“Um, yes?” I gaped at her, unsure why she was being so aggressive.
“I’m Denise Quigley,” she said, and then I remembered her from the diner.
“Ah, yes. Denise Quigley. What can I do for you?”
“You can do my party in a few weeks.” She smiled up at me, and her mom hurried over.
“Sweetie, we already booked your party at the country club,” her mom said, reaching for her hand.
“I don’t want my party at the country club. I want a Pinkalicious party!” she shouted.
And this is why I normally don’t care for children.
Harper would never behave like this, and I glanced over to see her and Lily at the photo booth with a couple of other kids, holding up the props as their parents took photos.
“A country club party sounds amazing,” I said.
Charlie interrupted and called everyone to come get sandwiches, and thankfully Denise Quigley and her mother moved on to more exciting things.
Harper came over and pulled me around the corner. “Denise Quigley said this is the best party ever.”
“The best party for the best girl,” I said.
Lily came hurrying around the corner and called for Harper to come eat, and we walked hand in hand back into the kitchen.
All the kids ate, as did the adults. Harper loved her Pinkalicious cake with its big gold crown on the top.
Montana helped me clean up most of the decorations when the party finally started winding down. Lily and Harper were going through her gifts after all the other kids had left. Charlie, Myles, and Benji were having cocktails with Lily’s parents. Montana told Myles she was ready to head home, and I was exhausted myself. I hugged Harper goodbye, and I said goodbye to everyone who was still lingering.
I avoided Charlie, and I didn’t know why.
Things had gotten heavy today, and my gut told me I should put some distance there. I made my way to the guesthouse and went to the bathroom immediately, turning on the water to run a bath.
It had been a long day.
I undressed and slipped into the tub, groaning at how nice it felt to soak.
I closed my eyes and smiled, thinking about all the times I’d looked over at Harper and found her laughing and smiling.
After all that had gone down with her mom, I was happy that she was able to rebound.
My phone rang, and I saw my mother’s name flash across the screen. I hesitated, as it was well past dinnertime, and I knew that meant she’d be deep into a bottle of whiskey, which was never a great time to speak to her.
But I answered.
“Hey, Mom,” I said, holding the phone in one hand while the other rested in the tub water.
“Hey, yourself. I haven’t talked to you in a week. What’s going on?”
“I’ve just been swamped with work. I’m still renovating my house, so I’ve got a lot going on over there too,” I said.
“Must be nice to own your own home.”
Actually, yes, it is. I’ve worked damn hard for it.
“I’m looking forward to getting settled. You’ll have to come see it.”
“If you buy me a ticket, I’ll come,” she said.
