Page 4 of Forever Focused

“You could always drag him to my daddy’s re-enactment and pretend to shoot the Yank in the field. Lee’s done it a few times over the years to my brother-in-law. Virginia’s husband can be a real turd during the holidays, which is why we always try to just escape and go see Lee’s side of the family. Oh, and by the way, if you see Boiler – Lexi is looking for word from him.”

All four women, Poppy included, rolled their eyes and said in unison, ‘Ughhh…’ – and then laughed at the irony of it. At that moment, she was really grateful that she wasn’t Lexi Tarrant. The woman was sweet but so incredibly far from everyone else. She saw them once a year – sometimes – and usually was busy quite a bit. The girl lived vicariously via text messages, but with the time differences, it was tough.

“I’m sorry, but I just can’t see it.”

“Can you imagine Caboose as your father-in-law?”

“I’m telling you, Ivy should be up for sainthood. Between her parents, him, and her son’s recklessness the woman should have gray hair by now… and yet? Not a single one. It’s disgusting, and I love the woman, but can she start to age just a bit? Please?”

“She’s got a secret weapon.”

“What’s that?”

“Mia Keyes…”

“Dang it, that hairdresser is always booked…”

“I schedule every three months for a keratin treatment and a rinse because, let me tell you – the curls get a little wild,” Dixie chuckled easily, patting her hair. “Thank goodness India takes after her father.”

“Where is she?”

“Lee took her to the zoo before school starts back. She’s growing so fast.”

“Oh, I know,” Dixie smiled happily. “That man is obsessed with her and she looks just like him, but with dark curly hair.”

“She’s gonna break hearts someday,” Glory teased, pointing her fork at Poppy. “Just like this one. I think guys love the dark hair, big eyes, and the mystery that comes along with it. I used to irritate Hunter to pieces, but you get a beauty like either of those two… and it’s magic.”

“It’s not ‘magic,’” Poppy said glumly, finally taking a bite of her cheesecake.

The trio of women shared a look – and Glory shrugged, licked her spoon, and then literally bopped Poppy on the head gently with it.

“What the…”

“You are a negative Nelly,” Glory said simply and her mother tried to look innocent regarding it. “Combine that with your daddy’s temper, your mama’s candor, and what you are dealing with getting dumped…”

“Ouch?”

“You cannot let this bother you,” Glory said succinctly. “You have your entire life and world before you – and we are here to drag you out of the doldrums. Anyone else want to pop her on the head with a spoon? It’s kinda satisfying.”

“My child, remember that next time I see Madison and chase her down with a spoon.”

“The girl deserves it sometimes,” Glory muttered, shaking her head… and Poppy couldn’t help herself – she laughed. It was so funny to see Madison’s mom, who thought her children could do no wrong, saying that her friend deserved it. Madison could be prickly and feisty, but the girl’s heart was as big as the state of Texas.

Dixie laid a hand on Poppy’s, smiling.

“We’re not the enemy,” Dixie began. “We just aren’t treating you like a child because you aren’t one. So let’s talk about options and plans, and see what we can do to put a little more laughter in your life, sweetie.”

“What do you mean?” Poppy asked, confused.

“Well, I know you don’t want to go into optometry,” her mother said simply, and she nodded. This was a conversation they’d had a few times over the years. She enjoyed flying occasionally, but with her dad’s glaucoma and retinal separation, every time she flew, it stressed her parents out. Her mother checked her eyes faithfully for fear of something being missed - and her father never flew except in rare instances. She could remember him flying twice since she was a child - and each time ended with a discussion behind closed doors with her mother. “Do you want to be a pilot? Is that why you wanted to take lessons and solo?”

“I wanted to try it, and it’s interesting… but it’s not something I could imagine doing every single day.”

“You haven't enrolled for college either…”

“Do you want to go?”

“I don’t know.”

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