Sorry for Your Loss by Jessie Ann Foley

Author:Jessie Ann Foley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2019-03-28T16:00:00+00:00

17

BY THE TIME MR. HUGHES dropped Pup back at home after a sufficiently awkward three-hour car ride, it was midafternoon and the house smelled like Sunday: chopped garlic, stewing tomatoes, and the rich scent of pineapple upside-down cake baking in the oven. Pup’s mother was standing in the kitchen with the windows open to the summer wind, stirring heavy cream into her big saucepan with a long wooden spoon. When she turned to see who was coming in the back door, it looked a little bit like she’d been crying, but Pup couldn’t be sure if that was it, or if her face was simply flushed from standing over the hot stove on a hot day.

“Well, if it isn’t my budding Picasso!” She put her spoon down on the Texas-shaped spoon rest Annemarie and Sal had bought for her on a trip to Austin, and came over to give him a hug.

“It’s not that big of deal, Mom,” he said, speaking into the air over her head. He was so tall now that when his mom hugged him she barely reached his shoulder.

“Of course it’s a big deal!” She took the ribbon and gasped excitedly, turning it over in her hands. “This color and texture is exactly like the nineteenth-century Persian silk rug a gal from Iowa got appraised last night on Antiques for thirty thousand dollars!”

“It’s not real silk, Ma.”

“Still, it’s just lovely, Pup.”

“I have to make a portfolio,” he explained. “That’s going to be the hard part.”

“A portfolio,” she repeated. “How wonderful. Ted!” she yelled out through the open window. “Come in here! Pup’s going to make a portfolio!”

Pup’s dad hurried in, still wearing his gardening kneepads.

“What’s wrong?” he demanded. “Why are you yelling?”

She held up the ribbon. “Pup qualified for regionals.” Ted felt for his reading glasses in his pants pocket, put them on, and examined the ribbon. “Well, isn’t that something,” he said.

“I can’t wait to celebrate you tonight at Sunday dinner.” His mom’s blue eyes were watery as she squeezed his two hands in hers. “Oh, it’s so exciting. Ann Arbor, Michigan!”

“Um, actually, Mom.” Pup looked down at the pair of soft, papery hands that grasped his own. “You don’t have to . . . see, this friend of mine. Her aunt owns a restaurant. She won an award yesterday, too, and she invited me to a party. . . .”

“Oh!” She blinked, and her hands slackened in his. “Tonight?”

“It’s—well, yeah. I told her I would go. I mean, I promised her. But I can totally come back early. I can be home in time for dessert.”

“Of course not!” She smiled tightly while Pup’s dad reached out a dirt-encrusted hand and gently squeezed her shoulder. “No, honey. You deserve to go out and have some fun on a beautiful Sunday evening like this.”

“Lord knows your brother does,” grumbled Pup’s dad. “Have you heard from him at all, Pup? Any idea whether he’ll be gracing us with his presence tonight?”

“I haven’t talked to him,” Pup said, which was the truth.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.