Chapter 24
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
Michelle sat down on the edge of Elaine’s bed, watching the way her grandmother was eyeing herself doubtfully in the mirror.
“Grandma, you look beautiful,” Michelle insisted. “Turn around. Look at how nice that dress looks when the skirt swishes.”
“I agree,” Harper said. She was standing next to Audrey and Penelope, and the three of them were in a line in front of the windows of Elaine’s bedroom as if they were the hosts of some new TV series that featured elderly people going out on dates for the first time in decades. “You look stunning.”
“Thank you both,” Elaine said, blushing slightly and looking decidedly flustered. “But I think I’d rather wear something a little warmer, you know? Shep and I are going to be out walking, so I don’t want to wear anything that’s going to make me shiver the whole time.”
“Good point.” Penelope nodded. “You want to be warm and cozy. How about a pair of black slacks and this mint green sweater? I think it will make the blue of your eyes pop.”
“I do love that sweater,” Elaine said.
“Perfect.” Audrey went over to Elaine’s wardrobe and pulled out the sweater and a pair of black pants. “Go put these on and then show us.”
Elaine smiled. “You’re all so sweet to be helping me like this. I haven’t had this much fuss made over me since—well, I don’t know how long it’s been. Why don’t you three go downstairs and enjoy your board games? I don’t want to interrupt your game night.”
“You seem to have forgotten we volunteered for this,” Harper said with a grin. “I’m having much more fun helping you get ready for your date than I ever do playing board games.”
“Me too,” Penelope said. “I’m in awe of you, Elaine. I can’t believe you got Shep to say more than four words to you at once, let alone go out on a date with you. You’re clearly some kind of magician.”
Audrey chuckled. “I think that’s about right.”
“It wasn’t magic, it was persistence,” Elaine said cheerfully. She waltzed into her private bathroom and shut the door, and the rest of the women turned to each other with grins on their faces.
“I’m pretty sure if anyone else had barged into his kitchen, he would have just been irritated about it,” Michelle said, laughing. “You do have a magic touch, Grandma.”
“I agree,” Audrey said. “It took a strong woman like you to finally get Shep out of his shell, but not every strong woman in the world could have done it. You’re special.”
“Oh shush,” Elaine called from the bathroom, and the other three women tittered.
“What should she do with her hair?” Harper said, sitting next to Michelle on the bed. “I love her curls—should she just leave her hair down like that?”
“She’s got these amazing diamond chips,” Audrey said. “She should use those.”
Michelle shook her head, laughing. “She’s going to be wearing a hat, sillies. It’s way too chilly to be wandering around without a good warm hat.”
“Right.” Penelope laughed. “How about that cute white one with the pom-pom on top? And a bright red lipstick, so Shep knows she’s ready to be flirty.”
Audrey chortled and shook her head. “Are you sure lipstick is a good idea?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “He might try to kiss her.”
Michelle squealed and Elaine called from the bathroom, “What are you three talking about out there?”
“Nothing,” they all chorused at once, exchanging impish smiles.
A moment later, Elaine stepped out of the bathroom, wearing the mint green sweater and the pants.
She looked flushed and starry-eyed, and Michelle’s heart ached in the best of ways.
She felt a surge of happiness for her grandmother, who was stepping out in search of love after many years of believing she would never find it again.
“You look amazing, Mom,” Audrey said, stepping forward to kiss Elaine’s cheek. “Really.”
“That’s the right outfit,” Harper said, nodding.
“And put on this hat,” Penelope said, handing Elaine the white hat with the pom-pom.
“It’s warm and cozy, and you look adorable in it.”
“And you should wear these black boots,” Michelle said, going over to the wardrobe and pulling out a pair of comfortable but stylish short black boots. “They’ll complete the outfit.”
“You’re all so sweet,” Elaine said, opening her arms for a group hug. “I would be so nervous right now if you weren’t all here helping me out.”
“We’re loving every second of it,” Audrey assured her.
“Shep’s a lucky guy,” Penelope said.
“Shep’s a sweet guy,” Elaine said as she settled the hat on her head. “Have you seen those boxes he had made for the hotel, Penelope and Harper? Just darling. And so thoughtful.”
“We have.” Harper smiled. “And I hear he gave you a box of pastries before that.”
“Yes.” Elaine adjusted the hat slightly, a dreamy look passing over her face.
“All my favorite kinds. I hadn’t even known he knew what they were.
He might seem like a gruff and grumbly kind of guy, but he’s not really like that at his core.
I think everyone is like that. One only needs to look past the masks that they put up in order to see the softness beneath. ”
Elaine made eye contact with Michelle for a brief moment, and Michelle inhaled. When she heard her grandmother’s words, she thought instantly of Theo, and she wondered if Elaine had been thinking of Theo too.
I do sense that there’s a lot of sweetness in Theo that he just doesn’t show me most of the time, she thought, biting her lip. I wonder what he would be like, if we weren’t always teasing each other? I wonder what the dynamic between us would be?
“Hey, incoming!” Penelope said, pulling back the sheer white curtains of Elaine’s bedroom. “I see Shep walking up the sidewalk.”
“Oh my goodness.” Elaine flapped her hands in the air, her voice rising two octaves. “I need to—ahh! My shoes!”
Everyone laughed, including Elaine, as she fumbled to put on her shoes and Audrey helped her.
“Here’s your coat and your scarf and mittens,” Michelle said, helping Elaine put them all on quickly. “Just breathe. You’ve still got plenty of time to get downstairs.”
Elaine had just finished putting on her scarf when the front doorbell rang. She let out a little squeal and darted for the hallway. The other women followed her, laughing.
She’s acting just like a teenager on her first date, Michelle thought with a smile. I guess love does that to everybody.
As they descended the staircase, everyone began to give Elaine a pep talk.
“You’re going to have an amazing time,” Harper said. “If you can’t think of anything to say, ask him to pick out something that he sees that he thinks is wonderful.”
“Oh, great idea,” Audrey said. “Chances are, he’s going to pick you, Mom. Just keep taking deep breaths and remember that he might be feeling nervous too. No, scratch that. I’m positive he’s going to be feeling nervous too.”
Penelope laughed. “I’m sure that after a little while, you’ll stop being nervous. You two obviously enjoy each other’s company, and I’m sure it’ll only be a little while before you’re just totally enjoying yourselves tonight.”
They reached the entryway downstairs, and before Elaine hurried forward to open the front door, Michelle pulled her into a quick hug.
“Just be yourself,” she told Elaine warmly.
Elaine smiled at her and then at the rest of the women. “Oh, you’re all darling. Thank you so much.”
“Tell us how it goes!” Audrey said, kissing Elaine on the cheek and pushing her toward the front door.
“I will!” Elaine turned toward the front door and the other women scattered, darting into the parlor so that Shep wouldn’t see them standing there when Elaine opened the door.
They piled onto the couch and crouched down, peering through the picture window to get a good view of the porch and the sidewalk that bordered the mansion.
“Look, there they go!” Harper whispered as Elaine and Shep walked down the porch steps together. “How much do you all want to bet they hold hands later?”
Michelle laughed softly, a light and airy feeling filling her chest. She felt happy for her grandmother and it was also incredibly fun to be spending time with Audrey, Harper, and Penelope.
Although the other women were older than her, Michelle always loved their times together and she considered all of them to be true friends—especially her mother.
They all watched Elaine and Shep until they’d turned the corner and were out of sight.
“Oh man,” Harper said, adjusting the way she was sitting so that she could lean her head back and gaze up at the ceiling. “I can’t wait to hear all about their date.”
“Me either.” Penelope grinned. “Look, I know we’d said we were going to order some takeout and then play board games, but I kind of feel like having an adventure. Does anyone feel like going out instead?”
“I do!” Audrey said. “I know just what you mean. I feel all excited and restless. And I wouldn’t be totally opposed to heading downtown to see if we can catch a Shep and Elaine sighting.”
“Oh my gosh.” Michelle threw a pillow at her mother. “But yeah, I feel like going out too.”
“Same,” Harper said. “We can always play board games later if we want to. Where should we go—oh! Theo’s band is playing at The Brick Oven again tonight. Do you guys want to go to that?”
“I’d love to!” Audrey said. “I really want to hear Theo’s band.”
“But you don’t want to go to that, right, Michelle?” Penelope teased. “Theo is your archnemesis, so you’ll only go to his concert if it’s for some other reason other than actually hearing him play, right?”
Michelle’s mouth opened, and she was about to say something sassy, agreeing with Penelope. It was such a fixed habit—pretending she didn’t really like Theo—that she hardly ever thought about it. But this time she stopped herself.
I do want to hear Theo play, she thought. I really do. I want to hear that original song he wrote.
“No, actually.” She smiled, even though it made her feel nervous to admit that she was interested in hearing Theo play. “I do want to go.”
Audrey gave her a radiant smile that implied that she knew everything that Michelle was feeling.