Olive took the mug of hot tea from Marigold, wrapping her hands around it and bringing it to her lips. She took a sip, and screwed her face up in a grimace. “Would a little honey ruin the healing properties of this tea, Marigold?” she asked with a chuckle.
“Certainly not. In fact, honey has its own healing powers. It will help boost your immune system. I even brought a jar of raw honey with me.” She took the mug back from Olive, and carried it to the kitchen.
When she was out of ear shot, my aunt shook her head at me. “Phew, that was terrible! I hope she’s planning to dump a quarter cup of honey in there.”
I laughed, and nestled deeper into the recliner. My eyes wandered over to Paul, who dozed in the other chair. Stark December sunlight streamed in the front windows and the house bustled with energy.
Mom brought Olive home from the hospital this morning, to our house, where she and Fay would stay for a week while she healed. When Marigold asked if there was anything she could do to help out, I pushed away my normal urge to say no, and I told her yes. If nothing else, just having her here was a comfort. She and Mom had been working in our kitchen for hours, making a month’s worth of meals to put in Olive and Fay’s deep freezer.
Abe’s laughter traveled down the hall from his bedroom, where he and Fay were playing some video game he was terrible at, and Aunt Olive and I exchanged smiles. “He’s doing okay, isn’t he?” she asked. We’d all been worried about him, concerned about the way he blamed himself, but she’d been extra worried, feeling like she was the only one who could absolve him. He wasn’t making that easy, because he wasn’t ready to be absolved. She was trying, and had even had Malcolm bring over the TV and game console to keep him occupied in his room, where he wanted to spend most of his time.
Abe was kind of all over the place. He was up and down. Some days he was angry, some days he was sensitive and emotional, other days he seemed completely fine. “I think he’s okay.”
The phone rang then, and Paul woke up because it was sitting on the side table between us. I answered it, and froze when I realized who it was. Mom walked into the room then, and I held the phone out to her. “It’s the police.”
She only hesitated a second before taking the phone. “Hello? Yes.” A long pause. “Okay. Mmhmm.”
I worried my bottom lip between my teeth, wondering what they were telling her. Paul’s warm presence showed up at my side, and he scooted me over in the chair and squeezed in beside me. He put his arm around me and moved my legs so they rested on top of his. “It’s going to be okay,” he whispered in my ear.
“Thank you for letting me know,” Mom said, and let her arm fall to her side.
Marigold came back into the room with the tea, and handed it to Olive. “Hopefully this will be better, dear.”
“What did the police say?” I asked.
I watched as Mom took a deep breath and looked around the room. Her eyes lingered on Marigold, and then on Paul—the two people who weren’t family. “Todd’s initial hearing will be tomorrow. That’s where they’ll decide about an attorney, and other things like that. His trial could be months away. The officer said the judge will likely set a very high bond, but just in case he finds some way to pay it, they’ve issued a protective order so he can’t come near us. He was calling so I wouldn’t worry about that.” Her voice cracked on the last word, and Marigold rushed to her side and put her arms around her. Mom stood stiffly a moment, before relaxing into what I knew was a warm and comforting hug. Mom surprised me when she raised her arms to hug Marigold in return.
When Marigold released her, Mom wiped beneath her eyes and looked over at her sister. She walked to her and dropped to her knees beside the couch, clasping Olive’s hand in hers. They whispered things to each other the rest of us couldn’t hear, and I stood up and nodded to Paul, so he’d follow me down the hall. I went into my room and sat on my bed.
“You sure this is okay?” Paul asked, his hand on my bedroom door.
I nodded. I didn’t need to worry about the things I used to. “Close it.”
He did, and then joined me on my bed. As had become his habit in the last week, he picked up my hand first thing, and held it tightly clutched in his. “Thank God for Marigold, am I right?”
I leaned my head against his shoulder. “You are absolutely right. It’s so strange to see her and my mom like this.”
“Marigold has a way of burrowing into people. And you know, it’s not just Marigold. I’m seeing a different side of your mom.”
“Yeah, me too. She taught Abe and me to close ourselves off to people she considered outsiders. It was what we did to get by. What we did to keep things as normal as we could. It’s strange to think it doesn’t have to be that way.”
I crawled around him and lay back on my bed, my head on my pillow. As always, whenever I lay down, Osa jumped up on me and settled on my belly. Paul chuckled as I formed her into a circle so she could fit on me without falling off.
I patted the bed beside me, wanting Paul to lay there. He swung his legs onto the bed and his head joined mine on the pillow. I stared at his profile—the soft sweep of hair across his forehead, the straight line of his nose, the pink cushion of his lips, all so familiar to me.
“Thank you for being here for me this week, Paulie.” Osa’s purrs rumbled loudly against my belly, keeping me calm.
He turned his head to look at my face, and after a minute he turned his whole body and lay on his side facing me. He reached out and brushed his fingers down my cheek. His touch, his nearness lit my blood on fire—another familiar thing.
“Not just this week,” I continued. “But ever since you showed up in my yard that day and I let you see all my garbage. I’ve needed a lot from you. You gave me this cat, and she has comforted me every day. You gave me space when I needed it, yet you were never far away. You left that chocolate bar in my locker the day after the cross country team won state. I knew it was you all along, even though you didn’t leave a note. You did it because you knew I was sad I couldn’t be on the team anymore. You were the one who showed me it’s okay to take what people offer, even when all you have to offer back is yourself. Paul, you’ve been my friend.”
He gazed into my eyes, his own eyes shining with sincerity. “It was the easiest thing in the world.”
I swallowed hard. “Easier than this?” I asked, and then I kissed him.