High Cotton

by Debby Mayne

  Sara glances at Sally, and they both look at me with wide eyes. “Why? What happened?”

  I point to the sofa as I lower myself into the chair that’s still warm. That annoys me, but I don’t mention it since they’re being so sweet.

  “The owner of the condo I’m buying wants to stay another week or two after we close.” I tell her what Conrad said earlier.

  Sally splays her hands and gives me one of her looks that shows she doesn’t see the problem. “And?”

  “That means I can’t move until they’re out and I get the place cleaned.”

  “Is that what’s got you all upset?” Sally frowns and glances down. “I thought it was something serious. This really is no big deal when you look at the big picture. The week or two will pass, and then you’ll be in your new place.”

  Sara nods her agreement. “Shay, I know you believe in God and everything, so why don’t you turn it over to Him?” She makes an apologetic face. “When we get ourselves into a pickle, we pray.”

  “I agree.” I swallow hard. “I know this isn’t that big of a deal.”

  “But you know good and well that Jesus listens to all of our prayers.” Sally glances at Sara who nods, and they both smile at me. “Let’s pray about it right now.”

  “Now?” I can only imagine what Jesus is thinking about me right now. He’s probably looking at me with pity about how silly I’m acting.

  They nod again. “Yes, right this minute.”

  I slowly lower my head as Sally and Sara take turns praying, first for His timing to show itself on the condo and then for whatever the sellers are experiencing. When I open my eyes, I realize that I’ve spent more time worrying about this than is necessary. After all, what’s a delay of a week or two, besides a slight inconvenience and more opportunity to bond with my cousins?

  Although I’m still not happy about having to stay in the condo with all my boxes packed, it’s nice to know that the twins care enough to remind me how insignificant this blip is. I can’t help but smile when I think about how these girls who are only slightly more than half my age have taught me more than I will ever be able to teach them.

  “Can you fix that delicious meatloaf again soon?” Sara asks. “Ever since we had it last week, that’s all I can think about.”

  “I’d be happy to. How about tonight?”

  “You can do that?” Sara’s face lights up.

  I nod. “I almost always have the ingredients on hand, and it’s not all that hard to do.” I pause. “I’ve got an idea. Why don’t I teach y’all how to make it so you can have it whenever you want, even after I move out? You can watch me.”

  Sally nods with enthusiasm. “That’s a great idea!” She turns to Sara. “It’ll be cool to be able to go into the kitchen and whip up a meal whenever we want without having to leave home.”

  I have to stifle a giggle. Before they moved in with me, their idea of a home-cooked meal was getting carryout and heating it up in the microwave.

  The three of us go into the kitchen, where I tell them what to get from the pantry. I pull the ground beef out of the freezer and pop it into the microwave to thaw. I put them to work chopping onions and bell peppers while I mix egg, breadcrumbs, and seasoning in a bowl that we eventually dump it all into. A half hour later, the meatloaf is in the oven, and Sally is working on the mac and cheese. They only know how to make it from a box, which isn’t any easier than the way I make it, with packaged shredded cheese and elbow noodles. That’s next on my list of cooking lessons, but for now I’ll try to tolerate the packaged variety without making a face.

  We go into the living room to wait for dinner to finish cooking. Sara plops down on the sofa and sighs. “I can’t believe we’ll be eating meatloaf that I actually helped make.”

  “Don’t get too excited until you taste it.” Sally grins and winks at me. “We’ve messed up plenty of perfect recipes before, so my expectations aren’t all that high for this one.”

  “Trust me, it’ll be good.” I oversaw the whole process, so nothing can go wrong. It’ll be just as good as any that I’ve ever made.

  When the oven buzzer sounds, we go into the kitchen to prepare our plates. The meatloaf is beautiful, and my mouth waters. It looks like a work of art.

  We go into the dining area where they’ve cleared their ribbons and bows from one side of the table. As soon as we sit down, Sally reaches for our hands for the blessing. After she finishes, we all dig in and take huge bites of meatloaf.

  I almost gag. “What happened?”

  Sara shakes her head. “I have no idea. I did everything you told me to do.”

  “How much salt did you put in this?”

  “Three tablespoons, just like you said.”

  I put down my fork. “I said a third of a teaspoon.”

  “Oh.” Sara’s face scrunches up. “See? I mess everything up.”

  “That’s okay.” I try to keep the disappointment out of my voice. “You’ll know next time.”

  Sara tosses her napkin onto the table as she stands. “You don’t understand. Every single thing I try to cook turns out like this. I’ll never be able to make a decent meatloaf.”

  “Yeah, same here.” Sally shakes her head. “We both suck in the kitchen.”

  Now it’s my turn to make them feel better. “Do you want to hear about some of my early kitchen disasters?”

  “Do you think she actually bought it?” Sara gives me questioning look.

  “I think so.”

  “I can’t believe she’s so gullible. I mean, why would we be so upset about a stupid meatloaf?”

  I glare at her. “Because we made such a big deal of it.”

  “I know, but it’s just meatloaf.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Sara. She believes we’re upset about being horrible cooks, and actually thinks we’re fine with her staying here.”

  As much as I adore my cousin, she’s really getting on my nerves. I don’t know where she got her OCD from, but it’s enough to set my teeth on edge. Every stinkin’ time I put something on the coffee table, she picks it up and puts it somewhere else. And she acts like the world might end when we forget to use coasters.

  “We must be pretty good actresses.” It’s time to change the subject. “Hey, did you see the last order that just came in? Some momzilla wants a bow in every single color we have, and she wants to know if we can make and send them out right away so she can have them before they go on vacation.”

  “Yeah, I saw that. I hope she realizes we’ll have to charge her for express shipping.”

  Sara makes a face. “Let’s go knock the order out now so we can pack and send it tomorrow.”

  “I hope she has a separate piece of luggage for the bows.” I follow her to the table, where we both sit down and pick up spools of ribbon.

  As we work in silence, I think about how challenging it is for Sara and me to deal with Shay’s ways. I realize it’s not easy for her either, but it would be so much better if she’d relax a little. It’s no wonder she hasn’t found a man and settled down yet. No one can be as perfect as her. I mean, what man wants to feel like he’s not smart enough, clean enough, or whatever she’s watching for every minute of every day that she’s in the condo?

  A pang of guilt shoots straight through my heart. Jesus, forgive me for thinking such thoughts. But I feel what I feel, and it’s still frustrating as all get-out to deal with someone who is so set in her ways and thinks everyone who doesn’t agree with her is wrong.

  One thing I’m happy about, though, is being in this condo and knowing it’ll always be ours. I don’t know how Sara and I would have done in a house. We love everything about this place, or at least we will after Shay moves out. It has two master bedrooms, each with its own bathroom, and a guest room that we’ll use for the business. The kitchen is huge, with quartz countertops, nickel hardware, and a combination of track lighting, canned lights, and pendants. The only thing we hope to change is the appliance package. They’re stainless but not w
hat we like. We went to the appliance store and found a humongous refrigerator with a drawer between the top French doors and the bottom freezer. It’s perfect for storing all the yogurt we eat.

  We finish the bows in an hour and a half. “That’s a crazy number of bows,” Sara says. “I feel sorry for her daughter.”

  “Me, too.”

  “Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. I have a date on Friday night.” She avoids looking me in the eyes.

  “What? Why didn’t you tell me?”

  “I just accepted this afternoon.”

  “How did it happen? You’ve been with me all day.”

  She grins. “Remember when I went to pick up some supplies a few days ago?” Before I have a chance to reply, she continues. “I ran into Justin Peterson. He is so cute!”

  “I still don’t see it, but I remember that you’ve always had the biggest crush on him.”

  “Well, apparently he has a crush on me, too. All those times he and I used to hang out, apparently he kept watching for a sign that I liked him, too.” Her cheeks flush, and she gives me a shy look.

  “Really?” I have to bite the insides of my cheeks to keep from laughing. Her crush was so long ago, I can’t believe she’s acting like this.

  I remember the fact that Justin never could tell us apart, so he just called us the Wright Twins. When he saw one of us, he’d say, “How’s my favorite Wright Twin doing?” And when we were together, he’d say, “Hey, Wright Twins. How’s it going?”

  I hate to burst her bubble, but she needs a healthy dose of reality. “Did he actually call you by name?”

  Her forehead crinkles as she thinks, and then she slowly shakes her head. “Not exactly. Why?”

  “Just wondering.” No point in ruining her good mood. I like seeing her smile. “Where are y’all going?”

  “He’s talking about going to the high school football game, then grabbing a burger afterward at the Goal Line.”

  Sounds to me like he wants to relive his glory days when he was the co-captain of the football team. “Watch out, girl. He’s pulling out all the stops.” I roll my eyes.

  She picks up a spool of ribbon and throws it at me. “Don’t be so negative. I enjoy high school football games.”

  I shrug and pretend indifference. “Good. I’m glad. You’ll have fun. But please be careful and make sure he knows which twin he’s with.”

  She lifts an eyebrow. “Are you saying he thinks I might have been you?”

  “All I’m saying is that, in the past, he had a hard time telling us apart.” I pause. “But I’m sure everything will be just fine.”

  Sara glares at me. “You don’t have to sound so condescending.”

  “Look, Sara.” I clear my throat and try to come up with some words of wisdom. “That’s not my intention. If you enjoy going on dates to football games, then Justin is perfect for you.” I don’t look at my sister because I hate the feeling I get after I say something she doesn’t like.

  “I just like Justin. I don’t care where we go.” Her icy tone lets me know I’ve said too much.

  “Seriously, Sara, if you like Justin, then I hope you have a good time.”

  “I’m sure I will.” She pauses. “If things go well, I might even ask him to go to the reunion with me.”

  A lump forms in my throat. If she goes with Justin, then I’ll have to go by myself. Or even worse, be a third wheel with them.

  Lord, help me.

  A week later, I get a call from Conrad. “Good news, Shay. The sellers say they’ll be out of the condo by closing, so you’ll be able to move right in after you sign on the dotted line. The wife’s medicine is working, and she doesn’t need surgery after all.”

  If he were standing in front of me, I’d kiss him. But I’m in my office with the sales team leaders sitting across the desk from me.

  “That’s good news indeed.” I try to keep a straight face for the sake of maintaining my business persona, but it’s hard.

  “Shay?” Conrad’s voice goes up. “Are you okay? I thought you’d be over the moon.”

  “I am.” I pause. “I’m in a sales meeting right now. Can I call you back later?”

  “Oh, sorry.”

  “That’s quite all right. Thanks for calling.” I hang up and smile at the others in the office. “Now, where were we?”

  As they give their reports and discuss different sales strategies, I’m half listening and half planning my move. The condo is basically move-in ready as soon as the sellers get their stuff out, but it could use some freshening up, and I plan to get it cleaned first. Fortunately, the cleaning crew can do it quickly with a day’s notice.

  As soon as I get back to my desk, Puddin’ calls, and I hear her hyperventilating. I ask her what’s wrong, and she makes some hiccupping sounds.

  “Okay, Puddin’. Stop, take a deep breath, and start over.”

  “I’m at my wit’s end.”

  “What happened?”

  “It’s Trey. His roommates were involved in partying until the wee hours with who knows what and who, and they disrupted the neighborhood, and the whole group of them got evicted from the apartment, and—”

  “Puddin’.” I clear my throat to soften my tone. “Is Trey okay?”

  “I reckon he is. He’s sleeping off his trauma.”

  “At least you know he’s safe . . . for now.”

  She lets out a shaky breath. “I know, and I’m relieved it wasn’t any worse than it is.”

  “Things will get better. I’m sure he’s learned his lesson.” I don’t know what else to say, so I pray I’m giving her some comfort.

  “I sure hope you’re right.”

  I let out a sigh after we hang up. The remainder of the day seems to drag, but quittin’ time finally comes. I head home to tell the twins the great news about the condo.

  I walk into the living room and see Sally sitting on the sofa, staring at the TV that’s playing some mindless talk show with a bunch of women babbling about first world problems. Sally glances up at me. “Hi, Shay.”

  “Why so glum?” I drop my handbag on the table and sit in my chair. “Where’s Sara?”

  “She’s out with Justin for, like, the third time this week.” The sarcasm in her voice lets me know she’s not happy about it.

  “That’s a good thing, right?” I lean forward to try to get a better read on her. “They must really like each other.”

  “Oh, I’m sure.” Sally pushes off the sofa and heads toward the kitchen. “Want some iced tea?”

  I’m not really thirsty, but I don’t want to turn her down with her acting all pouty. I don’t think she can handle the rejection right now. “Sounds good. Do you think Sara will be home for supper?”

  She gives an indifferent shrug. “I doubt it.”

  “Then why don’t we go out for sushi?”

  “Seriously?” Sally’s eyebrows shoot up as she gives me a scrutinizing look. “I thought you didn’t like sushi.”

  “Well, it’s not my favorite, but I don’t dislike it like Sara does.”

  Some of the gloom disappears from her expression. “If we go to Mr. Fuji’s, you can get something else, like teriyaki chicken on a stick.” She stops in front of the fridge. “I’m really hungry. Can we go now?”

  “Okay, let me change into something comfortable and we can go.” I grab my purse and head back to my room.

  I really don’t need to change, but I want some time to decide whether to tell Sally the news or wait until Sara is with us. By the time I buckle my sandals, I decide to fill her in now and tell her sister later. Maybe it’ll cheer her up. I’ve noticed that, although the twins are a lot alike, they’re also competitive. With Sara clearly winning in the boyfriend department, I can give Sally the edge on the latest condo development.

  As soon as we’re seated at Mr. Fuji’s, I lean forward. “I have some wonderful news that I think will make you feel better.”

  She lifts an eyebrow. “News?”

  I try hard not to appear
as though I’m trying too hard as I give her an enthusiastic nod. “I’m going to be able to move right into the condo after closing next week.”

  Fear instantly flashes across her face, and her chin quivers. “But you can’t.”

  Okay, now I’m confused. “What? I thought you’d be happy.”

  “If you move out, I’ll be all by myself and . . . I’ve never been alone before.”

  “Sara’s not going anywhere. Or is she?”

  “I don’t know.” Sally grimaces. “She has Justin, and it seems like they’re getting pretty serious.”

  “But they just started dating, right?”

  Sally nods. “Yeah, but they’ve known each other most of their lives, and I’ve overheard her talking to him on the phone. Something’s going on, and I don’t like it.”

  My heart goes out to this young woman who has never been completely on her own before. Until I lived with them, I never realized how close twins can be. They’ve been together all their lives, from birth, and now the very idea of one of them moving on leaves the other one floundering.

  “Well, first of all, I don’t think Sara will just take off and leave you.” I pause to take a breath and let my words sink in. “And secondly, if you need someone and she’s not there, you know I’ll be on the other side of the lake.”

  “What if she and Justin . . . what if they . . .”

  I smile at her. “You and Sara are beautiful, smart, sweet women. I won’t be surprised if both of you find nice young men and fall in love.”

  “But you didn’t.” She swallows hard. “You’re pretty and smart, and you didn’t find someone to fall in love with.”

  “I . . . uh . . . well, I chose a career, and I haven’t exactly . . .” As I flounder, she studies me with interest. Finally, I just shrug. “The right man hasn’t come along for me—at least not yet.”

  “What if that happens to me? I don’t want to be alone.”

  “It’s really not that bad,” I say. “In fact, a lot of times it’s a good thing.”

  “Oh yeah?” She tilts her head and gives me a scrutinizing look. “Like when?”

  The sincerity in her voice makes me want to answer. The only problem is, I don’t have a good answer to give her. I could say it’s nice to be able to go wherever I want without having to think about inconveniencing someone else, or eat what I want without worrying about what the other person likes. But in all honesty, at this point in my life, I would love to sacrifice my own desires to share my life with the right someone. And even though I’m okay with my job, I’d like to have someone else to share my frustrations with about how I’m not able to express my creativity in such a cut-and-dry profession.