“I could take him to the beach with me,” Bree suggested.
“Not the beach,” Louise said quickly. “He might run away, and once of that was enough. Poor Gilda must have spent an hour looking for him.”
“How’d you find him?” Bree asked.
“We didn’t. Our neighbor did,” said Zona.
“We were just talking about him. He is not a nice man,” said Louise. “It’s a shame. I’d had such high hopes when he first moved here.”
“You were wasting those hopes on me,” said Zona.
“Thank God,” Bree said heartily.
Louise sighed. “I’m so sorry Cupid’s been cruel to you, Zona.”
Zona shrugged. “It’s in the past. We’re moving forward now.” She was dropping as much money as she could into the savings account she’d set up for Bree’s school. “I’m sorry your plans got delayed,” she said to Bree for probably the hundredth time. “And I’m sorry you’re having to work so hard.”
Bree nodded. “I’ll get there.”
“We’llget there,” Zona corrected her.
“You’re both working hard,” said Louise. “But there’s more to life than work. You need some kind of social life. And you shouldn’t give up on love. You know what they say, Zona. The third try’s the charm.”
Bree looked horrified. “No more tries, Mom. You’re a magnet for losers.”
Sad but true.
“Your mother has a right to be happy,” Louise said sternly.
“I’m happy,” said Zona. Sort of. Most of the time. She spotted their DoorDash delivery person coming up the walk. “Looks like dinner’s here.”
They moved on to dinner, Louise showing off her skill with her crutches as they went to the dining table.
“You’re getting pretty good with those, Gram,” Bree observed.
“Nothing to it,” said Louise. She handed over her crutches to Zona, who propped them against the wall, and then lowered herself into her chair with a groan she tried to hide.
“Nothing to it, huh?” teased Bree.
“Clomping around with this thing does tend to wear me out,” Louise admitted.
“By end of summer you’ll be up and dancing,” Zona assured her.
“I’m ready,” said Louise.
Although by the time they were done eating, the only thing she was ready for was bed. Bree took off and Zona helped her mother get settled in with the latest mystery she was reading.
“I’m sorry you’re having to deal with this,” she said to Zona.
“You’re the one who’s having to deal with it,” Zona replied, and kissed her cheek. “But you’re strong. You’ll get through it.”
Louise smiled. “Yes, I will. Now, you go relax. You’ve had a long day.”
And it was going to be longer. Zona ordered a fence barrier online, then went out back and filled in Darling’s latest hole. The faint sound of raised voices drifted over to her from next door.
She remembered the angry set of the man’s jaw when she’d seen him storming into his house. What was hedoing to that woman? Who knew? Who wanted to know? Not Zona. She wanted to stay as far away as possible from the man next door.
Finished with her hole repair, she took Darling for a walk. Then she came home, showered, and fell into bed. She picked up the book from her nightstand, a World War II tale about a woman spy who was smart and tough and invincible. Oh, to have any of those traits. So far, she’d been stupid, wimpy, and vulnerable. Well, no more of that.
