Chapter 8

“They would have had to set the plan in motion way back in fall, of course,” Carmen said after more thinking.

“And then be patient.”

“Right. It could have been something to look forward to, maybe, for him, her, or them, if it was a group effort. That’s a nice thing.”

Looking forward could also be a bad thing. It often led to major disappointment. That was a lesson better kept to myself at the moment, I figured.

“I saw your face light up more than once just looking at them.” Carmen nudged me.

“Yeah?” I thought a moment. “Yeah.”

She did it again. “Maybe your mood will lift for good, now that it’s warmer.”

“I didn’t realize it had lowered.” I fought my scowl with everything in me.

“Oh, for sure. You’ve been cranky since Columbus Day, at least.”

“You remember the specific date?” I asked.

“There’s a face no one reported.”

A few miles away from the supermarket, now, I’d spotted the crocus emoji, too. Number six already.