“I said, welcome home.”
“Jesse showed me pictures on the website, but this isn’t what I expected.”
“Different from life in the big city.”
“Different from the tenth floor of Presbyterian.”
“I’m glad we could spring you. We’ll be at the house in fifteen minutes. Miss Leona is psyched to see you.”
Evie wasn’t sure what to expect from their grandmother, who for some reason they referred to by her first name. Hopefully she and Evie got along. So far her recovery had been filled with kind, caring people, including Jesse and now Tilde, who weren’t exactly the warm fuzzy type. She was sure at some point her luck would run out and she’d be faced with someone who absolutely did not wish her well.
After a while they did appear to roll into a small town with strips of shopping areas and restaurants. They drove by a massive place called Target that Zach said had just recently been remodeled and expanded.
“I’d take you there for funsies, but we’d run into at least forty-seven people from high school, and you don’t want any of that right now.”
“I ran into Jenny Yang there last week,” Jesse mumbled from the front seat.
“High school crush. Broke his heart,” Zach whispered. Evie filed that information away just in case she ever ran into Jenny Yang. Then she briefly wondered if she would run into any of Zach’s ex-girlfriends as they drove into a quieter part of town. The retail area seemed to end and Evie noticed signs for different farms and fruit orchards.
“I’ll show you around here, so more later. People think California is just desert and beaches, but we pump out half the country’s produce.”
“Oh wow,” Evie said. They continued on, and seemingly out of nowhere, Bruce took a left and pulled onto a short but secluded road. They stopped at a high wooden gate and Evie realized the fence attached to it stretched for a pretty good distance in either direction. The gates swung open and Bruce drove the SUV down a road that seemed to go on for miles.
“This is Pleasant Lane. We basically have our own small neighborhood.” Up ahead Evie could see three massive homes spread out around a central driveway. They passed two smaller buildings as they got closer, but Evie couldn’t take her eyes off the sprawling mansion at the center. She spotted some movement and then four dogs of various sizes came running toward the SUV. Zach and Jesse didn’t seem the slightest bit worried, and Evie could see why when all four of the dogs hit some sort of invisible line and started pacing anxiously.
“We also have a bunch of dogs. Black one’s Clementine. Big shaggy girl is Sugar Plum. Euca’s the spotted one and Poppy is the little yapper there. Don’t worry. None of them bite.”
“Oh. Okay,” Evie said, unsure. Bruce pulled the car to a stop and Zach and Jesse immediately hopped out. Bruce followed, she assumed to grab their bags, but Evie was more focused on the elderly Black woman who had just emerged from the grand front entrance of the home in the center of it all. She was draped in jewelry, dressed in a flowing red top and matching flowy pants. Two other women were right behind her, but Evie was focused on the woman who must be Miss Leona Lovell. Jesse had explained that she was a movie star, had been for over sixty years, but Evie didn’t know what it would feel like to be starstruck. Jesse immediately embraced Miss Leona as she kissed both his cheeks. Zach seemed to fall right in line and received the same warm welcome, before he jogged back over to the car and helped Tilde and Evie out of the back seat.
“You got this. She loves you,” he whispered in Evie’s ear as he offered her the solid support of his forearm. She could walk fine on her own, but her legs still felt like they needed a little more exercise before they were back to their full strength. Also it didn’t help that the dogs were as excited to see her as they were to see Zach and Jesse. A large black dog with a red collar kept trying to lick her hand. “Just don’t look her directly in the eye,” he went on.
“What?” Evie stumbled as she caught Zach’s teasing tone a minute too late.
“I’m just playing,” he said with that damn chuckle that made it impossible for Evie to be even a little bit pissed off at him.
“Not funny.”
As she made her way up the front steps, Miss Leona cocked her head to the side and looked Evie up and down. The flowing outfit and the beautiful butterfly pendant hanging around her neck and stacks of gold and silver bangles were accompanied by a face of full makeup—perfectly arched eyebrows and bright red lipstick—and what Evie thought was a gorgeous jet-black wig cropped in an angled bob.
“It’s good to see you, baby.” Miss Leona’s voice felt like a warm hug.
“It’s nice to see you, too.”
“So no memory, huh?”
“No. Sometimes I think I feel bits and pieces of things, but nothing real.”
“Mm, all the things I’d like to forget. Talk about a fresh start. Don’t worry. We’ll get you settled. We’ll get you fed and then you can rest, rest, rest. Lord alive, we need to do something about your hair. Come on.” Evie had hoped her butchered sew-in weave, which she’d draped over her shoulder, was less obvious with the bandage and the floppy hat she was still wearing, but Miss Leona saw through it all. She gave Evie two light pats on the back, then led her into the house.
“You know Corie. That’s my goddaughter,” she said, pointing to the plump Black woman standing on the front steps, and then she nodded toward a Black girl who had to be around Raquelle’s age, standing beside her. “You haven’t seen Lilah since she was a baby, but she used to come around when you were in grade school.”
“Hi, Evie. Big fan,” Lilah said with a little wave. She was sweet faced and soft-spoken. Evie found herself hoping they’d be friends.
“Go on. Move, Sugar. Euca, you other two. Corie, get these dogs out of the way.”
Corie snapped her fingers and ordered them to shoo. It didn’t work. Suddenly an ear-splitting whistle pierced the air. The dogs immediately froze. Evie turned around to see Jesse with his thumb and his middle finger still between his lips. He snapped his fingers, then pointed toward the far end of the porch. “Go sit,” he said, his voice level. All four antsy pups went and lay down in the shade of the small lemon trees that lined the front of the house.
Still a little stunned, Evie followed Miss Leona into a beautiful sprawling kitchen/living room space where there was another surprise waiting. She recognized Sam Pleasant from the pictures Zach had shown her. He stood, feet spread apart and arms wide-open in welcome.