The Plan

by Kim Pritekel

  Lysette returned the small smile she was given. “Either way, a long time ago.”

  “Yes. So why has it all come home to roost in your mind now?”

  “It’s come to my attention that she’s in town,” Lysette said, crushing a few crackers to put into her soup before scooping out another spoonful.

  “Oh? Another George and Megan situation?” Danny asked before taking a bite of her burger.

  Lysette smirked. “No, a Jim, Jimmy, and Bronte situation. Though that came after.”

  “Is Ellie part of the reason there is a Jim, Jimmy, and Bronte?” Danny asked gently.

  Lysette sat back in her booth and considered the question for a long moment. She ran a nervous hand over her perfectly coifed hair. “Yes. No.” She smiled and shook her head. “I don’t know.”

  “How do you know she’s in town? Did she reach out to you?”

  This earned a full burst of laughter, a couple of nearby patrons glancing their way. “Sort of. She sent home a notice with time and date for parent-teacher conferences for my son.”

  Danny’s eyes grew huge as she stared at her, burger at her lips. She lowered it and tilted her head. “No way.”

  “Yes way. She is none other than the woman my fourteen-year-old son has been talking about since the first day of school, Miss Brannon.”

  “Brannon? Did she marry at some point?”

  Lysette shrugged. “I have no idea. I didn’t notice a ring when I saw her, but I honestly don’t know.”

  “Oh, so you’ve talked then?” Danny asked, finally taking her bite.

  Lysette gave her a shy grin. “Not exactly. I’ve seen her twice now, and to be honest, the first time I was shocked as hell and ran out of there like a spooked rabbit. The second time, I just felt…” She searched for the word. “I felt angry. Really, really angry.” She met Danny’s gaze. “Does that make sense at all, or is that crazy?”

  Danny also seemed to be taking her time to respond as she finished chewing her food and used the napkin to wipe her mouth and fingers. Finally, she sipped from her iced tea and spoke. “I don’t know the details of what happened with you two when you were young women, but obviously, you carry a lot of hurt to this day. I know how I felt when I saw Kate that day standing on her front porch and looking at her with her two-year-old daughter in her arms, a daughter that could never have been mine, but it was a life that should have been mine. Does that make sense?”

  “Makes more than sense,” Lysette said, looking down into the depths of the creamy soup before meeting Danny’s gaze again. “Absolutely.”

  “So in telling you that story, then no, I don’t think it’s crazy at all that anger was the emotion that hit you. Not to get all Freud on you, but my guess is that sixteen-, seventeen-year-old girl who is still inside you is who feels the anger. The one who likely feels abandoned.” She reached for her glass of iced tea, lifting it to her lips. Before she drank, she said, “I know I did.”

  Lysette considered that for a moment before she asked, “If you were back in California and Kate was close by, even married to George, would you want her in your life again?”

  “Oh, what a loaded question. Being that I’m available and she’s not,” Danny said softly, chewing on her bottom lip for a moment, “I’m not sure how wise that would be.”

  ****

  “Okay, here’s the remaining invoices,” Jim said, setting the small stack on the edge of the desk where Lysette sat, presiding over the financial paperwork of the law office. “That was it, right? All you needed?”

  “I think so.” She looked over some of the paperwork he’d brought her. She looked up at him and smiled. “Thanks. I’ll let you know if I need anything else.”

  “All right. Thanks, honey.” Jim gave her a quick kiss to the lips, then scurried back to his office.

  At the front of the office was Rita’s desk. She was a kindly grandmother who worked for Jim as his receptionist and was a holdover from the attorney they’d taken the practice over from. As far as Lysette knew, she’d been there since the doors had opened in the thirties. She was currently out on lunch, so Lysette was responsible for double duty should someone stroll in looking for an attorney.

  She blew out a breath as she settled in for a long afternoon. She’d ended her lunch early with Danny so she could get as much done as she could before it was time to get the kids from the respective friends’ houses they’d spent their Friday night with into this beautiful, mid-January Saturday. Her Aunt Josie wouldn’t be available to pick them up because she had a book club to attend with some local ladies of her age.

  As if on cue, the door opened, and someone walked in. “Hey!” Lysette greeted, smiling as her aunt walked in, a covered plate in hand. She wore the overalls Lysette had seen her wear for years, the shirt beneath changing in color and style. Her hair, once golden blond was now gray with a few streaks of blond here and there. The long strands were pulled back into a messy updo, as usual.

  “Hey, kiddo,” Josie said, walking over to her desk. “Brought you and Jim some of those orange cookies you both love. Left some at the house for the kids, too.”

  “Ohh,” Lysette groaned, lifting the towel covering the plate and snatching one of the warm treats. “I really shouldn’t, considering I just had lunch, but…”

  Josie chuckled, hugging the plate to her stomach. “How’d it go?”

  “It went well.” Lysette leaned back in her chair as she nibbled her cookie. “It was nice to see her.”

  “She’s the really beautiful one, right? Tall?” Josie asked, raising a hand above her own five-foot-two height.

  “That’s the one,” Lysette muttered around the bite in her mouth.

  Josie nodded. “Gotcha. Okay, I better run. Last time Eloise got there before I did, we had to read the goddamn Bible for our book of the week.”

  Lysette chuckled, pushing up from her chair to walk her aunt out, accepting the plate and setting it on the desk. The two women walked to the door and shared a quick embrace.

  “Thanks for stopping by,” Lysette said.

  “Sure. See you later, kiddo.”

  Lysette held the wood and glass door open for Josie to pass through, stopping her by calling her name. Josie turned to glance at her over her shoulder from where she stood on the sidewalk.

  “If you could do it all over again, knowing what you know now, would you have done things differently?” Lysette asked softly.

  The softening in Josie’s eyes broke Lysette’s heart. A slow smile spread across her lips as she nodded. “With all my heart.”

  Lysette watched her walk toward her old Chevy pickup truck until she drove away with a wave, which Lysette returned. About to turn back into the office and let the door close, she stopped, something catching her eye across the street.

  Eleanor, dressed in casual capris with ballet flats and a winter jacket, scurried down the sidewalk to the box office. She stood there for a moment, her back to Lysette, who assumed she was buying a ticket. She heard a distant thank you float on the breeze just before Eleanor moved on to the door to the theater, which she pulled open and disappeared inside, the door slowly closing behind her.

  Chapter Fifteen

  “Incredible, isn’t it?” Lysette asked softly, her voice not much above a whisper in reverence for what they were looking at. She felt her heart swell at the look on Eleanor’s face as she took in the huge structure that loomed high above them. It gave her the greatest joy to introduce her to such wonders.

  “I can’t believe that was a dinosaur at one time,” Eleanor whispered, her eyes huge and mouth falling open. She slowly made her way around the exhibit, her gaze never leaving the giant bones.

  Lysette followed along, more enamored by Eleanor and her awe to everything she saw than by the Paleolithic history. They’d been wandering through the museum all morning, after a hearty breakfast cooked by Emma at the Landon Denver house. A self-guided tour that honestly shouldn’t have taken more than an hour had been three, Eleanor looking a
t every single thing, reading every single placard, sometimes out loud, regardless if her audience was listening or not.

  “Did you know that this museum opened the first of July, 1908?”

  Lysette was pulled out of her thoughts by Eleanor’s sudden words. She turned and shook her head slightly to clear it. “Uh, no. I didn’t.”

  “Yup,” Eleanor said with a nod, a huge smile on her face as she led the way over to a case full of Indian arrowheads. “The first president of the board here, John Campion, said during his dedication address that day, ‘A museum of natural history is never finished.’” She glanced over at Lysette, who stepped up beside her, a look of pride in her eyes. “He’s exactly right.”

  Lysette shook her head, never taking her gaze off her friend. “How did you know that? I didn’t tell you we were coming to the Colorado Museum of Natural History until we were on our way.”

  Eleanor’s eyebrows fell, her expression that of confusion. “Didn’t you see that on the plaque coming into the building?”

  Lysette stared at her, feeling rather stupid. “Uh, no. I didn’t.”

  “Girls, come on,” Emma said, hurrying over to them. “Your maman left to get the tickets for the picture show. We have to hurry or we’ll be late.”

  Eleanor looked around, a panicked look on her face. “We have to leave? But, but we just got here!”

  Lysette wanted to hug her. “We’ve been here for hours, Ellie,” she said with an affectionate smile, a hand on her friend’s arm. That hand slid down the sleeve of the borrowed dress until Eleanor’s fingers were tucked within her own. “We’ll come back, I promise. But where we’re headed now is…” She paused as she thought of the word. With a wide smile, she said, “Magical.” She chuckled at the look that got her. “Yes, I said magical. Come on, you’ll see.”

  Tugging her by the hand, Lysette guided them to follow Emma, who hurried across the highly polished floor of the grand building. As they stepped out into the mild, mid-October day, Eleanor stopped them, turning back to look at it.

  Lysette took in what was, yes, a gorgeous building with all its grand columns and stairs, but was at a loss at what had Eleanor’s attention. “What? What are you looking at?”

  Not taking her eyes off the museum, a sad smile passed over Eleanor’s lips. “I’m committing it to memory,” she said softly. “Likely I’ll never get to see this again. I don’t want to forget a single detail.”

  Lysette pulled her hand free of Eleanor’s only to take her in a comforting hug, right there on the stairs of the Colorado Museum of Natural History. “I swear to you,” she whispered into the hug, not caring who saw them or who heard her. “I’ll bring you back here someday.” Her fingers ran through the long, free strands of Eleanor’s dark hair. “You’ll have your freedom, I swear it, Ellie.” She left a small kiss on Eleanor’s neck. “Let’s go.”

  They caught up to Emma, who was about to turn the corner and get them on the street where the picture show would be. As they hurried by, the three were stopped by a man who removed his hat, addressing the trio with a warm smile.

  “Ladies, I’m an out-of-work photographer, and I’d be honored if I could snap a picture for you to remember this day for all time,” he said, hope in his eyes as he met their gazes. He indicated his camera, which was set up in a tripod with a camera case setting against the side of the building, just off the sidewalk. “I’ll give ya a good price, most honest you’ll get today,” he added.

  Lysette glanced at Eleanor, who stood to one side, Emma on the other before turning back to the man. “How much?” She could tell by the quality of his equipment and lack of that of his suit, which was worn with a hole beginning to work its way into the elbow of his jacket, that he was certainly on hard times. There were so many that were, her father told her. Her family gave as much as they could to those struggling, and this man was no different.

  “A nickel and your home address will buy you a glossy, miss, that I’ll develop and send off to your home,” he promised, eyes brightening as she opened her purse and reached inside.

  She glanced at her companions. “Will you two take a photo with me?”

  “You two go ahead,” Emma said, taking a step back. She gave them a wide smile of encouragement. “I want you two to remember this, always.”

  Lysette met Eleanor’s gaze, a question in her own. When she got a small nod, she handed the man two quarters. “Here you go.”

  The man looked at the two coins in his palm, then up at Lysette. “Thank you, miss,” he whispered. “Thank you.”

  “Come here,” Lysette said, a goofy grin on her face that, not only did she get to make a perfect stranger’s day, but she also was getting to immortalize the closeness she had with this person she was growing to adore and could not imagine her life without. She put her arm around Eleanor’s waist to pull her closer before dropping her arm.

  “Okay, ladies, beautiful, just beautiful,” the photographer said, looking into the view finder of his camera. “Go ahead and stand a bit closer together,” he suggested as he got his camera ready.

  Lysette yanked on Eleanor’s skirt until Eleanor bumped into her, nearly causing them both to trip. She grinned at the indignant look that move earned her. She stuck her tongue out at her friend.

  “Okay, ladies. Over here, now. Say cheese!”

  Wanting to make Eleanor laugh, she yelled out, “Practice!” She heard the gasp and looked over just in time to see Eleanor looking back at her, laughing in shocked amusement.

  After leaving a very bemused photographer who was given their address scrawled on a piece of paper, Lysette felt Eleanor’s gaze on her. “What?”

  “Why did you do that?” Eleanor hissed as they neared the theater. “You could have gotten us in trouble!”

  Lysette snickered. “By what, saying such an innocuous word as ‘practice’? She giggled at the blush that colored Eleanor’s cheeks. “And I paid for the picture, so it’s not like my mother could be annoyed.”

  “All right, I got our tickets,” Adalyn said, meeting them outside the theater where they stood on the sidewalk. “Here you go,” she said, doling out the small paper slips.

  “Is this it?” Eleanor asked softly, looking up at the building that looked like it belonged in Morocco more than Colorado.

  “Yup. This is the Aladdin Theater,” Lysette explained, then indicated the busy street packed with beautiful theaters and businesses around them. “You see, Curtis Street, where we’re standing, is known as ‘Theater Row.’ You should see it at night, Ellie. All lit up like a birthday cake!”

  Eleanor looked around, eyes wide as she cradled the ticket close to her chest. “It’s beautiful,” she murmured, looking back at the large theater before them.

  “Adalyn, they made a mistake,” Emma said, holding up the two tickets she held. “They gave you one too many tickets.” She looked at Lysette and Eleanor. “Girls, do you both have your—”

  “Emmaline Brannon.”

  The smile was instant as she heard the voice and turned to see her. Her hands went to her mouth and her eyes got huge.

  “Josephine Landon,” she whispered.

  “Aunt Josie. I didn’t know—” Lysette began but stopped herself as she watched Emma and her aunt slowly walk toward each other until the last bit of distance was eaten up in excited steps and the two met in a desperate hug. She turned to see a satisfied smile on her mother’s face and an equally shocked and baffled look on Eleanor’s. “That’s my Aunt Josie,” she explained softly. “I don’t think they’ve seen each other for quite a while.”

  “I guess not,” Eleanor said, meeting Lysette’s gaze. “Look at them. I’ve never seen Mama so excited before. I mean, she’s crying.” She brought her own hands up, fingers nervously fidgeting. “What do I do?”

  “Just let them be, chérie,” Adalyn said, walking up to the teens and putting her arm affectionately around Lysette’s shoulders. She called something out to them in French, which was answered in French by the woman whose
short, blond hair was in need of a trim and whose ill-fitting dress was a bland shade of light purple.

  “What did she say?” Eleanor asked as she was shepherded toward the theater by Lysette.

  “She told Aunt Josie we’d meet them inside and we’re in the balcony.”

  Eleanor’s eyebrows drew. “Balcony?”

  Lysette grinned, leaning into Ellie as she wrapped her hands around her arm. “You’ll see.” As they were about to enter the building, she glanced back at the two women still standing on the sidewalk. She saw Emma bring a hand up and lightly touch Josie’s face, then her hair, almost as though to make sure she were real. But what got her was the look in Josie’s eyes. The only other time she’d seen a look like that was when her father looked at her mother.

  “Are you coming?”

  Lysette turned to Eleanor, who was still looking at her, her question hanging in the air. Without a word, they hurried inside.

  Tickets given, treats bought, the trio headed into the theater proper, Lysette leading the way. She nearly had to drag Eleanor, as she wanted to stop and look at every single glittery detail of the opulent theater. She knew, however, what would really get her was the sheer size. The theater, which produced stage plays and picture shows sat more than nine hundred eager souls.

  “The man who built this place a few years ago was called ‘Mr. Movies,’” she explained, arm still linked with Eleanor’s as they made their way inside the huge auditorium.

  Dark blue velvet curtains, wood accents painted gold, and the Moroccan style of the outside of the building flowed through in the rounded curve of the archways with a pointed tip.

  “Beautiful, isn’t it?” Lysette asked Eleanor, who looked around wide-eyed and open-mouthed.

  Eleanor turned her head and met her gaze, looking into Lysette’s eyes for a long moment before she gave her a soft smile and nod. “Beautiful.”

  Lysette felt a wave of heat flow through her as she saw that violet color soften every time Eleanor looked at her. She gave the arm she clutched a little squeeze before tugging lightly so they could continue to the stairs that would lead to their balcony.