephone. She laughed and looked at Scout, who sat up at attention, already awarethat her favorite playmate was on her way.

“Today has been a really good day,” she said to Scout, embracingthe happiness full on. “Let’s memorize it, okay?” With her eyes closed and ahand on her heart, she took a moment to do just that. She’d had a lot of gooddays in her lifetime, and she cherished each one, but today was different.Today she felt special, and that was a feeling worthy of commemoration. “Imatter to some people,” she said to Scout, through tear-filled eyes. “Me.”

* * *

“I feel like a guy would never actually say those things, youknow, outside of a Hallmark Christmas movie.”

“What are you talking about?” Elizabeth asked in exasperation, asthey meandered from the darkened movie theater back into the lobby after theirrom-com let out. She took a deep inhale of the freshly popped popcorn, preppedfor the late show. Even after devouring their own giant tub, she still lovedthe aroma. “Asensitiveguy absolutely would say all of that. What?” Elizabeth asked. “Don’t look at melike that. I know things.”

“About men?”

“Well, not a ton of firsthand experience in the romancedepartment, but I’m a citizen of Earth. I observe. I feel like Dexter wouldprofess his undying servitude.”

Devyn considered this with a laugh. “Gotta love that guy. Youmight be right. I ran into him at Festive Foods when I was grabbing a yogurt forJill, and he was all starry-eyed about some woman he was seeing later thatnight.”

“Misty. She’s his forever person, I’m thinking. I’ve never see himfocus so fully on just one woman. It makes me happy.”

“I think when you meet someone that you just click with, it’s hardto look away.” She stared at Elizabeth for several seconds before looking aheadagain. Elizabeth grinned and bit the inside of her cheek, because theinsinuation was clear. They clicked. They really, really did, in spite of theirmany differences. And maybe it was the differences themselves that created thisvery palpable chemistry she’d never experienced with another human. Devyn mether gaze. “But the movie was good outside of the sentimentality.”

“Do you know what I think?”

“Tell me.”

“I think you’re more of a softie in there than you let on.”

“Maybe.”

“I think you liked that film deep down, even the overlysentimental part. You might have been weeping inside.”

Devyn raised her shoulders. “Steel yourself because I’m about tomake a confession.”

“Give me a minute,” Elizabeth said, and bounced a couple times inthe darkened parking lot.

Devyn laughed. “I want to make fun of you for that, but it was tooendearing. How do you do that? Make the most ridiculous stuff seem awesome allof a sudden? Stop it already.”

Elizabeth wrapped both arms around Devyn’s waist as theyapproached the car. “It’s one of my two gifts in life: being a dork andorganizing things and people.”

“Really?” Devyn said, glancing down, her eyes dark. “Because I canthink of a couple of other notable talents that have stuck with me.”

---