“I am all packed up and I have stripped my bed. Would you like to see where you’ll be staying?” Tilde said once all the hellos were exchanged. Everyone sort of froze and looked between Tilde and Miss Leona and Jesse and Vega. Vega shared a looked with Miss Leona, then cleared her throat.
“Sure. Lead the way.”
“Evie, please join us.”
“Yeah, uh, okay.”
Tilde turned on her heels and marched right down the hallway. Clearly she and Miss Leona hadn’t hit it off, but Tilde didn’t need to make it so obvious that she was willing to disrespect Miss Leona in her own home. Evie was sure if Tilde wasn’t leaving within the hour, Corie, Miss Leona, and maybe even Jesse might have had some choice words for her. Evie and Vega followed her down to the second guest room.
“Evie, if you’ll sit.” Tilde closed the door and launched into her debriefing. Evie sat on the edge of the now bare mattress. Vega snorted as she pulled a tablet out of her bag and came over to the edge of the bed. Tilde gave her a rundown of Evie’s initial injuries and diagnosis.
“Yes, correct. I received her records yesterday and reviewed them,” Vega said. “And you’ve been—”
“She’s reported no dizziness. Blood pressure is normal. No pain beyond some soreness at the sutured area.” Vega looked at Evie, eyes wide, lips pursed, then looked back at Tilde, who hadn’t skipped a beat. “She has an appointment with Dr. Zordetski. She is scheduled for an MRI and if Dr. Zordetski approves she will have her stitches removed. You will speak to Jesse about transportation.”
“May I see?” Vega asked Evie, gesturing her hand toward her bandage. Before Evie could answer, Tilde stepped forward. Evie automatically tipped her head to the side to avoid further injury and let Tilde remove her bandage.
“Oh, it’s healing nicely,” Vega said. “Is there anything else I need to know?”
“I’m concerned about the number of people there are in the house,” Tilde said as she covered Evie’s stitches. Evie was stunned silent. What the hell was she getting at?
“Have any of them hurt you?” Vega asked.
“No,” Evie replied. “The opposite. I feel very welcome here.”
“I mean regarding the noise,” Tilde said like she was making complete sense and not being extremely rude and maybe a little bit racist.
Vega’s mouth popped open, then closed again as she looked at Evie once more. Evie felt herself offer a matching look of shock mixed with confusion. She and Vega were on the same page. It was time for Tilde to go. Vega set down her tablet, then inhaled deeply. “I grew up in a noisy houseful of people, and being surrounded by loved ones did the body and the spirit just fine.”
“I am also concerned about her diet. Miss Lovell cooks extremely heavy meals.”
“Okay. I’m going to stop you there,” Vega responded, holding up her hand. “I’m not sure if you know who Leona Lovell is, but half of her blog is about her vegetable garden and her fresh recipes. Did she drop you off at an Arby’s and tell you to fend for yourself?” she asked Evie.
“Of course not. What’s Arby’s?”
“It’s better if you don’t know. I’m sure Ms. Lovell, Evie, and I can all get on the same page about her nutritional needs. Thankyou, Tilde.”
Tilde frowned, then turned to gather her things. After she shoved her last two paperbacks into her carry-on, she made a show of slamming her jacket over her arm.
“One last thing. I understand that Evie is an adult, but the other grandson, Zach, has been very forward with his interest in her.”
“What?” Evie said. “No, he hasn’t—”
“You might want to ask Dr. Zordetski to speak to her about rushing into sexual activity following such a severe head injury. You might also want to speak to—”
“I will . . . not speak to Evie like she’s a child, but I’m sure she appreciates your concern. I think we’ve covered it all.”
“Hmm.” Tilde yanked the handle of her carry-on. “I wish you a speedy recovery, Evie. Goodbye.” She didn’t wait for Evie to respond, just marched right out of the room and apparently right out the front door. They heard it slam, then Corie’s very clear, “What the hell was that all about?”
“Wow,” Vega said.
“Miss Leona has not been feeding me unhealthy food,” Evie scrambled to clarify. “We gathered our own eggs this morning.”
“And what if she was. If I were in the hospital for over a week, I’d be mainlining junk food for another week at least, just to make up for lost time. Don’t worry. I didn’t think she handed you a bucket of bacon grease. Is there anything elseyouwant to tell me?”
“Uh, I don’t think so. I am feeling much better. I want my stitches out immediately. They are starting to itch.”
“Should I be on the lookout for this guy Zach?” she said with a little laugh.