Page 6 of December Wishes
“This is kinda timely, though,” Mik said. “The other night, Ari asked me if it’s time for us to move in together.”
Speaking of timing, Mik had picked that moment to air out her secrets in public. Timely, because Heaven Mossberg appeared with their small plates of hot food. She raised her eyebrows at what Mik said, but pretended she hadn’t heard a thing as she wished them well with their meal and returned to the kitchen.
“As you were saying?” Skylar asked.
“Yeah, well… you heard me.” The red in Mik’s cheeks matched the cherry red tomatoes dotting her plate. “Ari wants to move in together, but we’re not sure how to go about it. Shit gets complicated when you remember somebody has to live with my grandma. She likes to think she can take care of herself right now, but you know the moment we move out, she’ll be on the floor cursing her walker on the other side of the room.”
While the image of an old woman with health issues screaming“I’ve fallen and I can’t get up!”shouldn’t have been hilarious, this was Abby Marcott they were talking about. If any woman could reenact everyone’s favorite informercial and have it be a good thing, it was her. Except it also wasn’t a good thing. Because, uh…
I’m on a roll here.
“Ari had the idea of moving into the house and you possibly taking over the lease at her place. You would have more privacy and not have to deal with my grandma. On the other hand, you’d have to pay four-fifty a month for the rent. Which I know would be…”
“Yeah, I can’t afford that.” Ninety percent of Skylar’s meager paycheck went to her student loans and healthcare. The only reason she had lasted this long in Paradise Valley was because she lived rent free in Mik’s childhood home.
Mikaiya nodded. “I told her we needed to wait while we figure things out. She won’t have a problem finding someone to take over her lease when the time comes, so we’re not worried about that. But I worry about…” She stopped.
“Me, right?”
“I guess so. I don’t want to move Ari into our house and have four people living there. That’s not fair to anyone. Especially my grandma. She’ll think she has a full-time staff now.”
“Your grandma already thinks that.”
“To be fair, both of her kids died a long-ass time ago, and she had a terrible ex-husband. And she’s had how many major strokes? She can feel like she has a staff if she wants. She’s kinda earned it by this point.”
“Your grandma is a pain in the ass, but I can only hope that I’m half as badass as her when I’m that age.”
“Well, I don’t think the badassery is genetic, so I’m right there with you in the hoping and praying. Can we eat now?”
It was easier to talk of lighter things when they ate. The café was slowly filling with people enjoying brunch, anyway, and in a town that small, one did not simply trot out the existentialism unless they wanted the whole place talking about it. While couples ordered sandwiches, students spread out their study materials, and friends laughed about what happened at church, Mik and Skylar debated whether Season 1 or 2 of “Castle Rock” was better.
Their bowls were clean of soup and their plates empty of everything but crumbs when the café door slammed open and admitted one of Paradise Valley’s most recognizable faces. Although Skylar didn’t interact with Dominic Delacour that often – apparently, the Delacours weren’t huge on pizza – everyone knew he made the rounds at the library and cafés. He had lots of studying to do, apparently.Sounds like Portland.At least that was the same in both places.
“Hey, Dominic!” Heaven waved from behind the cold case. “How’s it going? You finish your finals yet?”
Naturally, their voices were loud enough to drown out the commotion in the café. Skylar used it as an opportunity to get some serious eating in so she could digest her brunch before going to work. Mikaiya scrolled through her phone.
“Getting there!” Dominic approached the counter, his black and blue backpack sliding off one arm. “I only really have one test to study for. Everything else is either free from finals or a paper. I have to write ten pages on color theory.Writea paper oncolor theory.I better get some caffeine, huh?”
This would have been an uneventful conversation if it weren’t for the arms waving outside the window and across the street.
“What the…” Heaven leaned across the counter and snorted. “I think someone’s trying to get your attention,” she said to Dominic.
He glanced over his shoulder, which ended with a double-take and a dropped jaw. “What is she doing?” That was a reference to his big sister, who stood in front of her deli and waved her arms like she was flagging a plane for landing.
“Check it out,” Skylar said, directing Mik’s attentions toward the window. “Main Street is happening.”
“What is she on?” Dominic opened the front door and stuck his head outside. “What!”
Frankie Delacour cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted something Skylar couldn’t hear.
Dominic popped back into the café. “I guess I forgot my wallet. Go figure.” While Heaven leaned against her counter, hand on her hip, Dominic opened the door as wide as it could go and motioned for his sister to toss his wallet across Main Street.
She tossed her hands into the air instead.
“I ain’t going back across traffic!” he shouted. “Toss it! I know you got a good arm!”
Frankie gestured that he could come over and get his wallet like a normal person. When Dominic shrugged, she turned back into her deli and later reemerged with what must have been his… well, wallet.
