It was a big what-if, and she’d seen the dark side of playing that game. She would have to be insane to follow in her mother’s shaky footsteps and rush into love. She hoped Mom had learned her lesson. The last thing they needed was for Mom to drag them into another mess.
In the end, she wound up hanging out with Monique that evening, binge-watching episodes ofLove Is Blind. Gaylyn had plans. Of course she did. How was it that Gaylyn always managed to find the guys who didn’t want commitment?
What was Fen doing? Had he met some cute bridesmaid and fallen for her? Had they gone out for drinks after all the rehearsal stuff?
Oh, who cared!
Chapter9
LOUISE ALREADY HAD CABIN FEVER.“Let’s hit some garage sales tomorrow,” she said to Zona.
The last thing Zona wanted to do was visit a collection of lovely homes in Glendora and pick over the owners’ castoffs like a buzzard. She was sure it would remind her of having to sell most of her own possessions to right her sinking financial ship. And what if Louise fell?
“I don’t know, Mom. It’s going to be hard for you to get in and out of my car with that cast on, and your car isn’t any bigger.”
“We’ll get Martin to take us. It’ll be fun.”
“Let’s get Martin to takeyou,” Zona corrected her.
“I know you haven’t done much of this,” said Louise.
Not since she’d been a kid and Louise had taken her along on what she’d called treasure hunts. Louise had given her a few dollars to spend, and she’d been happy to come away with children’s books and toys. But once she became a teenager such nonsense was behind her, and during her years of false security with Gary she’d had everything she needed and enough money to buy anything she wanted.
Her mother could certainly afford to buy anything she wanted from a store or online. Not that she needed anything.
“But it can be fun,” Louise continued. “It’s all about the thrill of the hunt. One woman’s junk is another woman’streasure. You might even find something you could resell online and make some money.”
Make some money.Those were the magic words.
Except, as the saying went, you had to spend money to make money. And Zona had a whole ten dollars in her wallet at the moment. Not much of an investment. Still, if it would make her mother happy.
“All right,” she said, “but only if Martin will drive us in his car.”
Martin’s Hyundai was a sedan. It was roomier than Zona’s car and it rode low enough to the ground that they wouldn’t have much of a problem getting Louise in and out of it. Zona didn’t think her mother realized how taxing her proposed adventure was going to be, but even if she got out for an hour, it would probably do her good. As long as she managed to stay upright.
The call was made, and Martin happily signed on for chauffeur duty, promising to come get them at eight the next morning.
“Eight,” Zona groaned, thinking of how long it would take to get her mother ready and fed. “Don’t garage sales usually start at nine?”
“We’ll have to go to the ATM first,” said Louise.
“And we have to leave at eight for that? It will take all of ten minutes to go to the ATM.”
“People always get to garage sales before they start. I don’t want anyone scooping us.”
“Oh, by all means, let’s be rude, too,” Zona said.
“Sellers won’t mind if we’re a few minutes early, believe me, especially if they see I’m on crutches.”
“Playing the sympathy card,” Zona murmured.
“Why not? Anyway, the early bird catches the worm,” Louise informed her. “I’ve looked, and there are a lot of worms available starting at nine, so we need to get going right away.”
“We don’t want to miss out on any worms,” Zona teased.
Looking for worms. How humiliating. Maybe it wouldn’t have been under different circumstances, if Zona had money and was simply out for fun. After all, half of America was into garage sales. Considering her lack of money, this felt more like desperation, and she said as much.
“There’s nothing desperate about finding a bargain,” Louise insisted. “It’s no different than shopping a sale at a department store or online, except someone else already tested out what you’re buying. Trust me. You’ll get addicted.”
