Happenstance 3 (Happenstance #3)(25)
Author: Jamie McGuire

“Brady has a bright future ahead of him, Easter. Your future, on the other hand,” she said, her eyes looking up the outer wall of the Dairy Queen and then back at me, “fits perfectly inside that little window.”

Frankie snorted. “Did you come all the way over here from the country club to taunt her? How old are you again?”

“I just wanted to congratulate Easter on graduating. It’s a pity your mother couldn’t make it to the ceremony.”

“Julianne was there,” I said.

“Your real mother,” Lynn said without emotion. “The one who lives in the trash can you were raised in.”

Frankie looked to me. “Is Brady’s family tree a cactus? Because everyone on it is a prick.”

I stifled a laugh, and Lynn narrowed her eyes at Frankie.

“You’re the town joke, Frances. You’re going nowhere. You have the same job you had in high school, and so will your children because you can’t afford to give them a decent education.”

“Maybe,” Frankie said. “But I can and will find a way to get them to college. You raised your son to be a cruel human being. And when most of the people from this town think of him, they won’t think of the Beck name or how successful he might or might not be. They will remember only that he was a vile, snide asshole. Live with that.”

Frankie slammed the window down, and after a few seconds of deciding whether or not she would try to say something through the glass, Lynn spun on her heels and stomped back to her car.

Frankie turned, leaning her backside against the corner of the counter. “God, I hate that bitch.”

I took a deep breath and blew my hair away from my face. “I get the feeling she doesn’t like herself either. Veronica said Lynn brags about the mean things Brady says and does to people. Who purposely instills that kind of anger into their children?”

“Lynn Beck,” Frankie said, looking for something to keep busy.

The rest of our day was hectic but uneventful. The baseball field stayed empty, and it was more than a little bittersweet to know that Weston would never hop in his pickup and drive across the street to stand in front of my window again.

I was just beginning to get used to driving to a beautiful clean home that didn’t smell like weed or stale cigarette smoke, but waking up and having nowhere to go but work was weird.

The first few days of our last summer before life in the real world felt like the weekend, but as the days ran on, they seemed to have too much time in them to think about things like the wonderful but strange turn my life had taken, about why it had all happened, how my luck had changed—and if it would change again.

Too much time meant long days, but before I knew it, Independence Day was upon us. Julianne and I spent a lot of time cooking and decorating the house and sidewalk for the block party Sam and Julianne would put on every year.

Weston spent most of the day helping his mother, too, but as it got closer to dinnertime, everyone was outside, tasting one another’s finger foods while chatting about how often they had to water their lawns.

The summer was particularly scorching, and since the City of Blackwell had mandated a citywide water restriction, the grass was already beginning to turn a golden brown. Living in a Southern state where triple digits weren’t uncommon for that time of year, I remembered hearing about those mandates before. Complaints about the effects of the water shortage on the lawns hadn’t been a topic of conversation at Gina’s, and it seemed odd to me.

“Holy crap, it’s hot,” Weston said, grabbing me as he jogged by.

His hairline was soaked with sweat, his cheeks bright red against his bronzed skin. A pair of aviator sunglasses covered his beautiful green eyes. That was the only thing I didn’t like about summer.

Weston hadn’t looked Caucasian since a week after graduation, and my pale skin was working on its fourth sunburn of the year.

“Don’t forget the sunscreen,” Julianne said as she passed by, handing me a spray bottle of SPF 70.

I frowned. Her olive skin was a glorious shade, too. Sam, however, was rubbing a thick white sunblock onto his nose, and he wore a wide-brimmed Panama-style hat.

This is his fault.

“Erin!” Julianne called. “Erin, come meet Mrs. Schrimshire!”

I made a face, and Weston patted me once on the back.

“I try to like parties. I really do,” I said before leaving Weston.

I went to greet Julianne and a woman who was old enough not to have any business being in the direct sun. I picked up a plastic cup full of ice water on the way.

“You are just adorable!” Mrs. Schrimshire said with a smile that nearly showed all her dentures.

I handed her the cup. “Here,” I said, sounding awkward instead of polite. “It’s hot.”

Mrs. Schrimshire chuckled and grabbed the cup from my hand before taking a shaky sip. “What a good girl you have here.”

“We sure do,” Julianne said, beaming with pride. “Erin, Mrs. Schrimshire has lived in this neighborhood the longest. Her husband was an attorney here in town. The Gates took over his firm.”

“I sure miss your other Erin. How are you holding up, honey?” Mrs. Schrimshire asked, touching Julianne’s arm.

Julianne smiled. “I miss her, too.”

“Must be so odd…to be so happy to have your daughter back and to also miss the one you raised.”

“It is,” Julianne said, handling the uncomfortable conversation like a pro.

“It is so nice to meet you,” I said, trying a polite smile.

Julianne winked at me.

“Ribs are ready!” Sam yelled from our yard.

Half the street migrated toward the smoker, and Julianne gestured for me to follow.

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I’m terrible at this.”

“Stop being so hard on yourself. You’re doing just fine, and you look fantastic.”

Julianne scanned me from my side braid to the white sundress and navy sandals. She’d bought the dress and helped me choose what shoes to wear.

“Can you come with me to college and help me choose the right outfits?”

“You wear sweats to class in college. And no makeup. Try not to shower either. They look down on you for that,” she said, only half-joking.

“Oh, thank God,” I said, helping her serve the plates Sam had quickly filled with meat.

Weston appeared next to me. “The Johnsons have a pool,” he said, tugging on me.

“Don’t you dare!” Julianne shrieked. “It took her forever to get her braid just right, and she doesn’t want to look like a river rat before the fireworks!” She looked to me. “Or do you?”