“True.” She sighed. “Well, just leave it for now, I guess, and we’ll—”
Just then, though, the cavalry arrived. Or, Morris and Benji did. Margo, who was also not known for her upper-body strength, was right behind them.
“Wow!” Benji said, as soon as he spotted the Slusher. “Is that a smoothie maker?”
“Sort of,” I said.
“The Slusher Pro,” Morris observed admiringly. “Cool.”
“You know the Slusher Pro?”
“They have one at Tallyho,” he told me. I just looked at him. “What? I’ve been picking up some shifts there.”
“You have?”
“Don’t sound so surprised,” he said. “I do work, you know?”
“That does not sound like the Morris I know,” I said, studying his face. “Who have you been talking to?”
“Nobody,” he said.
I just looked at him.
“I bumped into Clyde at the Gas/Gro last night,” he said with a shrug. “He said he had some odd jobs that needed doing. I figure between that, Tallyho, and Ivy, I’ll be finally making some bank. Maybe enough for a trip to Savannah this fall.”
“Savannah?” I raised my eyebrows. “So you’re not doing that thing we talked about at my house the other day?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “I just figured I’d try getting off the couch first, and go from there.”
I smiled. “You just keep surprising me.”
“Yeah, well.” Morris was not one for mushy moments, especially in public or daylight. “Anyway, I’m headed over to the Washroom right now.”
“Wow,” I said, trying not to sound as shocked as I felt. “That’s great. Although it leaves me out of luck. I was hoping you’d have time to help me take this to Ivy’s.”
“I can help!” Benji said, jumping up and down. “Can I help?”
“Absolutely,” I told him. “But I think we might need more muscle than just us.”
“Oh, right.” He glanced at Rebecca, who looked back at us, surely wondering why we all kept looking at her, and her spindly arms, so disdainfully. “Hey, I know! We can ask Luke.”
“Luke?” I said.
“Yeah. I just saw him outside. Hold on!”
And then, before I could stop him, he was running out the door, letting it slam behind him. A beat later, it opened again, revealing an attractive, dark-haired woman in black pants, a flowing shirt, and strappy sandals. When she saw me, she broke into a wide smile.
“Emaline! Hello!” As she came closer, I realized it was my stepmother. “Joel said you might be here. I’m so happy to see you!”
Over her shoulder I saw my mom trying to place her face. “Leah,” I said, loud enough so she’d hear. “I didn’t even know you were coming.”
“No? Well, I suppose it was a bit last minute.” She stepped back, holding me at arm’s length. “Oh, you just look so grown up! I can’t believe you’re going to college in a few weeks. Are you excited? Nervous?’
“A bit of both, actually.”
“I’m sure.” As she squeezed my hands, still smiling warmly, I was reminded of how much I’d actually liked her, the few times we’d crossed paths. “But you’ll do great. We’re so proud of you.”
Considering the events the morning, this was a bit hard to believe. Still, I appreciated her saying it. “Thanks.”
“Of course. Oh! That reminds me. Before I forget . . .” She reached into her bag, digging around for a minute before finally pulling out a blue envelope. She held it to her chest, glancing at the door for a minute before saying, “First off, I have to say I know this is horrifically late. It’s so embarrassing. But as I’m sure you’ve heard, we’ve been, um, dealing with a lot since the spring. And for what it’s worth, I have had it since June. I just never quite got it in the mail.”
She held out the envelope, and I took it, aware of the fact that both my mom and sister were now watching from their respective offices. I wanted to just thank her and open it later, in private, but she was looking at me so expectantly I knew she was waiting for the big reveal. I slid my finger under the flap and eased out a card.
ON YOUR GRADUATION, it said on the front, in raised, flowing script. Inside were a few equally overworded lines about “moving into the future with the greatest of hopes and dreams ahead,” beneath which was a big Congratulations! Love, Dad, Leah, and Benji. A check, folded, was taped to the inside.
“You didn’t have to do this,” I said, suddenly embarrassed.
“Of course we did! It’s a milestone.” She pointed a finger at me. “Just promise me you’ll spend it on something fun, okay? It doesn’t have to be for books or school stuff. Unless, you know, you want it to be.”
“Thank you,” I said.
She smiled, nodding, and I was finally able to put the card in my pocket, just as Benji returned, this time with Luke in tow. Despite everything, I still got that same little jump in my gut at the sight of him. Like over all those years he’d worn a groove in my heart so deep it would always be there.
“Here he is!” Benji called out. “He was just about to leave but I stopped him.”
“Too bad for you,” I said to Luke.
“Hey, I was told margaritas were involved,” he replied. “That’s all I needed to hear.”