I was just about to take a shower and change clothes, when A.J. walked in and my plans were changed for the better.

  All I’m sayin’ is some of that hungover, half-dazed afterglow darn well better rub off before I show up in front of my whole family.

  To that end, a quick shower, a good strong cup of tea, three Oreo cookies, some tinted moisturizer and mascara, and a little Light Blue, and I was good to go.

  A.J. was dragging, but he started it!

  I promised not to say that in front of my mom.

  The evening at my parents’ was uneventful, thank you God. Jordan was in fine form. There was discussion about a honeymoon, but Liam and Morgan have decided that they’d just like to enjoy being married for a while. They’ll save their honeymoon for their first anniversary. Lovely thought.

  We enjoyed some really great leftovers.

  Teagan sat down with her laptop and took notes as Morgan and Liam, with the help of Jordan every now and then, opened their gifts.

  They got some beautiful stuff.

  Our gift was a hit. I was pleased. I explained that the three clocks were set at the time that Morgan was born, the time that Liam was born, and the moment they kissed the first time as husband and wife.

  I pointed out that I’d also recorded the time they each recited their vows, the time they had their first dance, and the time that Jordan was born, should they want to commemorate any of those times instead.

  Liam read the vows to Morgan yet again:

  By the power that Christ brought from heaven, mayst thou love me. As the sun follows its course, mayst thou follow me. As light to the eye, as bread to the hungry, as joy to the heart, may thy presence be with me, oh one that I love, ‘til death comes to part us asunder.

  I thought that Maeve’s gift was rather different. She gave them swing dance lessons.

  Having celebrated the happy couple well married and married well, A.J. and I headed for home.

  FIVE

  “WE LEAVE NEXT Sunday.”

  “What? Teagan, I thought that we’d have a couple of weeks to get ready once you decided on a cruise. At least a couple of weeks.”

  “So did I, but this is the best time to go. We have a balcony and everything. I talked to the guy today. He’s even going to give us an upgrade. It’s the perfect time. I talked to him about all the excursions. We’re gonna get on a wee little boat on a lake, power to a nature area, eat lunch, and then trek to the end of the road to start on a true adventure. You should borrow a decent camera from A.J.”

  “What about long johns? Whale snot? What the hell is a true adventure? I thought I was going to do the research, and you were going to go along with whatever I decided.”

  “Have we met? That isn’t what we do.”

  “Fine. Since you’ve made all the other decisions, do you know what we’re supposed to bring, like what clothes?”

  “Layers. Be comfortable. Bring one nice outfit just in case. Something to stay warm on the balcony and on the wee little boat. Bring your bathing suit in case we decide to go in the hot tub. Pretty basic. Try to keep it down to one carry-on and one suitcase. There’s not a lot of storage on a cruise ship, and we both know how you are.”

  “Great. Anything else I should know?”

  “Actually, I can’t talk. Jessie and I are going deep-sea fishing today.”

  “You, what?”

  “You heard me.”

  “Good luck. Better you than me.”

  “Jessie goes pretty often. I’m gonna try it. Worst case, I work on my tan.”

  “Teagan, we don’t tan. We fry, we peel, we cuss a lot, and then we do it again.”

  “Don’t be a party pooper.”

  “Have you ever been deep-sea fishing before?”

  “No.”

  “Well, you like sports of every other denomination. I assume you’ll like this one too.”

  “They have people to help you with the bait and everything, and if it gets to be too much, Jessie can grab my pole.”

  “I refuse to take the bait on that one, pun intended.”

  “What?”

  “Jessie grabs your pole?”

  “Shut up.”

  “Yes, ma’am. I’ll check online and see if I can find some kind of packing list. You better wear SPF 428. If you get burned to a crisp, the cruise isn’t gonna be much fun. How are you going to wear long johns over a sunburn?”

  “I’m not going to get burnt.”

  “Okay. Have fun.”

  “I fully intend to. Oh, by the way, while we’re in Alaska, Jessie’s going to go check out his new job prospects.”

  “Well, that explains why we’re leaving Sunday.”

  “Not really.”

  “It’s fine. Actually, it probably works better for me anyway. I promised A.J. and his grandmother that I would help Suzi get organized and back to town. That’ll probably happen in the next few weeks, so better I not be in Alaska when it does. Call me when you get home, and let me know you didn’t drown.”

  “Will do.”

  Deep-sea fishing? Who would have thought it? The last time Teagan went fishing, she went with some guy she had only been dating a short time. They were fishing in some huge lake. She came down the bank just as the guy was turning to call her, and somehow she got smacked in the face with a dead fish. She was not amused. Probably because to this day she isn’t convinced it was an accident. Seems that things were not progressing with our Teagan as quickly as the lad would have preferred, and he was getting a wee bit testy. Needless to say, that guy didn’t get another date with Teagan.

  I called A.J. and asked if he was free for lunch; he was not. Sara, the wedding dress designer, was so thrilled with the images with Morgan, both before the wedding and at the wedding, that she decided that she wants A.J. to shoot some more dresses for her, but has also introduced him to another designer. Additionally, he has a new makeup client. Not sure if she’s a makeup artist, or owns a makeup company. Either way, a new client is a very good thing.

  Jovana didn’t have anything scheduled for me to do today, so I decided to wander over to Adeline’s house. Part of the process to figure out if Adeline really is in need of medical intervention is to drop in on her unannounced so that I can see how she’s doing when she doesn’t have time to prepare. The last couple of times I’ve seen her she has been fine. A little tired from the wedding, but that was to be expected.

  I made a mental note to ask Jovana if she would be able to check in with Adeline while I was on the cruise with Teagan. If not, maybe I could have Troya drop in on her. Troya could help me understand some of the medical stuff. I know she isn’t a doctor, but she does have some medical training, and a medical thinking brain, and I’m just looking for impressions and ideas, not a medical diagnosis.

  I was halfway to Adeline’s when my phone rang. Being the responsible driver that I am, I shoved the Bluetooth in my ear without taking my eyes off the road to look at the caller ID.

  Responsible, but frustrating.

  It’s hard to tell just who is crying in your ear when you have a connection that keeps cutting out. I pulled into the parking lot of a pet store, switched from Bluetooth to my cell phone and watched little white puppies in the store window while Morgan tried to get herself under control.

  “This is just stupid. I’m sorry I called.”

  “I’m glad you called. Is Jordan okay?”

  “Oh, he’s fine. It’s my parents. I thought that things were a little too easy before the wedding, but I didn’t want to tempt fate with only a couple of days before the ceremony. I was so excited that they were finally excited, that I didn’t want to ask too many questions. I should have known it wouldn’t last. I kind of figured that it would cool down. I figured we were on a honeymoon period, where everything looks a little easier than it really is, no wedding pun intended. But, Cara, I didn’t expect them to go ice cold.”

  “What happened?”

  “I called my mom and invited her to lunch.”

  “That sounds promising.”

  “She said she couldn’t make it, that she’d already made plans with Olivia.”

  “Understandable, it was a last minute thing.”

  “Olivia has been my mom’s best friend as long as I can remember. I said, ‘Mom, why don’t you bring her along? It would be fun.’ I really haven’t seen much of Olivia in the last few years, but when I was a teen, she was like a second mother to me. I always assumed I didn’t see much of her because I just didn’t see much of my mom.”

  I made all the appropriate noises, but wasn’t sure what to say.

  “My mom said, ‘Oh, honey, we don’t want to do that to her. It would just bring up all that old unpleasantness.’”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I guess it means I’m a pariah. Just the sight of me is going to bring up unpleasantness? What? All my life is ignored, and that one night, that one night I had no control over, that is what everyone is going to think of every time they see me? What am I supposed to do with that? Did my parents just come to the wedding because they didn’t want to look bad in front of your family? Did the others come just to appease my parents? Assuage their guilt for ignoring me all these years? If they didn’t want to have me around, what was all that at the wedding? What was all that at the studio when we were putting the centerpieces together? I could have sworn that she apologized and said we’d put all that behind us. Now what?”

  “What did your mother say?”

  “I didn’t ask her.”

  “Why not?”

  “Cara, my mother isn’t like yours.”

  “No other mother is like mine, Morgan.” I took a deep breath. “I don’t begin to pretend to understand what you’ve been through, but one thing I know for sure, both you and your mom are going to have to talk and listen.”

  “I know. I’ve just been so hurt for so long, and I don’t know how to get over it.”

  “I’m not sure you can. Maybe the goal is not to get over it. Maybe the goal is to make your peace with it and everything around it. Maybe the challenge isn’t in forgetting what happened or pushing it away. Maybe the challenge is to learn to be really proud of everything you’ve accomplished in the face of all of it. In the face of all of them.”

  “Maybe.”

  “I can meet you for lunch, Morgan. I’d love to.”

  “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

  “You can tell you’re a ‘married in,’ not a ‘born in.’ We ‘born in’ O’Flynns eat for any reason, and often no reason at all.”

  At least I got a chuckle out of her.

  “Morgan, can I make a suggestion?”

  “I was hoping you would.”

  “Go over and have a cup of tea with my mom.”

  “That’s what Liam said.”

  “See, marriage to a good woman is working already. He’s getting smarter by the second.”

  “Thanks, Cara.”

  “Actually, it’s me who should be thanking you.”

  “For what?”

  “For trusting me enough to call. I hope that this is the beginning of a trend.”

  I sat in the parking lot thinking about puppies for a little while. Tried to come up with a relative that wouldn’t kill me for showing up on their doorstep with a cute little puppy. I really don’t have the time or the energy or the considered life plan to support getting a puppy right now. But I would love to give one to someone I love, someone that can provide a puppy with a good life and let me come and visit from time to time. That way, when the puppy is in a great mood, I get puppy love, and when the puppy is not having a good day, I get to give it back. Kind of like a niece or nephew with fur. I’d probably go with a rescue puppy, not a pet store puppy, but unfortunately there’s just no puppy in my near future.

  Maybe a puppy is what Adeline needs. I’ll talk to Jovana first. But since Adeline almost never leaves that huge rambling house, and since she lives there alone, and since budget really doesn’t seem to be an issue, a puppy or three might just be the answer.

  I pulled back out into traffic and didn’t even put a hex on the idiot in the big black truck that was weaving in and out of traffic so violently that she very nearly ended up on the wrong side of the road. They should really require that you take a basic physics class before you’re allowed to drive something that big. It would help to understand about size and momentum and velocity or whatever. I don’t know all the terms, but I do know when you drive a big ol’ truck, you shouldn’t drive it like a sports car.

  I took several deep, calming breaths and reminded myself that road rage comes in many forms. It isn’t just the guy that rants and screams and pulls you out the little side window; it is also the person that gets so frustrated they don’t pay attention. I’ll never be the first type, but I don’t want to be the second type either.

  When I drove past Jovana’s, I didn’t see any signs of life. Mental note to call her later.

  When Adeline answered the door, she looked awful. I mean really bad. Not bad enough to call 911, but bad enough that there was no way to ignore the problem anymore.

  We went through the same routine we created last time I showed up when she was doing poorly. While she was in the shower, I texted Jovana and filled her in. Her response was short and immediate. “Sugar, we need to get her to a doctor. Pronto.”

  From the shower we moved on to her mini in-house hair salon. My skills don’t match Teagan’s, but at least her hair was clean, dry, and presentable.

  Over crispy grilled cheese sandwiches, I started the difficult conversation that I should have been having every visit. “Adeline, I’ve been honest with you from the start. You obviously aren’t feeling well again today. I’m worried. We need to get to the bottom of whatever is going on with you.”

  “Cara, I appreciate your concern, but it is just old age.”

  “I don’t mean any disrespect, but I don’t agree. You really aren’t that old. My family had a friend named Bernie. She was old when God was young. She was busy and full of life until the day she died.”

  “I’m happy for her, but we aren’t all Bernie.”

  “I know that, but don’t you see? Old age doesn’t come and go. We all have good days and bad days, but, Adeline, the pendulum is swinging too far for you. Something isn’t right.”

  “We are all different, Cara. You can’t and shouldn’t expect me to be like your Bernie, or anyone else.”

  “I agree, but since we are all human, we share a bit of the same experience. Cut, we both bleed. Let me make you an appointment with the doctor. Please? Teagan and I are going on a cruise starting on Sunday. The good news for you is that you won’t have to listen to me whine for at least a week. The bad news for me is that I will worry about you the whole time I’m gone if you don’t go to the doctor. I can’t help it. That’s what I do.”

  “Cara…”

  “Don’t ‘Cara’ me. How are you going to feel if I’m so worried about you that I’m not focused when Teagan and I go to the buffet on the cruise ship? You have never seen Teagan in true form. She could wipe out the whole thing before I ever get my first bite. She is actually quite gifted. I’ll be so weak, I won’t even enjoy the whale snot. We’ll be on that wee little boat she has chosen for our excursion, I’ll fall off, and while I sink slowly to the bottom, my only thought will be of you, wondering just how you are doing. Well, that, and if I remembered to shave my toes, ‘cause I really don’t want to ook out the funeral home people.”

  Adeline was smiling; half my work was done. “You’re mother teach you that?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “She did her job well. You have been kind to me, Cara. I will allow you this hugely unorthodox request, but, Cara, when the doctor says that it is all just a matter of aging, we will not revisit this issue.”

  “Promise.”

  “I’ll call today.”

  “How about I call right now?”

  “Very well. The information for the doctor and all that such things entail is in the front right drawer of the desk in the study.”

  “Thank you, Adeline.”

  She gave me the look. I headed toward the office before she could change her mind.

  Adeline is so organized. I love that. Not a single thing out of place in the whole house, down to drawers and cupboards. Of course, she has a huge house, no storage issues, a staff to organize it all the first time, and a cleaning crew to come in and reorganize any time she chooses. It really isn’t difficult to keep everything clean and organized, but still.

  I called the doctor’s office and spoke to a very polite and soft-spoken receptionist. She was completely relaxed and not the least bit rushed, a new experience for me.

  I introduced myself as a friend of Adeline’s and said that we would like to make an appointment for a physical. I explained the situation in broad strokes. I prayed silently while she checked for availability. I was prayerful that I could get Adeline into the office before I left on my cruise.

  “Doctor can be at residence in forty-five minutes. Will that accommodate?”

  I was a little stunned. “Yes. Thank you.”

  A house call. Didn’t even think about it. I know concierge doctors exist; I just never thought I’d be making an appointment with one.

  I went back to the kitchen where Adeline was picking at the lunch I’d prepared. I’m a picky eater. I’m a master at moving food around so that it will look like I ate something when I really didn’t. She didn’t fool me. She hadn’t eaten anything.

  “I get that you aren’t feeling well. I get that you aren’t hungry, but does anything sound good? I’ll fix anything you can talk me through as far as preparations.”

  “Crispy grilled cheese is my favorite, Cara, and you do a wonderful job. I’m just not very hungry right now.”

  “Will you drink something? It wouldn’t serve you well to be dehydrated when the doctor gets here. A.J.’s grandmother got dehydrated, and they stuck her in the hospital overnight.”