Melanie: I say hell yes, but I’m not the one calling for reinforcements.
Me: As much I’d love to say yes, I’m thinking no for tonight’s event.
Sasha: Cool.
Sasha: In.
Melanie: Ooh! Let’s arrive in style, in Matilda.
Me: Doors are opening at six, so come whenever.
Sasha: Time?
Melanie: Are you staying there, or leaving to get dressed?
Me: I hadn’t even thought about that.
Melanie: Can you step out for an hour? We can meet at your place and finish getting ready? Go together.
Me: That’s a plan. Meet at my place at 5?
Sasha: Cool.
Melanie: Fuck yeah.
I loved my family.* * *I was just starting to head out, grabbing my purse and shutting my computer down, when there was a knock on my office door.
“Yeah?”
The door opened, and one of the volunteers poked their head inside. “A lady is here asking to see you.”
“You know who?”
“She said her name was Natalie? She’s rich, that’s all I can tell you about her.”
Natalie?
But I nodded to the volunteer. “Yeah. Bring her in.”
They nodded, starting to leave.
“Hey.”
They poked their head back in.
I added, “Don’t let Dean see her.”
Another nod, and they were gone.
I checked my email quick, looking to see if Hunter had emailed me about anything with Natalie, but no. Our last emails were a running joke about a quokka. We’d moved on from koalas long ago. Now it was pretty much constant smiling quokka memes back and forth. So I had no idea why Natalie would be coming early, and why she’d ask to see me.
The door opened and there she was.
“Hello, Cheyenne.”
She looked different. I skimmed over her cardigan sweater, and she was wearing khaki pants, the kind that someone might wear playing golf, but she looked like she was glowing. More natural. Less makeup.
Her brown hair looked lighter, too, but her eyes were Hunter’s. Dark almond with specks of hazel and gold in them.
I felt a little kick because this was Hunter’s mother, and once upon a time, she hugged me and I felt nice afterwards. That’d been something that I hadn’t known I was missing until that hug from her. Donna never hugged me.
“You look younger than you did back then.”
“Oh.” Her eyes widened and her hand went to her chest. She’d been holding a small clutch in front of her, then she nodded to my office. “May I come in?”
“Yes.” I indicated one of the chairs. “Please.”
She gave me a small smile, one that seemed genuine, and I was having flashbacks to my mom’s funeral. That’d been the last time I saw Natalie, and she’d been so nice to me on that day.
“Thank you, and thank you for the compliment. That’s very kind of you.” She shut the door behind her, then sat into the chair with grace.
I almost laughed because no one sat down in those chairs with grace.
They plopped. They collapsed. They sank into them, but no one sat down as if they were easing into a tub of boiling or freezing water. And clutching a clutch in their lap as they did so, but this was a reminder of the world that I’d never been a part of, and a world that was coming here tonight.
“You must be wondering why I came to talk to you?”
“Kinda, but to be honest, I’ve already run through twenty different scenarios, and I’m noticing the different textures of your sweater. I could tell you how many steps you took to sit down, and how many steps it probably took you from the door and through the cafeteria room to here. Not to mention, all the smells and all the different voices I heard when the door opened for you.”
“I see.” A soft laugh. “So the same Cheyenne?”
“Hardly.” Because I was able to mute those thoughts and push them to the back, so they weren’t front and center. That’s not how I had been back then. “Is Hunter okay?”
She’d been tucking a strand of hair behind her ear at my question and she froze, her eyes latching onto mine. “Of course. Why wouldn’t he be?”
“Because he’s the only connection between you and me, and I figured I should ask to rule out that he’s fine so I’m not worrying about him until you do tell me why you came here early to talk to me.”
“Oh.” Another soft smile as she stared at her lap where she was resting the clutch. “I wanted to talk to you because my husband and I are coming tonight. I thought I might run into you, and I didn’t want any social awkwardness at all.”
“Right.” The thoughts were pushing at me, pushing to come forward. I knew that was because of Natalie’s presence. “Well, it was lovely to see you. I promise not to be awkward tonight at the event.”
“I—” Another frown appeared, this one creasing her forehead. “No. That’s not— I’m sorry. I’m not explaining myself at all, and I should just say it, right? Yes. I should.” Determination fared over her features, smoothing out the frown, making her eyes shine bright. “I came to apologize for how I treated you.”