Now That I've Found You - Kristina Forest Page 0,45
out of his head. “I didn’t know you were coming by today. How are you, sweetheart? And where have you been? You haven’t stopped by to visit Ruby in weeks!”
I blink, surprised. This is a much warmer welcome than I was expecting.
“I’m sorry,” Milo says. “I’ve been really busy with band stuff.”
“Oh, that’s all right. We aren’t mad at you. We know you’re on your way to becoming a big star. Ruby will be happy to see you, either way.” She finally turns to me and shoots Milo a coy glance. “And who is your lady friend?”
“Oh no,” he quickly says. “It’s nothing like that at all. She’s—”
“Hi, Esther,” I say, taking off my sunglasses. “It’s me, Evie Marie.”
Esther blinks a few times, taking a step back and holding a hand over her heart. “Evie Marie! Come here, girl!” And then I’m pulled into one of her eyeball-popping hugs. “Peg told me you’d be in the city this week, but I didn’t expect to see you. Come in, come in.”
We’re ushered inside, and I find that Esther’s brownstone is quaint and sweet, just like her. Shoes line the hallway, which opens into the wide space of her living room, and the kitchen connects to the right.
“How many times have you been here?” I whisper to Milo as Esther beckons for us to follow her into the living room.
He shrugs. “I don’t know, a handful. Whenever your grandma wants to come by.”
“You mean Gigi actually leaves her house to see Esther?”
“Yeah,” he says, confused. “You know, she doesn’t stay inside all the time.”
Before I can ask him to further explain, Esther says, “Ruby, look who’s here. Your favorite.”
There’s an older woman sitting on the living room couch, wearing a pink bathrobe and matching fuzzy slippers. She’s watching Every Time We Meet on the huge flat-screen television in front of her. It’s the fiftieth anniversary this year, so I’m not surprised that the movie is playing on cable right now. Some stations are running daylong marathons.
The woman—Ruby—slowly turns to face us, and her mouth forms into a smile.
“Milo,” she says, grinning. “Hi, baby.”
“Hey, Ruby.” Milo walks over and plants a kiss on her cheek. He sits down on the couch beside her. “How’ve you been?”
“Good, good,” she says, gently patting his knee. She speaks just as slowly as her movements. “Look at you. Always so handsome.”
“That’s my older sister, Ruby,” Esther whispers to me. “You were so young the last time you saw her, maybe five or six. She was living in Houston, but she came up to live with me after her stroke. It’s one of the reasons I retired. That and the fact that your grandmother basically forced me to. Said I needed to enjoy my life while I still had time left.” She laughs and then says, “Ruby, you remember Evie Marie, Peg’s granddaughter? She’s all grown up now. Isn’t she lovely?”
Ruby leans forward to look at me and blinks, offering the same slow smile she had for Milo. “Oh, yes. Lovely just like Peggy. How are you, baby? I hope you still aren’t upset about what that evil British director did to you. Just like a white man to try and steal your joy.”
“Oh, Ruby, don’t start with that,” Esther says. But she adds, “Not that I disagree, of course.”
“You hold your head up high, you hear me?” Ruby says. Because she speaks a little slowly, her words feel more deliberate, weighted.
“I hear you,” I say. Now everyone is staring at me, and I feel a little self-conscious. I need to remember why I came here in the first place. “Esther, I was wondering if I could talk to you about Gigi. It’s important.”
“Of course.” Esther gestures for me to follow her into the kitchen. “I was just getting ready to give Ruby her breakfast, but you and Milo are welcome to eat too. I actually insist on it.”
A sizzling pan of bacon and home fries sits on the stove next to a pan of scrambled eggs. Esther begins pouring glasses of orange juice, and I decide it’s best to just be quick about this Gigi business.
“Okay, so Gigi left yesterday morning. I have no idea where she is or when she’s coming back, and I’m worried about her.”
Esther frowns and places the carton of orange juice back in the fridge. “What do you mean, she left?”
I pull Gigi’s note out of my pocket and hand it to Esther. She shakes her head as she reads and tsks