The Magic of Stories

9 - An accident

Our pizza adventure was a success. During dessert, Conny even dropped her resolution to call Paco by his surname. Even if this was still far from romantic, I counted it as a major win for their relationship. Danny lived in a nine-year-old's heaven and when we left the pizzeria, Amber hugged me and whispered a "thank you" into my ear. It made me feel awkward, since I just contributed a few minor bits of conversation while I wolfed down a delicious pizza.

The next morning, I had my arms elbow deep in the dishwater when Conny arrived.

"Excuse me for being late, but getting Danny out of bed was a hassle today."

"I believe it—he was exhilarated yesterday. You were right that it wasn't the best idea to go out for dinner."

She shook her head. "No, it's fine. I haven't seen my children so happy in a very long time. Thank you for joining us. I'm sure you had other plans for the evening."

It was my turn to shake my head. "Not really. I—well, my boyfriend dumped me three months ago, and I'm not in a hurry to replace him." My wounded heart still hurt, but Conny had been open with me and deserved to know. "He was a professor at my uni, and I should have known I was just another fling for him. Unfortunately, love follows strange ways."

She bit her lip. "It does, but I'm sorry you got hurt."

With our kitchen towel, she began drying the glasses I handed her. "You are still young and will find someone worth your time. It may just take a little while."

"Well, I'm in no rush. Right now, I enjoy being able to make my own decisions and spend my evenings with whoever I like. Yesterday was fun, and Paco was right about the place serving excellent pizza."

A smile danced over Conny's lips. "That's true, and I'm glad I agreed. Mister—Paco is very good with Danny, and the boy adores him. Even Amber seemed content for once."

I was tempted to tell her how much her daughter worried about her, but if the evening had helped them to rebuild a positive relationship, it was for the best to allow the healing more time. While I replaced the dishwater, Conny brought in the next stack of glasses.

"Thanks." I placed them in the sink and began washing. "Have you heard from Marjorie?"

"Not yet. I promised to call her today to report on the opening ceremony. She should be in rehab now and will remain there for another two weeks."

As Conny had predicted, we finished the dishes in no time and the library was soon tidy and ready for our first customers. When my colleague retreated to the office, Cat appeared, sitting on the front desk.

"And? How did it go?"

"The dishwashing? Rather well, and as you can see, we're already done."

He scowled. "You know what I mean."

I hid a grin, happy I could pay him back in his favourite game for once. "That went well too—but you are one nosy feline for real."

"Ha, says a human, the species whose middle name should be nosy."

"Human nosy sapiens has a nice ring, but so does felis nosy silvestris." His indignant snort made me laugh.

"I am appropriately impressed by your Latin, Lynn, but how do you even know I'm a forest cat?"

"Hm, you're bigger than a house cat, and your bushy tail and chubby cheeks are giveaways. Also, I fear you'd scratch my eyes out if I would dare to treat you like a pet."

My retort earned me his Cheshire grin. "Ah, I know why I like you so much. I think I'll have to have a word with Marjorie and advise her to keep you around."