Page 89 of Shelter
“I’ll get you some coffee, and y’all think about what you want,” she said, sliding green paper menus toward us. “Be right back.”
Flora disappeared, and I looked up at my sister. Ava’s lashes were wet, but she looked happier than I’d seen her in a long time.
“She’s still the same,” she said, her voice hoarse with emotion. “She still loves us.”
I nodded. That was pretty much all I could do. I passed my eye over the menu, hoping the distraction would help restore my breath. Flora still loved us. She’d called us her babies. Knowing that was one thing. Feeling it was something entirely different. It reminded me of innocence.
When had I last felt innocent?
Flora bustled out with our coffees. “Gimme back those menus,” she said, grabbing the leaflets from us. “I know what y’all like. What was I thinking?”
This made me grin, and ten minutes later, she emerged from the kitchen bearing two large plates each bearing an egg and cheese croissant, a side of bacon, and a small bowl of mixed berries.
“This looks amazing,” Ava sang, her eyes wide.
“Well, dig in,” Flora said, her guarded smile of pride one I well recognized.
I lifted the croissant to my mouth. One bite had me moaning. The dish was new, but the flavors were unmistakably Flora’s.
“Oh. My. God. Flora.” I shook my head in awe, leaned over, and kissed her on the cheek.
“Oh, lamb,” she sighed, patting mine in return. Then she set me back from her and tapped on the table. “Now, I can’t stand the suspense anymore. Tell me what you’ve been up to.”
So I did. I told her about finishing school — in less than four years. About opening the firm in New Orleans, how I’d started it solo and turned it into a business with a healthy staff of ten people. Then I glossed over our arrival in Lafayette by saying it was time to expand. I didn’t want to lie to Flora, but I wanted to spare Ava any embarrassment or pain.
But as if on cue, Flora turned her gaze to my sister. “And, my dear girl, what are you doing these days.”
With clear eyes and only a hint of a tremor in her voice, Ava answered. “I just got out of drug rehab.”
The bite of bacon I’d just swallowed stuck in my throat. I felt Flora go still beside me. We’d never been a family that dealt in hard truths. I stared at my sister in naked admiration and wondered if this was a skill she’d learned in the program.
I was proud of her, but I had to admit her honesty gave me whiplash.
Flora reached her hand across the table and gripped Ava’s. “Oh, my girl,” she whispered, her voice full of compassion and concern.
And then, before I could respond or step in for her, Ava told Flora everything. The drinking. The partying. The soft drugs. Then the hard ones.
Our old housekeeper listened with tears in her eyes, squeezing and patting Ava’s hand the entire time.
“We’re here now, and it’s hard,” Ava admitted. “But I think I have a sponsor, and I’m going to meetings. And I’m just trying to manage one day at a time.”
Flora nodded and sniffled. “You know you can always call me, don’t you, honey?” She tilted her head toward the back of the restaurant. “You need something to take your mind off your troubles, you can just join me in the kitchen and help me cook like you used to.”
A smile broke over Ava’s face. She nodded. “I’d like that,” she rasped.
Flora’s brows rose with assurance. “Or I could come to you.” She turned to her gaze to me. “Where y’all living now?”
I told her about our house, and her eyes lit up when I mentioned the Saint Streets.
She gave an excited gasp. “That’s not too far from Elise.” She clapped and held her hands as though she were praying. “She’s going to be just so excited!”
My stomach tightened. Given what had happened Saturday night, I had my doubts. But maybe Flora was right. And if she were…
“HowisElise?” Ava charged in. “I can’t wait to see her again.”
Flora rubbed her palms together, her smile stretching. “Doing great. Working hard. She hasn’t set out on her own business like you,” she said, tilting her chin in my direction. “But that’ll come.”
I sat up straighter in my chair. “A jewelry business?” I asked, picturing the work I’d seen on her website. Even with the recent downturn in the oil industry, Lafayette had grown in the years we’d been away, but if she wanted to open her own store, it would be difficult to break into a market this size. Still, if anyone could do it, Elise could.
