Page 51 of Best Offer Wins
“What do you want with Dottie?” she says finally. My mouth goes dry.
“I’m a classmate of hers from Georgetown. Chloe Nelson,” I say, pulse pounding. “We were really close in school, but we lost touch. And I’m getting married soon, so I’d like to invite her to my wedding.”
“Oh, yeah. Chloe. She mentioned you once or twice.”
Exactly the response I was hoping for.
“She did? That’s so nice to hear. I miss her a lot,” I say. “She talked about you, too. Her… grandma.”
The guess seems safe enough.
“Yeah, well, I always made her call me GiGi. I was too young to be a grandma when she was born.”
“Right. GiGi. I remember that now. Very cute. Um, so, do you happen to know how I might reach Dottie? The number I have for her doesn’t work anymore.”
“I’m sorry, I don’t. That girl doesn’t wanna be reached.” GiGi’s voice is the bitter kind of sad, the way my mom’s sounded all the time after we lost the house. “She calls here every six months or so, to let me know she’s okay. But she hasn’t come around in years.”
“Gosh, I’m sorry to hear that,” I say. “She cut me off before graduation, but I didn’t expect she’d do the same to her family. I always thought I must’ve done something to upset her.”
“Oh, no, honey, I don’t think it has anything to do with you. Shesaid she was just tired of everything. Just burnt out on, uh, what’d she call it?The grind.I think she just wanted to start over, and I can’t really blame her for not wanting to come back here. Her mama was never very good to her. I’m sure she told you some of that.”
“Um, yeah, I knew they weren’t close.”
“You say she talked about me, though? Is that how you knew where to find me?”
The hopefulness in her voice breaks my heart a little. The least I can do is throw her a bone.
“Oh yeah, I could always tell she really loved you,” I say. “We were roommates for a while, and she gave me your number as an emergency contact. I’d forgotten I still had it. But I’ve been thinking more about her lately, with the wedding and all.”
“That’s sweet. Thank you for telling me that,” GiGi says. “I’m sorry I can’t be more helpful to you, I really am. Only thing I know is she’s in West Virginia somewhere.”
Jesus, lady, way to skip over the fucking headline.
“That’s something!” I say brightly, feeling the adrenaline build again. “But you don’t know where in West Virginia?”
“Not for sure, no. She sent a postcard once from Berkeley Springs. Maybe you’ve heard of it? The front of it said they’re famous for being America’s first spa.”
I type Berkeley Springs into my search bar. It’s in Morgan County, same as Dottie’s misdemeanor.
“Well, thank you for all your help,” I say, desperate to hang up and start gaming out this road trip. “It was really nice to talk to you.”
“Sure, I’m glad you called. Would you mind letting me know if you end up getting a hold of her?”
“Yeah, of course, happy to.”
“Thanks, hon. Oh, and congratulations.”
“I’m sorry?”
“On your wedding.”
Ian is in the kitchen, his head in the fridge, when I get home from work. A sturdy-looking cardboard box—about double the size of a shoebox—sits on the counter.
“Hey, babe,” he says, backing out, some terrible IPA in his hand. “The mailroom had that for you.”
I give him a quick kiss and inspect the box. What did I order from Rejuvenation? When I lift it, something solid slides around inside.
Shit. The house numbers. They’re here early.
