12
Penny
Oh, this is divine, Penn." My aunt, Lucille, looks absolutely blissful as she takes a greedy sip of her lunchtime cocktail. "Your margaritas are better than mine, and I'm not sure yet how I feel about that."
With my own drink in hand, I round the counter and bump my shoulder into hers. "Well, I learned from the best, I must say." I give her a wink.
I am actively working on my winking.
She throws her head back and emits a throaty, carefree laugh. I loop my arm through hers and ignore the male attention we draw as I lead her to a booth in the far corner of the Frosty Pitcher. It's always like this—when Aunt Lucille is around, men of all ages stare. Usually, she'd be flirting up a storm, but today, all her attention is focused on me.
I called her this morning to discuss my single parenthood project and she closed up her beauty salon at lunchtime to be here with me—to talk about this face-to-face—because she's always had my back like that. Now, I'm sneaking away for a short unofficial lunch break with her.
Aunt Lucille is a beautiful woman, on the inside and out. She raised me like her very own child when my mother turned her back on me for higher pursuits. And no, my aunt isn't perfect. In fact, she's made some pretty epic mistakes that she's still making atonement for. But she's taught me everything I know about being a woman. She's the closest thing I've ever had to a real mom, and I love and respect her deeply.
She smiles softly at me, her blue eyes twinkling. "Sooo...Don't hold out on me. Tell me about this baby plan of yours." Her brows crinkle. "You're sure about this insemination thing?"
I suck in a breath. "I'm sure." There were some sketchy-looking pineapples and berries hanging around the bar's kitchen. I whipped up a fruit smoothie for myself as I prepare my body for the task of carrying a child. I draw my plastic straw through the thick drink. "Do you think I can do it on my own?" I've already made up my mind about becoming a mother but Aunt Lucille's opinion means so much to me. I’m hoping for her vote of confidence on this.
She nods vigorously but her blonde hair doesn't budge. It's been hairsprayed into submission. As Crescent Harbor's premiere esthetician, the woman takes her hairspray very seriously. "Of course you can do it, sweetheart."
When I glance across the room, my eyes make contact with a rugged-looking older dude with a dashing smile under a bushy moustache that matches his bushy chest hair. It's all like a matching set.
He gives me a grin, then darts his chin toward my aunt. I quickly snap my attention away. Nuh-uh, I'm not playing matchmaker. I'm still traumatized from the time Aunt Lucille seduced my math teacher. The man ended up blowing several paychecks on wining and dining her. Then, his car got repossessed and he ended up sleeping on his mother's couch.
I won't be complicit in this.
Aunt Lucille is immune to the man's flirtation. She puts all her attention on me. She lays her hand on mine. "The truth is, sometimes Prince Charming takes a while to show up. And that's okay. You've just gotta live your best life in the meantime. I raised you to be an independent woman and independent women don't mind taking things into their own hands. Hell, I did the single mother thing and I was a mess."
I snicker. "You weren't that bad."
"Girl, I was a mess. Remember when Iris was in preschool and I accidentally sent her to school with your backpack which meant you couldn't hand in your book report on time?" She shakes her head at the memory.
"Oh my gosh! Yes! I think that was the very first time I got detention in school." Through my laughter, I cringe. 'Cause even now, it still hurts. "Remember when you got so caught up in the makeup section at Walmart that you didn't even notice that Iris and I had snuck into McDonalds and were trying to order Happy Meals we couldn't pay for?"
She buries her face in her hands. "They put out a call for me over the PA system to come claim your cunning asses." We're both laughing hysterically. "Then, there was the time you were complaining of a tummy ache and I thought you were just trying to get out of having to go to school but really it was your first period on its way..."
Tears of hysteria fill my vision. "I got it all over my uniform and the kids were laughing at me. So Walker gave me his pants and went to his math class in his uniform shirt and boxers."
We're laughing our asses off.
Aunt Lucille shakes her head. "Wow. Most days, I was not the right woman for the job. It's a miracle you don't hate me to this day. I'm so sorry."
"Are you kidding me? You were the most fun, and I could tell you all my secrets without you getting mad. And you were super honest about the birds and the bees from the get-go." I take her hand. "You did your very best. And I am only moderately fucked up and maladjusted. So, I'll call that a win." She smiles softly.
Right then, one of the newer waiters comes up to our table, carrying a tray of piña coladas. "Hey Penn. That guy over there sent these over."
When I glance across the room, the dude from earlier is wearing a predatory grin, his attention focused on my aunt. Don't get me wrong, he's very handsome—albeit, a tiny bit creepy—but he wouldn't be able to handle Aunt Lucille. She would chew him up and spit him the fuck out.
"Oh, no. We're good," I say, politely declining the offer.
My aunt smiles graciously. "No, thank you, sweetheart." The waiter turns on his heel and walks away with the drinks.
I stir my smoothie with my straw. "Hey, look on the bright side, if you hadn't forgotten to pack my sandwich for that first grade field trip, Walker and I probably would have never become best friends."
"To silver linings!" She lifts her margarita to
