Page 28 of The Lookback
That’s rude, but before I can respond, I notice the biggest, ugliest carved wooden giraffe I’ve ever seen. It’s almost eclipsed by the tacky reproduction of a famous Eiffel tower that’s way too big for this room. But none of that is as bad as the embarrassing elephants sitting on the coffee table and the weird tiger rug in front of the sofa. “What on earth happened to your house? Did you lose a bet?”
Mandy flops back against the sofa and groans.
“What’s going on?” I ask. “Seriously.”
“You are not going to believe us,” Abby says.
“Oh, try me,” I say. “I just found out that Ethan and I have bedbugs, and David apparently wants a dozen children.”
Abby and Amanda stare.
Mandy swears loudly. “We need some wine.”
“What about us?” Maren asks. “Can I have some too?”
“I think I have some of that sparkling cider,” Mandy says.
Maren grumps. “So unfair.”
“But you can’t just stop the story there,” Emery says. “Who did you pick?”
“What story?” I ask. “What’s going on?”
“Did you just say you have bedbugs?” Abby asks. “Because?—”
“Can I use your shower?” I point. “While I’m in there, you can burn these clothes. Throw the rug and elephants in with them and save yourself some time.”
“Go ahead,” Mandy says. “I’m assuming you want to stay here and that you’ll need some of my clothes, since you don’t have a suitcase with you.”
“Just tell me who you picked,” Emery says. “Tell me before you go get her some ugly clothes.”
“Wait, you’re saying my clothes are ugly?” Mandy’s frowning.
“No, but it’ll be funnier if you find some for her to borrow.” Emery has a surprisingly mean streak tucked down in there.
Color me impressed.
“Wait,” I say. “Who she picked for what?” I can’t help narrowing my eyes. Mandy does strange things like this, and it would be just like her to invite Amanda and her kids, and have Abby draw it up, but not invite Ethan, Izzy, Whitney, and Gabe—not to mention Nathan—while she picks one of them for something big, like to inherit her estate or something. “What’s going on?”
“Mandy has a boyfriend coming to visit,” Emery says. “And she’s telling us their tragic past.”
“He’s not my boyfriend, and we don’t have a tragic past.” Mandy stands.
“Well, wait.” For the first time, something interesting enough to stop my itching has come along. “I want to hear about it, too.”
“It’s also why she has all the weird stuff in her place,” Emery says.
“Okay, now I really want to hear,” I say.
Mandy starts shooing me. “You’re dripping with pests, apparently. Bugs that I donotwant in my house. So first, off to the shower with you.” She points at the doorway. “I’ll bring you a trash bag and you can put the clothes in there so I can toss them in the burn pile.”
“The pest control people wanted me to put everything in a bag in the attic for the winter.” I shake my head. “Can you imagine?”
Mandy shudders. “Not at all.” I can’t help noticing that she’s scratching her arms.
“Is there a chance you have bedbugs too?”
“I wasn’t scratching before you got here, girl. Now, get.”
