Page 50 of Too Old for This

My first thought: Morgan lied.

She told me she was having dinner with a friend in Portland tonight.

And because she is scheduled to leave early tomorrow morning, we said our goodbyes today at lunch.

We ate at a restaurant downtown, near a bakery she wanted to check out.

I kept waiting for her to bring up the finger, but she never did.

“Thank you for all your help the last couple of days,” she said. “And again, I apologize for just landing on your doorstep without any notice!”

Morgan was still embarrassed about that, and she was still angry with Archie for not calling. A good thing for me. I hoped it would make her stay quiet about the finger. I didn’t want to have to lie to Archie about that.

But now Morgan is here, at my church. I don’t know what that means, but I don’t like it.

“I’ve just met your future daughter-in-law,” Pastor Doug says. “You didn’t tell me she was in town.”

Before I can answer, Morgan jumps in. “My dinner was canceled tonight, so I dropped by to see this incredible church you’ve told me so much about.”

Doug’s eyes appear to twinkle. He looks a little mesmerized by her, and I can’t blame him.

She is wearing a beautiful silk dress. High neck, long sleeves, the dress skims over her curves but doesn’t accentuate them.

Her hair is pulled away from her face. A mound of curls hangs down her back.

She is glowing, though you can’t tell she is pregnant.

I also can’t tell what she has said to Pastor Doug. So for a moment, I freeze, staring at both of them as I consider all the possibilities.

“What a wonderful surprise,” I finally say. “You must come over and meet my friends.”

“Are they working on the play as well?” Morgan asks.

“Play?” Doug says.

Dammit. I wish I could say this is all Morgan’s fault, but that’s not true. It’s not her fault she found a finger in my freezer.

“Let’s get you some bingo cards!” I grab Morgan’s hand and lead her away from Pastor Doug before she can say another word.

Sheila and Bonnie raise their penciled eyebrows at me as I bring Morgan over to our table. I motion to Glenda to get us another chair. After a few quick introductions, during which Bonnie and Sheila exchange shocked looks, we all get settled down to play a little bingo.

“Morgan has been up here for a couple of days, taking care of the wedding plans,” I explain.

“Isn’t that lovely,” Bonnie says. “Tell us all about it.”

The wedding dominates our conversation right up until the first break, when Morgan takes out her phone and shows everyone the dresses, her aesthetic wall, the venue she just picked out, and her flowers. Sheila and Bonnie ooh and ahh in all the right places.

“It’s been so nice to be able to spend some time with Lottie,” she says. “We’ve never been alone together.”

“So you’ve had some girl time,” Sheila says.

“Oh, yes, and I’ve heard all about you and your church activities. Just last night, Lottie was telling me about—”

“The new play,” I say. “The one we’ve been talking about for so long.”

Honestly, I didn’t have a choice. Morgan smiles and nods. Sheila and Bonnie look confused. As they should.

“You know, the one Glenda is always talking about,” I say. “From the book of Judges?”

Morgan smiles. “I saw the finger. It looks great.”

“I’m sorry, did you say finger ?” Sheila says.

I reach across the table and knock over my cup of fruit punch.

Sheila yelps and jumps up, trying to avoid getting dripped on. I wave my hand to get Glenda’s attention while Bonnie calls out for more bingo cards. At the next table over, Ella and Maxine start shushing us. Glenda rushes over with towels and a very patronizing look. She speaks in a stage whisper.

“Let’s try to keep it down.”

Nothing like a little chaos to make everyone forget about the word finger . I hope.

I glance over at Morgan, who dives right in to help mop up the table, not caring at all about that nice silk dress. She catches me watching her and flashes a smile. It looks genuine and innocent until she winks.

I hate winks. They’re so ambiguous.

By the time we settle back down with a clean table and new bingo cards, one game has ended and another has started. I reach over and pat Morgan’s hand, pointing to the card in front of her. Morgan nods and runs a finger over her lips, like she is zipping them closed.

We make it through the rest of the night without any severed body parts. Nobody brings up the finger when we say goodbye. Sheila is too busy checking her shoes for drops of fruit punch. Bonnie’s eyes are glassy. She must have finished off her flask by herself.

As Morgan and I walk out to the parking lot, she hooks her arm in mine.

“I can see why this church is so important to you. Your friends are so nice.”

“They loved you. I can tell.”

She smiles, looking like a child.

Almost.

“There isn’t really a play here, is there?” she asks.

I wish my son hadn’t picked someone who was so clever.

“No. There’s no play here,” I say. “Not at this church.”

Morgan looks confused. “It’s at another one?”

“That’s right.”

“You’re cheating on your church?”

“It’s terrible, right? I’m terrible.” I shake my head, take a deep breath. “They just have so many more activities. Here, we just have bingo night.”

Morgan throws back her head and laughs.

“It’s really not funny,” I say. Even though it is.

“I think it’s great. You can go to as many churches as you like. That’s your prerogative.”

I answer with a firm nod, as if she has convinced me. “You’re right. I shouldn’t feel bad, should I?”

“No, you should not.” Morgan clasps a hand over her mouth. “Oh my God, but I let your secret out, didn’t I? Oh, I’m so sorry.”

I wave my hand, brushing her words aside. “Don’t you worry about it one bit. Like you said, I’m not doing anything wrong.” I reach over and take her hand. “I’m so glad we’ve had this time together. And I mean that. It’s been a pleasure getting to know you.”

“Strange, right? That we’re about to be family and hardly know each other?”

“We do now.”

We say our goodbyes in the parking lot of the church. She refuses to accept a ride to the airport, even pointing to my cane as an excuse. “I didn’t know your arthritis had gotten so bad.”

“It’s fine. Please don’t worry about me.”

She hugs me. Twice. “Thank you for everything. You really made me feel welcome.”

I put my hand on her cheek. She really is a sweet girl. I hope Archie knows that.

When I get back to my house, I make a cup of Earl Grey and sit in my recliner for a minute, thinking about the last couple of days with Morgan.

Up until this visit, I had been dreading the future family dynamic.

Stephanie on one side, Archie and Morgan on the other, and Olive, Noah, and the new baby somewhere in the middle, all of them needing a grandmother. It was shaping up to be a nightmare.

Now, not so much.

I get up and head into the garage. Time to start burning Norma.