Page 72 of Power
“Aww, you do love me.” Hope reaches over and hugs May, who appears rigid and uncomfortable. “Now.” Hope takes the container with the curry, and slides it over in front of her. “I need a fork.” She looks around.
“No, you’re not eating directly from the container, girly.”
Hope’s shoulders slump forward. “Fine, I won’t.” She looks over to me. “So, what brings you to Hope River?”
“Mom picked me up from school yesterday, and asked me if I wanted to do a girls’ weekend. Just her and me, not Tash or Bennett.” I stiffen when she says Bennett’s name, hoping no one picks up on who she’s talking about.
“The two of us each packed a bag and drove until we found ourselves here,” I say attempting to distract Hope and May.
“Hey, Emily, wanna do something with me?” Hope asks.
I sit straighter, feeling protective of my daughter, but there’s something about these people that puts me somewhat at ease, too. “What?” Emily asks.
“There’s a bouncy castle down there and I really want to go, but the last time I did, I split my pants and I wasn’t wearing underwear. It was totally embarrassing, and I’ve never been able to go back. Now, I can absolutely use you for my cover. I can say, ‘Hey, I’m showing the new kid around.’”
I snort with laughter at Hope’s blunt honesty. “You split your pants?” Emily asks slowly.
“Oh yeah. And, once when we were filming an episode of Restoring Hope, my pants got caught on wire and they totally ripped open. The producers wanted me to change, but hey, that’s me. We kept it in, and it ended up being one of the highest-rated episodes. With the exception of the one we did in New York for the restaurant, Table. Do you remember that?” she turns and asks May.
“Do I remember it? That episode had me in tears.”
“Anyway, what I’m trying to say is, I do stuff like that all the time. I can’t guarantee I won’t completely embarrass myself, but wanna go?” Hope eagerly looks to Emily. “Please?”
“I can agree with Hope,” May says. “She does make a fool out of herself. Tell them about the time you broke your nose.”
“There are impressionable young ears at the table, Gran. I don’t think our new friend Reece would want to subject her daughter to that story.”
Emily sits forward and clasps her hands together like she’s praying. “If you tell me, I’ll go to the castle with you.” She quickly turns and looks at me. “Can I?”
“Sure.”
“Fine, but don’t say I didn’t warn you. If you’ve seen the show, you know I work with my husband, River.” Emily and I both nod. We’ve seen a few of the episodes, but I really like Hope, so when we return home, I’m going to binge all the seasons. “Before we were together, we had history.”
“And she was caught in her own head,” May adds.
“Listen, old lady, keep your opinions to yourself,” Hope says with a massive smile.
“Call me old lady again and this cane is going somewhere the sun don’t shine.”
Their banter is priceless. “As I was saying. River and I weren’t together, and one morning I went down by the ocean to buy a coffee and donuts, because...donuts are life.” Emily giggles and I wrap my arm around her to pull her in for a hug and kiss. “Anyway, as I was enjoying my coffee, I spotted this guy swimming in the ocean. Basically, I was appreciating the view until I noticed it was River. Well, before I knew it, he was standing in front of me, I was drooling, and in my haste to get away, I tripped on the step and my face kissed the pavement. My nose was in the way and I ended up breaking it. But!” She holds up a finger. “I was particularly annoyed with myself for dropping the donuts and leaving them behind.”
“You were more worried about the donuts than your nose?” Emily asks, still giggling.
“Duh, donuts.” Hope stares at her like the obvious thing to have done would be to have picked up the donuts. “They’re good donuts. You should go tomorrow morning to get some. Anyway, you owe me a visit to the bouncy castle.” Hope points to Emily, then turns to me, waiting for my approval. “The castle is right down there.” Hope points to the town center.
“We walked past it and I said to Mom that it looks like fun.”
Hope abruptly stands. “Let’s go, kid.”
Emily turns to me. “Have fun,” I say, giving her permission to go with Hope.
“I like your kid,” May says.
“Thank you.” I smile.
“Where are you and Emily from?” May asks.
“Washington, D.C,” I reply.
