Glory laughed with real pleasure, then applauded. “Dang me, Annelise, if that wasn’tawesome! You’re a natural! I loved it! Is Gregory a boy in your class?”
Annelise squirmed happily. “Nope. I just thought it sounded kind of grown-up, and it’s fun to say. My mom says the handsomest man ever in movies was named Gregory.”
“Gregorydoes have some good syllables. It’s almost like a whole song in a single word, isn’t it?”
“Ittotallyis. I don’t know any Gregorys. I like Jaden in my class, but he likes Carlie,” she said sadly. “So do Caden and Aidan. Carlie is really pretty. But Joe likes me.”
“Joe sounds promising,” Glory said stoutly. “If he likes you, he must be pretty smart. A lot of things rhyme with Joe, too. You know you’re pretty, too, right?”
“I know,” she said so happily and innocently that Glory’s heart squeezed. “Except my friend Ella saw Joe pick his nose once and then eat the booger.”
“Well, that’s a bit disappointing. But I’ve seen guys do worse. We can put chords to your song if you want. You bring your guitar on down to the Misty Cat and I’ll teach you a few when I get off work sometime this week.”
Annelise’s hands went to her face in flabbergasted delight. She’d painted each of her nails a different color, and she’d painted little silver stripes down them. Just like Glory’s. It gave Glory a little glow.
“Oh mygosh, would youreally?”
“I’d love to, Annelise.”
She forgot her whole crappy week for just a second while she basked in the glow of the happiness of a little girl who looked up to her.
“Are you going to go see The Baby Owls at the Misty Cat tomorrow, Glory? My mom says I can! At least for a little while. Maybe I can stay up past my bedtime for a little while, too.”
Ouch.The Baby Owls mention was like a surprising little jab in a fresh wound. It inconveniently reminded her of the ignominy of the previous few days, and how much of a peon she truly was.
“Well, sure. I like The Baby Owls! I’ll be working with your grandma and grandpa during their show so I guess I’ll see you there.”
Suddenly Eden Harwood pushed open her shop door. A petal was caught in her hair, and Glory smiled. Hazards of her business. With her long green apron and soft red-gold hair, she kind of looked like a rose.
“Annelise, what on earth are you doing out here? Iknowyou haven’t finished your math homework.”
Annelise gave a guilty start. “Gotta go! Bye, Glory!” She waved and skipped backward. “I’ll come over to the Misty Cat for a lesson soon, ’kay? Bye!”
“Bye, you two!” Glory called.
As the door to the flower shop swung closed, Eden scooped Annelise in with one arm around her shoulders as if re-claiming her. And though her voice was lowered, Glory distinctly heard, before the door swung shut, “What were you doing out there talking with the likes of Glory Greenleaf?”
Glory blinked.
Thelikesof her?
The likes of her?
She gave a short, stunned laugh.
What in God’s name did that mean? Although she was pretty sure she knew. Given that her last name wasGreenleaf, and all.
She’d never dreamed Eden ever thought that way, though. Given how pragmatic Sherrie and Glenn were.
But after the week she’d had, that offhand comment made her feel as if everything that made her a human who could think or feel or speak or sing had been scooped out, leaving her hollow and raw as an empty tooth socket. A stray breeze might have tooted a note out of her.
Like a kazoo.
And suddenly she had a hunch what she was going to do when she got home.
Chapter11
The call came into Eli around eight-thirty p.m. From Mrs.Elmore Sims of the Heavenly Shores Retirement Community, who said she heard “loud rhythmic thunking noises off in the distance.” And it probably wasn’t gunfire, though one never knew, but how was a person to get any sleep when there were loud rhythmic thunking noises off in the distance?