Page 100 of One Sweet Day I Found You

When Gloria was out of earshot, Josie lowered her voice and whispered to Courtney. “Honey, you know who these people are, don’t you?”

Courtney shook her head. “I have no idea. I’ve been trying to figure it out. Should I know? They came from out of state.”

Josie was about to answer when Victoria called pleasantly from the other room. “Oh, Courtney! Now, where did that young lady disappear to?”

Courtney didn’t want to keep anyone waiting. She held up her finger to Josie. “Hold that thought.”

Josie shrugged and went back to the sink.

“There she is,” Victoria exclaimed. Victoria motioned gently to the sofa and Courtney took her seat again. “This young lady has been such a wonderful friend to me. She saved my life.” She turned to face Courtney. “Please, dear, tell them how you and Ash found me.” She grinned with delight. “Listen to this.”

Courtney’s eyes shot wide. Talk about being put on the spot.

Courtney was glad Victoria could enjoy hearing the story again. She summarized the experience quickly.

Josie came back into the room with some snacks for the group and refilled Victoria’s lemonade.

The group sat gazing at Courtney with admiration. When she finished, Kenneth leaned forward in his seat. “Is that right? What quick thinking.” It was more a comment than a question. “Very good, Courtney.”

Julia chimed in. “Oh, my dear, how lucky we are to have you. I can’t imagine—if you hadn’t come along when you did, and then taken the necessary steps? We’re so grateful.”

“Oh, no, it was nothing.” Courtney blushed. “It was all Ash. Really.” Courtney looked at the cat, who had jumped off the windowsill and was slinking through the room, friendly and unabashed, as usual. Gloria offered him her attention and the mood in the room lightened.

“But thank you,” Courtney said. What else could she say? Victoria could’ve lain there for days if Ash hadn’t alerted her, or if Courtney had ignored the cat’s unusual behavior and assumed everything was fine. But she wasn’t going to take credit for saving Victoria’s life. She wasn’t the paramedic who treated her or rushed her to the hospital. Nor was she going to brag about it. That would be tacky. “The emergency response team showed up quickly, and they did all the work. I just called them in time. Really.”

They all nodded with approval. “Well, still,” said Kenny generously, “it’s good to hear they’ve got a good team around here.” He turned to Victoria. “Speaking of emergency response teams, how’s my brother doing?”

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