Page 15 of 40 and Flirting (with Disaster)
Iris couldn’t help but smile. She suspected the dementia Harry Shelton was experiencing was getting worse, but the man still loved his books. His daughter brought him to the library every Thursday for a new load, although lately he’d been picking up the same books over and over, as if the familiarity comforted his mind in the midst of the chaos he must be experiencing. Routine helped as well, which was why only Iris was allowed to check out his books. She’d been at the library as long as he’d been coming, and her face seemed to be the only one he could remember from the staff here. She was pleased she was able to provide that small bit of stability for him.
She turned her back on the new books with a pang of regret and returned to the checkout counter. “Harry, how are you doing today?”
The tension in Harry’s age-bowed shoulders relaxed as he focused in on her. “Iris.”
She extended her hand for his stack of books. “What treasures did you find?”
Once she was at the checkout desk, it usually took an hour minimum before she could get away again. Today was no different. Luckily a lull right before noon allowed her to escape back to the new arrivals.
She’d barely unpacked the first box before the door swung open and her daughter walked through. Iris held back a sigh.
“Krista! I didn’t expect you today.”
Her daughter’s smile, so like Iris’s, lit up her face. She reminded Iris of herself back when she was fresh out of college, about to marry Kirk, with her whole life ahead of her. Krista held up the take-out boxes in her hand. “I took a half day for a dentist appointment, so I brought you lunch.”
Iris’s stomach growled. “Patty’s?” she asked hopefully. Patty’s Deli was just off the square, known around town as the home of the best baked meatball subs. Iris preferred her Philly steak and cheese, and a quick sniff told her that was precisely what Krista had brought her.
Krista’s smile had turned into a frown, and Iris frowned back. “What?”
Krista shook her head, though the frown was still present, and nudged the boxes in the direction of the door behind Iris that led to the break room. “Got time to eat?”
After checking to be certain Jennifer had everything under control for a bit, Iris led the way to the back room. As they made themselves comfortable at the table, Iris couldn’t help noting her daughter’s disquiet. Opening the lid of her sandwich box, she inhaled the beautiful aroma of grilled meat and veggies. “What’s going on, hon?”
Krista paid close attention to the dressing she was stirring into her side salad. When she didn’t speak, Iris’s stomach clenched. “What’s wrong?”
Her question was much more urgent this time. Krista hesitated for a long moment and then, seeming to come to a decision, set her fork down and focused on Iris. Her lips pursed in that way she’d had since she was a preteen, the way that warned Iris she wasn’t going to like whatever was coming. “Mom, what did you do to your hair?”
Startled, Iris fingered the short strands at the back of her neck. “What do you mean?”
“Your hair.” Actual tears gathered in Krista’s eyes. “I knew you were going to that spa in Nashville, but I had no idea you’d actually cut off all your beautiful hair.”
“You don’t like it?” Iris had been getting used to the new cut all week, but frankly, she loved it. The short style made her feel free in a way her heavy hair had not. It was as if cutting her long hair had allowed her to let go of some emotional attachment that had nothing to do with her looks and everything to do with her past. And it felt good.
“Honestly, no, I don’t like it.”
If she’d been slapped, Iris wouldn’t have been more shocked.
Krista immediately reached for her hand where it lay on the table. “Don’t look like that. I’m sorry.” She shook her head. “It’s just…such a surprise.” She said the last word as if biting into a bitter lemon. “It’s so, I don’t know, not you.”
“I think it’s very much me. The new me.”
Krista straightened, returning her attention to her food. “What was wrong with the old you?”
“Apparently a lot if your father is to be believed.”
Now it was Krista’s turn to be shocked. At first Iris had gone to great lengths not to speak ill of Kirk in front of the kids, but over time she realized they were adults. It wasn’t up to her to safeguard their rose-colored glasses where their father was concerned. Kirk’s decisions came with consequences, and part of that was their children seeing him as he truly was. So she’d begun to speak openly—if usually more obliquely than today—about their marriage and its end. Adam had, during one long conversation where he’d flat-out asked what had happened between them, actually thanked her for telling him the truth. Krista hadn’t come to that point yet. In fact, she hadn’t asked questions about the divorce other than what Iris had shared on her own.
A tear streaked down Krista’s cheek, and Iris’s heart squeezed. “Mom, there is nothing wrong with you.”
“I know that, hon.” She patted Krista’s hand, wishing she could take her daughter’s pain away. Krista had struggled more with the divorce than Iris had expected, but they all had to deal with the change. Kirk had left them no other choice. “I just wanted something fresh, new. And I like the way it turned out.” She flipped the ends of her hair. “Kinda flirty, isn’t it?”
Her playfulness seemed lost on her daughter. “It’s such a waste. It will take years to grow it back out.”
Iris didn’t plan to grow it back out, but maybe that was a discussion for another day. She took a big bite of her sandwich. “Mmm, this is so good. Patty is the best.”
After a moment’s hesitation, Krista dug into her meatball sub. To Iris’s relief, talk turned to more neutral topics. Iris knew she would likely take out the hurt that Krista’s remarks had caused later, examine it, and deal with it in her own way, but for now she focused on spending time with her daughter instead.
“Adam called yesterday. He and Chloe are planning to fly in for July Fourth weekend,” she said later.
