Page 72 of Dear Henry, Love Edith
“Oh, wait. Stop. Don’t go. I forgot. I do have papers for you.” Lance flipped through a folder and pulled out a few sheets. “Here’s a list of exercises I printed off for you.”
Henry glanced down at the sheets, then looked closer. “These are core exercises.”
“Indeed.”
“What does strengthening my back and abdomen have to do with my knee?”
“Nothing. It has to do with your love handles.”
Henry held his arms out and looked down. “What do you mean, love handles?”
“Hey, no need to get defensive. It’s common knowledge that the midsection is a troublesome area for men of a certain age.”
“I’m thirty-two.”
“Exactly. And what with your wedding approaching, and I assume a honeymoon to follow, I figured you could benefit from a little extra attention to... you know.” Lance waved his hands along the length of Henry’s torso. “You stick to it, you’ll notice a difference by wedding time. September is it?”
“Unbelievable.” It seemed word of this supposed engagement had infiltrated every nook and cranny of the entire town.
“I know. Gonna be here before you know it. Do you have a DJ lined up for the reception? My cousin’s always lookingfor work. I can give you his number. He also does balloon animals.”
“I think we’re good.”
“All right, but if you change your mind, I’m sure he’d be available. Nobody does a monkey like him.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Thanks for everything.” Henry looked at the sheets in his hand. “Maybe.”
“Sure. One more for the road?” Lance lifted his palm. Henry punched it with his fist on his way past. “Cool. A knuckle-five. I like it. Hey, man, if I don’t run into you beforehand, I’ll see you at the wedding. I mean, I am invited, right?” Henry heard Lance laugh and mutter behind him, “Of course I’m invited.”
Henry shook his head on his way past the front desk. What was with this town?
“Oh, Henry, just the man I was looking for.”
Henry drew up short. Nearly twenty-five years might have passed since he’d sat in her Sunday school classroom, but the sound of Ms. Appleblossom’s voice never failed to transform him into a stammering eight-year-old boy trying to recite his Bible memory verses.
“Ms. Ample-bottom, I mean, Applebottom—” The front of her walker pressed into his toes. “Appleblossom.Hi. How are you? You look wonderful. Have you been working out? Your upper body strength seems particularly remarkable this morning.”
She harrumphed. “It is. Ever since they made me start lugging this walker around, I’ve been able to open my own jar of pickles again. Can’t say it does much for my balance though.”
“Yes, well, perhaps if you pushed it instead of carrying it—” He stopped at the look of disapproval she wore as faithfully as her black curved spectacles.
“Now you’re starting to sound like one of my grandsons.”
“Yeah? How are Patrick and Peter these days?”
“Living in California.” The way she saidCaliforniamade it sound as though she believed it to be interchangeable with the wordsin.
She lifted the walker from his feet and stomped it back down. “But I don’t want to talk about them. I want to talk about you. And a nasty rumor I’ve been hearing all over town.” She pressed down as hard as her hefty frame would allow and leaned forward. “Is it true? Please tell me it isn’t. Not withthatwoman.”
“Uh, well?” He didn’t know if his toes could survive much more pressure without telling the truth. “To be honest, there’s been a bit of a mix-up.”
She straightened up as much as her stooped spine would allow and gave a satisfied smile. “I knew it.”
“I feel obliged to say, though, that she really is a great woman. I don’t know why—”
“Great woman?Please.She is nothing but a busybody and a gossip. But I suppose if you’re not using her for the flowers, then it doesn’t really matter what you think of her. Here.” She shoved a card into his hand. “You tell that little fiancée of yours to call this number. I know for a fact my granddaughter will not only put together a prettier flower arrangement, she’ll do it for a heck of a lot cheaper than anything May Pritchard does.”
Henry stared at the business card.Josie’s Posies.“I don’t know what to say.”
