Page 105 of Show Off

I don’t think that’s news to anyone, right?

The last one I know of, I was twenty-two, maybe twenty-three. Something like that. Mom pulled me aside, a little tipsy one night because a tabloid wrote something shitty about our family.

“Lana,” she said. “Always remember you don’t need a man. They’re sometimes more trouble than they’re worth. Know you can stand on your own two feet without some guy propping you up.”

She’s right, you know.

Doesn’t make it easier when you miss onespecificman…

* * *

“The food should be here any minute.” I glance at my watch, surprised I haven’t heard from Patti or Colleen. It’s almost time for book club to start. “I ordered treats from the café.”

“Relax, Lana Banana.” Lauren flops back on my sofa, slinging her feet on the table. “What are we having?”

“Nothing fancy.” I step to my bar cart and start pouring mimosas. The booze-free kind, since half my guests are either knocked up or trying to be. “Some bagels and muffins, plus a fruit tray.”

“Yum.” Amy takes a drink, then settles on the sofa by Lauren. She winces and rests a hand on her pregnant belly. “Did everyone read the book?”

Nods all around make me glad for my book pick. I thought for sure we’d have one or two stragglers who didn’t bother reading, but maybe they felt sorry for me.

It’s been twenty-four hours since my big fight with Dal, and I haven’t heard a peep from him. Not that I’m dying to forgive and forget. As far as I know, he still thinks he did the right thing.

In my book, that’s not okay.

“Should we start?” I pick up a mocktail and settle on the edge of a wingback upholstered in magenta and yellow paisley.

Jessie Laslo—or I guess it’s Jessie Laslo-Carver now? She’s Gretchen’s sister, also Patti and Colleen’s daughter-in-law. “I love the title.” She smiles a little sheepishly. “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Societyhas such a unique ring to it. I read it on my last overseas trip, and I must’ve had half a dozen people approach me in airports to ask if I liked it.”

“I loved it.” That’s Gabe’s wife, Gretchen. “I really enjoyed all the different voices in the story. Getting the pieces from different angles, you know?”

“Oh, I liked that, too.” Mari shifts Sawyer in her arms, patting his little back. “Sorry, he’s fussy today.”

Gretchen gives a knowing look. “Taylor got like that right before a growth spurt. Took me forever to figure out he was hungry, even though he’d just eaten.”

Mari frowns down at her son. “I nursed him before we came, but I could give it a shot.”

“Just whip it out, Mar.” Lauren pokes her gently in the boob. “Not like we haven’t seen tits before.”

Mari looks around. “Where’d I put the diaper bag?”

I spot it by the door and hustle to grab it, weaving deftly through the legs of my sisters and friends. Scooping it up, I return to her side and deposit the bag at her feet. “Need me to find something?”

“I’ve got it.” She shifts Sawyer to her other arm. “God, I need to organize this.”

She digs through the bag, pulling out diapers and wipes and nursing pads. My chest twists, recalling the story my mother told. What was she like as a new mom? I hardly remember. She was always justthere, or often she wasn’t. Here comes Mommy, swooping in for a family day at the zoo before flying off to shoot her next film.

But she obviously fed us, from her own body at that. I never knew until she shared the nursing pad story. It’s not like we talked about breastfeeding. Maybe she covered it with Mari or Gabe, the first of my siblings to spawn.

Or maybe I could have asked. Sometimes, we don’t think to ask our own parents questions until it’s too late. What would Dal ask his mom if he could? Surely there’s wisdom he’d want from his dad, if only?—

“What do you think, Lana?”

“What?” I blink myself back to Amy’s question. “I’m sorry, can you repeat that?”

“Just curious how you liked reading a novel comprised entirely of letters exchanged between the characters.”

“Oh. Yes.” I did like that part of the book. “I found it really intimate. A super-unique form of storytelling.”

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