She gauged Mary’s reaction, but Mary just smiled and quickly looked away. She couldn’t stop thinking about Jake but hadn’t told anyone she’d met someone. InWisconsin, of all places—she didn’t want the third degree about any of that.
To change the subject, Mary went into the kitchen and shoved her head into her parents’ refrigerator. “Is there anything to eat around here?”
Of course there was.
Mary took out containers of meatballs and red sauce, and her mom started boiling water for pasta. It was good to be home, but she missed The Crew. They’d grown closer in the last few months by spending so much time together. And instead of tiring of each other’s company, they’d bonded more than ever.
While in New York, Mary checked in at the firm’s office and made the rounds with her associates and the partners. All of them said they missed her but admired her work even from afar. She hadn’t missed a beat and had even troubleshot a major problem in a brief that saved their client hundreds of thousands of dollars.
“Thank goodness for your sharp eye,” Sofia Garcia said when she stopped by to see her. “And I’m glad it’s all worked out. You proved my point that you could be trusted to work remotely.”
“Thank you. I’ve missed being in the office, but it’s been a great experience so far. Interesting to be in another part of the country, especially during an election year.”
“Tell me—what’s the word on the campaign trail? I’ve maxed out my Democratic contributions to the House and Senate candidates, and I keep refreshing RealClearPolitics to stare at the polling averages. It’s still so close.”
Mary gave her the take as best she understood it from Dot, Fletcher, and Rose.
“So, you’re saying there’s a chance?” Maria asked, tilting her head.
“Definitely!” Mary wanted to leave on an optimistic note. “Thanks for making time for me today.”
“You were the bright spot in my afternoon.” She stood to shake Mary’s hand. “Keep me posted on the election. And we look forward to your return.”
It felt good to be missed.
Before she left the office, she popped down a floor to also see Patricia Parker, the eminent domain expert. She told her she’d been trying to follow the money to find who was behind the effort to push the Taylors to sell their farm.
“Keep digging. Sometimes the best clue is hiding in plain sight,” Patricia advised.
Mary made a mental note to look through all the paperwork again.
Once she was sure that everything was settled at home and that her Nonna was okay, Mary decided it was time to go back to finish out her year in Wisconsin. It was midsummer, and she had just five months left in Cedar Falls.
Chapter 43
Mary’s flight landed late afternoon on a Sunday. As the plane taxied to the gate, she opened her phone and sent a message to Dot and Harper.
“You won’t believe what I saw on the flight.”
“Tell me.” Dot was the first to write back.
“This good-looking guy, tall, Dallas Cowboys hat, jeans, and a gray T-shirt, is in the row ahead of me. I checked him out before takeoff, natch. But then you wouldn’t believe the movie he watched on the flight.”
“What was it?Braveheart?” Dot took a wild guess. Ryan and his friends had loved that flick. They always quoted from it.
“No. Worse.Frozen. A cartoon!”
“Oh, ick!”
“Exactly! Add it to the ick list.”
“Added! See you at dinner?” Dot asked. They planned to get Ubers and meet up after she landed and was on her way to Cedar Falls.
“Yes. Where should I tell the driver to drop me?”
“New spot,” Harper wrote. “Buddha Bootie. Asian fusion. On Washington Street. I’ll send a link.”
“What’s on the menu?” Dot asked.