Everybody got up, moving out of the living room and onto the porch. Amanda gave me a quick thumbs-up before pointing at Evie. She made an hourglass gesture with herhands before darting out of the house. With everybody gone, Evie and I gave each other awkward glances.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come.”
The grandfather clock chimed eight, making us both jump. Her eyes darted about, taking in our grandmother’s living room. The last time we saw each other was at Mimi’s funeral, and before that, I couldn’t remember. Despite growing up with her, as adults I could almost see the brick wall keeping us apart.
“Nothing has changed,” she said.
She meant the house, but it could have also applied to our relationship. Tossing her duffle bag on the armchair, she set the groceries on the coffee table before walking over to the bookcase on the far side of the room. She raised her eyebrows at me before pulling an old book off the top shelf.
“Mimi had secrets,” she said with a grin.
Opening the cover, she pulled out a metal flask. She replaced the book and took a seat on the couch. “I found it my freshman year. I thought she might have a drinking habit. When I asked her about it, she said everybody needed a secret book with a flask.” Evie unscrewed the top, smelling its contents before taking a drink. “She said it as if it were common knowledge.”
“Does it say where it was made?” After learning about her travels, I wanted to test a theory.
Evie looked at the bottom. “Dublin Whiskey Company?”
“Yup. Our grandmother flew to Dublin to get herself a flask.”
She shook her head. “No. Mimi? The most exciting thing in her life was Bingo night at the Legion.”
Evie threw back another swig. Kicking off her shoes, she hugged her knees against her chest. For a moment, it felt as if two strangers had been forced into the same room. Neither wanted to be there, but they couldn’t escape. Then I noticed her feet.
“Are those knitted socks?”
She glanced down. “Yeah? I knitted them.”
I froze before the laughter erupted from my belly. Of all the habits we could have taken away from our grandmother, she chose knitted socks. She held a foot in the air, wiggling her toes.
“They’re comfy!”
“Please don’t tell me?—”
“Yes!” she yelled. “I make mittens, too!”
I wiped the tears from my eyes. Mimi would be happy to know we carried on her legacy… or at least Evie did. I knew what I wanted to take from my grandmother, but going on adventures across the globe wasn’t as easy as she made it seem.
“I’m glad you’re here.” The olive branch had been extended.
“Was that Amanda?” I nodded. “I haven’t seen her since high school. And Jason?”
“Yup. And his boyfriend, Simon. Bobby, you know. The other guy is Chris, the actor from?—”
“Centurions?” Her eyes went wide. “To be fair, I always thought you’d wind up with Jason.” She had a sweet spotfor the geeky bear. “So consider me surprised when the woman at the grocery store told me about a librarian.”
My face went slack. “Bonnie,” I cursed.
“Funny story…” I plopped down in the armchair, getting comfortable. “About that librarian… something happened our last summer with Mimi…”
READING IS A DRAG
Jason: Carl is in.
Bobby: Logan is in.
Chris: Which one?
Bobby: Junior and Senior.
