Page 69 of Just One More Thing

“What? I’m old, not dead.”

I press a hand to my forehead. “Can we maybe not have this conversation in front of Frank?”

Frank, still facing away from us, says, “I’ve heard it all.”

Granny folds her hands in her lap and waits. That’s one of her more powerful and disturbing skills. She can outwait almost anything. The truth eventually gets tired and crawls out on its own.

“It was good,” I say finally.

I reach for another doughnut hole so I don’t have to say anything more.

“What now?” she asks.

I start loading a box with doughnuts and include a chocolate with sprinkles for myself.

“I don’t know,” I admit. That’s the truest thing I’ve said all morning.

Granny slides a pink box across the counter. “Then start with delivering this to Tall Tales. Walt’s been texting.”

I narrow my eyes. “Why does this feel like a setup?”

“Because it is.”

Outside, the breakfast crowd at Lazy Larry’s is laughing. I just missed the punchline of how lazy Larry is. Across The Green, someone is working on the fountain in front of Town Hall. Two women in visors are gossiping while walking so they can call it cardio. A man in khaki shorts is halfway up a ladder changing the banner on a lamp post.

“Emory!” Miss Hattie calls, grinning like a cat that just ate a canary.

I lift one hand in a pageant wave.

She starts singing “At Last.”

I keep walking because if I stop, I’ll simply pass away right here next to the planter of mums.

Here lies Emory, brave at last.

The whole damn town noticed fast.

Tall Tales is crowded this morning, with coffee-drinking witnesses pressed against the big windows and spilling onto the patio. There’s a new chalkboard out front.

Today’s Featured Novel:

LOVE’S FIRST KISS

Underneath, in smaller letters.

(Fine. It’s actually Snow White)

I stare at the sign.

The sign stares back.

“Walt,” I mumble.

When I walk in, every head turns with choreographed precision.

Walt looks at me like he’s already three chapters ahead. “Morning, Emory,” he says, loud enough that absolutely everybody pretending not to pay attention now gets to stop pretending.

“Morning, Walt.” I set the top pink box down on the counter. “Delivery.”