I smiled at Han. There was clearly so much more to him than his amazing smile and his incredibly sexy James Bond swagger.
5
Returning from my day in town, I found a note tacked to my bedroom door. On crisp white paper it said:
Tonight’s dinner will take place in the garden.
The theme will be Family Game Night.
Please wear casual attire.
“Well, would you look at this?” I said to Latifa.
“How am I supposed to look, Sugar Cookie, when you’re holding the paper waaay up there above my little head?”
“It’s an invitation to family game night tonight.” I held the paper out toward her. “That seems out of character for the Caldwell bunch. Casual attire? Since when? What games will they be playing, do you suppose?”
“Honey, there will be no lawn darts or water balloon toss, I guarantee it. So, don’t you dare pull out shorts and a tank top.”
She jumped down off the bed and made her way to the closet. A moment later she poked her head around the corner. “Hellooo, Missy. Are you coming? It’s fashion time.”
I joined Latifa in the closet, where she always enjoyed selecting my outfits. I could tell she’d been taking a break from the movie channel to watch Project Runway again, since she kept trying to overdo it, adding scarves and hats and trying to pull together unusual items. I finally got her focused, so she was pacing the closet, thinking aloud.
“Sporty, not sloppy. Basic, not boring. Chic and classy, but casual. Hmmmm. Think, girl.”
“I am thinking,” I said.
“I’m not talking to you, dear.”
I knew she was talking to herself and not me, but I couldn’t resist. I pulled a floral-patterned T-shirt from the rack and waved it in front of her for inspection.
“Oh, goodness, no,” she said. “Fun, not frumpy, Mrs. Doubtfire. Tsk. What do you have in nautical colors? Stripes, perhaps?”
She stretched out her neck and tried to nudge through my hanging clothes, but she was a little too short. I could tell this was going to take forever. I had an idea and went out to the bedroom and brought back the bench from the end of my bed.
“Well done! Now you’re using that noggin’ of yours,” she said, jumping up onto the bench.
Now that she had a close-up look at my wardrobe, she made noises that sounded suspiciously like groans of despair.
“How am I to create the best possible outfit restricted by these selections?”
Yep. She’d been watching Project Runway again. She ordered me around and had me try on various options that caught her eye. I was slightly annoyed, but I had to admit she had a good eye, so I held back on any snarkiness.
Soon, I was attired in a perfectly suitable outfit, according to Latifa. Sleeveless striped top with a sunny yellow summer jacket. She paired this with crisp white skinny jeans and flats. Her first choice was a pair of linen pants, but she suspected that I’d look wrinkled within an hour. (I would. How do women wear linen pants and not look wrinkled?)
We spent the next half hour sorting jewelry and accessories. (So much for not taking forever.)
“I must admit, this look is perfect,” I said, putting on earrings for the final touch.
Latifa took a bow. “Thank you, thank you. My work here is done.” With that, she proudly lifted her tail in the air and sauntered off to her alcove for a nap.
Latifa was cozied up asleep, which allowed me to catch up on my work and touch base with Luna.
I had decided not to tell Latifa or Axel about the odd conversation with Nakita, the ferry captain, or that I was planning to meet up with her. I knew it wasn’t wise to slip away for that, but she had said not to tell anyone with that dire life or death warning. Plus, Vessie seemed to know her well, and she was the town’s ferry captain. I decided it would be fine.
Before I knew it, the afternoon had slipped away and it was time for dinner with the family.
I wasn’t sure what to expect for a Caldwell Family Game Night. I knew it wouldn’t be horseshoes and a hot dog roast for this formal group, but I suspected something boring like cards, Bridge maybe. However, the backyard layout delighted my senses in a refreshing and unexpected way.
Do you know that scene in Alice in Wonderland where they play croquet with the Queen of Hearts? And the Mad Hatter’s tea party? (If you’re not sure, I’ll wait while you Google it.) Yep. That’s what the yard was set up to be. This was hysterically appropriate, given the falling through the mirror thing. They had to see the connection, right?
I stepped out of the door of the house through an archway made up of enormous-sized playing cards that were arranged to look like flowers.
The grassy section of the lawn was laid out with a croquet set. Not your ordinary backyard set. The mallets looked like upside-down pink flamingoes and the wire arches were made of folded playing cards. The balls were painted to resemble hedgehogs, just like in the original scene.
Off to the side, a white party tent was set up with tables for dinner. The color scheme was a burst of playful pastels: blues, pinks, and greens. Chairs were adorned with large green bows, and the tables were covered in layered tablecloths: green, angled over the top of sunny yellow. Each place setting contained a fanciful, patterned plate and an oversized teacup and saucer, many in polka dots and swirly patterns.
The tent was lined with tiny fairy lights and garlands hung with decorations: white rabbits, clock faces, and smiling Cheshire cats.
Once I absorbed the imaginative setting, I scanned the yard to see who was there. I was happy to see the entire family here, plus a few extras, so I set out to touch base with
