Page 23 of Vicarious

“Just a new friend.”

“Addy.”

“You’ll like her. I promise,” I say.

“If you say so,”Bella says before hanging up the phone.

I stare at it, tempted to call her back and tell her to cancel but then Phae and Cres call me over on their way out the shop.

I drop the phone into my bag and follow them.

11

Dele

“Where are we, Addy?” Phae asks as we get out the car to enter the Bianchi-Uccello estate.

“Having dinner,” I say. “And you don’t have to call me that here. Here, I’m just Dele.”

“Dele,” she repeats as I walk into the lit foyer with Phae and Cres behind me.

“Anybody home?” I shout, knowing my voice will carry.

Instantly, I hear the thunder of footsteps from upstairs before three children bound down the stairs.

“Mama!” Leon exclaims wrapping his arms around my waist.

“You’re back.” Lady adds doing the same.

“You took forever.”

I smile as I lean down and kiss both children on the cheek. “It was only a week and a half.”

“A week and five and a half days,” Lady corrects.

“Aunt Dee,” Velia says bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet. “Did you bring me back something pretty?”

“Velia,” Bella says as she comes down the stairs. “You know that’s not how you politely greet someone.”

“Politeness is for strangers,” I say in response and then take out a pink extra-wide brimmed hat. She’s been begging for one to wear so she can look like me when she goes somewhere for months now.

Velia shrieks in delight and turns to Leon and Lady and says, “Let’s go try it on.”

“Hold on a minute, little ones,” I say to Leon and Lady before they can dash off behind Velia. “I want you to meet a friend of mine.”

Leon and Lady turn around to finally look at the two people that have accompanied me.

“Hey, Cres,” they both greet nonchalantly before turning their gaze on the only person they’ve never met in the room.

Phae.

Phae, who is standing frozen in the doorway. Face pale, bottom lip trembling, eyes watering as she’s trying not to cry.

I temporarily block her view of the twins, grip her shoulder, and whisper, “Keep it together. They’re smart. They’ll know something’s up.”

“Right,” she says. Then she shudders, swallows her tears, and manages to stop her trembling. “Right.”

Then I move out the way and usher the twins over to say, “This is Lene. She’s an old friend of mine.”

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