You and Me and Us by Alison Hammer

Author:Alison Hammer
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: HarperCollins
Published: 2020-01-26T16:00:00+00:00

THE DRIVE OVER to Jill’s house is shorter than the chorus of a song on the radio. CeCe is out the door before the next verse starts and I shake my head, watching her run through the picket fence and inside without knocking.

“She’s your daughter,” I tell Tommy.

“She’s a mini version of you.” He hands me the bottle of rosé he was smart enough to grab from the fridge and slings the portable oxygen concentrator over his shoulder. “It’s no wonder you drive each other crazy.”

I furrow my brow. “I liked it better when you said it was just a stage.”

Tommy turns to let himself out of the car and I try to ignore the fact that even his smallest movements look like they take a great amount of effort. This is all happening too fast.

“And just so you know, I was an angel compared to her,” I say, walking around to join him.

“Don’t forget I knew you when you were just about her age.”

“Hey, you’re supposed to be on my side.”

“Always,” he says, taking my hand in his.

I open the door and we let ourselves in. The house smells even more amazing than usual.

“Hello?” I call out, but there’s no reply.

“They’re probably out back,” Tommy says.

We walk through the kitchen, where the oven is on and the island is filled with a medley of salads and various delicacies. Jill outdid herself like she always does.

The back door opens and Jill and Lou walk in. “You’re just in time, we’re about to fire up the grill.”

I hold up the bottle of wine. “We brought this.”

“Thank you,” Jill says. “And about the other day . . .”

“It’s fine.” I stop her. “It’s bad for business if you aren’t polite to the customers—even the heart-crushing, devil-incarnate ones, right?”

“Right,” she says, relief clear on her face. “I don’t know about you, but I could use a drink.”

I smile and walk around the island to the drawer where I know she keeps her fancy corkscrew and grab four glasses from the cabinet above the sink. I love that I feel just as comfortable in Jill’s house as my own.

I’m pouring the third glass when Abigail walks in, her sketchpad in hand. Her eyes go straight to the wine bottle.

“Don’t even think about it,” Jill says, following her eyes.

“I didn’t say anything,” Abigail says, not so innocently. “You look nice, Aunt Lexie.”

Jill turns around and looks at me purposefully. “You do, I’m sorry I didn’t notice. It’s like I don’t really see you anymore. No offense.”

“None taken. I think?”

We laugh and clink glasses before taking a sip of the crisp wine that tastes like summer.

Outside, CeCe and Beau are sitting around the centerpiece of Jill’s backyard, a beautiful table made of reclaimed wood. The sky is just starting to darken, and the lantern lights hanging around the fence make it look like a scene from a home and garden magazine.

Beau gets up from his seat and holds the chair out at the head of the table for Tommy, who gratefully sits down.

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