Page 104 of August
“Uh…” Willa nodded to the side.
“Hi,” Juni, Jill’s little sister, said as she moved to stand between Jill and Willa.
Willa placed her hands on Juni’s shoulders.
“Later,” Jill said, shaking her head.
“Jill!” Myra laughed again.
“What? It’s a good story.”
“What’s a good story?” Juni asked.
“Um… the story we read in the class this week,” Willa said, lying through her teacher teeth.
“Oh. I guess so,” Juni replied. “When is the tour?”
“I’m taking my two favorite girls on a tour today. We’re doing the city one. Juni was interested in what I do,” Jill explained. “And Willa loves me, so she came, too.”
“I bet she did,” Melinda teased.
“Okay. Enough out of you,” Jill said, pointing at her. “And good luck with that… situation,” she added to Myra.
“Thanks,” Myra said.
Jill, Willa, and Juni left the office and, a few seconds later, the building.
“So, what are you going to do?” Melinda asked Myra.
“I have no idea. I don’t thinkIcan do anything, really. Elisa should be there by now to talk to him more. It’s a two-hour drive. I was supposed to take AJ to city hall today. We were going to look at the old plans for the house because he seemed interested in my work and the history of the house, but he canceled on me yesterday because he had decided to go with his sister to their dad’s place, after all. According to Elisa, he saw his sister and the girl he likes making out in the parking lot of a movie theater, and the guy who likes Adele was also there with him and saw the whole thing, too.”
“I’m trying to follow, but what?”
“Adele is dating this girl from school. It’s new, but she told Elisa about it the other day. Her name is Wendy, and AJ likes her, too. Tucker, Adele’s ex-boyfriend and a friend of AJ’s, was with him when they all ended up at the same theater in the tiny town they call home.”
“Wow!”
“Yes,that’sa wow,” Myra said as she laughed. “I want to be at home when Elisa gets there. She didn’t pack a bag or anything and said that she would be back today, but I don’t know. I can see her staying there if she feels like they all still need to talk, and his reaction worries me.”
“You think it’s about you?”
“I don’t know. He seemed to like me before, but then he saw me inside his mother this morning, so I’m guessing that’s not true anymore. I’m not sure if it’s a woman thing or just anew-person-in-his-mom’s-life thing. Elisa didn’t explain much before she had to go. She wanted to try to catch up to him before he talked to his father. We’re together now, and we said as much, but she’d choose her kids over me, Mel. I know she would. And I can understand that, but I don’t know what I’ll do if AJ doesn’t want us together and if Elisa gives him what he wants.”
“Hey, she won’t,” Melinda replied, placing a comforting hand on top of Myra’s. “He was just in shock. It’ll pass. Was thereanychance he saw the you-know-what?”
“No,” Myra replied. “It was… hidden.”
Melinda laughed a little and said, “So, it was really just the two of you holding each other.”
“Naked,” she added.
“Well, that’s better than what it could’ve been. Think of it like that.”
“I guess his mom could’ve still been moving up and down.”
“Oh, God.” Melinda laughed.
“She’s amazing, Mel. She’s just what I need.”
