Chapter 33
Back in Cedar Falls, Dot set her suitcase by the staircase.
“Hi! I’m back,” she called.
“We’re in the family room. Come. Tell us everything,” Mary hollered from the back of the house.
Dot grabbed an Orange Cream Poppi from the fridge and joined Mary and Harper in the family room.
Harper paused the latest episode of Love Island and patted the cushion next to her and Pippi.
“Sit.”
Dot sat down and patted her lap. Pippi hopped into it. She’d become a part of The Crew.
“So, how was it?” Mary asked, tucking her legs underneath her, settling in for a good story.
“It was great. Lots of energy in the room. We got some credit for being super-organized. Met some nice people. Wisconsin is going to be tough but GOTV and . . .”
“No. Not the meeting. The weekend away with Fletcher!”
“Oh, that.” Dot looked to the ceiling, as if the answer was written on it. “Well . . . it was fine.”
“Fine?”
“I mean, it was good. He’s very nice. Charming. And handsome. Plus, we agree on just about everything.”
“So, what’s not to like?” Harper asked.
“Well, um, right before we left Milwaukee to come home . . . I got the ick.”
“Oh, no! What did he do?” Mary said. “Wait. Let me guess.”
“Okay, you can try, but I don’t think you’ll ever get it. It was . . . Something I’ve never seen.”
“Did he try to use a coupon?” That was Mary’s opening bid. “Or does he play air guitar when talking about songs?”
Harper joined in and she and Mary ping-ponged Dot with questions. The Crew had a long list of icks.
“Analyze the bill for too long at the restaurant? I hate that,” Harper said.
“Did he check himself out in the mirror too much?” Mary hated that.
“Oh, I know. He was mean to the waiter!” Harper threw in one more guess.
“No, no, no. It was none of those things. It was worse,” Dot said.
First, she explained what had happened with them having to share a hotel room.
“He was a perfect gentleman . . . which surprised me and, to be honest, kind of disappointed me at one point. I was almost ready for more, but we stayed apart that night, which was probably for the best.”
“So, if that didn’t happen, what did?” Harper asked.
“Well, we went to this great art museum. You can’t believe it’s in Milwaukee—it’s amazing. Before we left, we popped outside for a view over Lake Michigan, which is gorgeous. Anyway, when we were outside, he . . . he ran away from a bee. Like a girl.”
“A bee?” Mary blinked wide and threw her head forward, making sure she’d heard that right. “Like a wasp?”
“No, it was a bumblebee.”
“Oh ick,” Harper said, pulling a face of secondhand embarrassment for Fletcher.
“Yeah. That’s what I said.” Dot started laughing, covering her eyes and shaking her head to get the image out of her mind.
Mary was doubled over laughing. “Is he allergic?” she asked.
“I don’t know, but that ick’s gonna stick,” Dot said.
Poor Fletcher. He had no idea he’d been icked.
“I need to get some exercise,” Dot said. She wanted to stretch her legs after the long weekend and to get the feel of the Milwaukee trip off her.
Though, if she were being honest with herself, what she was really hoping was that if she took the trail up to the covered bridge, she’d run into Danny Dawson.