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“Okay,” Tildy agrees easily.

Adley gives me a look that’s both relieved and

exasperated. I step in and close the door behind me. She’s

much more casual than her niece, wearing a grey t-shirt with

the outline of an elephant and some flowers on the front and a

pair of boyfriend jeans. They’re baggy and rolled up at the

bottom. I never would have thought she’d own a pair. I’ve

tried them on myself and they look so silly on me, but not on

Adley. On Adley, I can see why people rave about them.

“You look amazing.”

Adley turns a brighter shade of red. She looks doubtful

and embarrassed. “I don’t know. I’m trying to get things going

in the kitchen, but I had to wash dishes and I’m trying to make

the cheese sauce from scratch and get everything right, all

while someone is telling me in the loudest, most shrill tones

that they are going to faint and then die from hunger. I’m just a

little bit of a mess at the moment.”

“Need help?”

“No. No, I’ve got this.”

“You can come play go fish with me!” Tildy appears

back in the doorway.

The apartment is pretty open. The front door area has a

mat for shoes and a mirrored closet, then it turns the corner

into the living room and that looks into the walled off kitchen.

There’s the typical hallway after that where the bedrooms and

bathroom are, I’m guessing. I can see pretty much all of that

when I step around the closet and follow Tildy.

“Sure, I’ll play go fish with you.”

Tildy picks up a deck of cards off the coffee table.

Adley shoots me an I owe you one look and slips past us back