Miss Understood

Part 10 -- Jamie

My phone rings right after Ellie Reinholdt departs. Ellie's case is the one I worry about the most. She's had to put a restraining order on her husband. I can tell from the caller ID it's Fiona.

"Hey, Peanut!" It's her nickname from birth because she was born a month early and needed to spend a little time in an incubator before she could come home.

"Are you ever going to stop calling me that?"

Last month she turned thirteen. She's tall enough, and pretty enough, to model. Height is the only good thing we inherited from our dad.

"Never," I push back from my desk and rock my chair back. "What's up?"

"Mom's drinking again and I think her memory has gotten worse."

Immediately, I sit straight again. "Okay, I'll make it a point to stop by on Sunday. I'm glad you told me, but I don't want you to feel responsible for this." Really none of us are, but that doesn't stop me from trying to help while worrying about how this effects Fiona. Middle school is hard enough without all the complications our parents add. "Aside from Mom, how are things with you? School? Your grades?"

"I've got straight A's and school is pretty good. There's a dance next month. My friends want to go to it, but I think all my dresses look awful."

I smile. She's already learned the I don't have a thing to wear complaint. It must be a consequence of hormones. "Tell you what—on Sunday, I'll help you pick a dress. How does that sound?"

"Jamie! You're the best!"

"I have to run because I have another appointment--" I glance at my watch, "--now. I'll see you Sunday."

"Okay. Bye." Her voice is breezy and bouncy despite the issues with our mom.

Fiona is so easy to make happy, which in turn makes me happy.

○ * ○ * ○ * ○ *

I walk into the diner at nine-thirty on Sunday morning. Dottie, who's worked at Harrison's for longer than I've been alive, seats me in a booth in her section.

She hands me a plastic laminated menu, flips my coffee cup and fills it without one errant drop. "The usual?' she asks before I have a chance to look at it.

"Would it disappoint you if I changed my order?"

She smiles, her lips are an unnatural shade of orange that closely matches her hair. "It might. Depends on what you ask for."

"I'd never want to disappoint you, Dottie. I'll stick with the usual."

"I always knew you were a smart man."

We do this little dance every Sunday. I always order the corned beef hash with a poached egg, home fries and a black coffee. I pull out my phone to catch up on emails. As I browse, I hear a familiar snort-laugh and glance up. It came from the booth directly in front me. It's two women. The one facing me looks like she's all cried out. Red eyes. Bee-stung lips. A crumpled tissue. All I see is the back of the other. She's short with long brown hair pulled into a high ponytail. Could it be Beautiful Hannah or as I've come to think of her BH, for short? The truth is I've thought of her too much over the last week, usually when I close my eyes and try to fall asleep.

It's been hard for me to admit that I'm looking forward to Nate's next get-together.

"Hannah?" I ask, loud enough for her to hear me.

She turns and I swallow hard. How's it possible that she's even more gorgeous than I remember?

"Jamie, hi." She rests her arm on the back of her booth and sits sideways. "Paisley, this is the guy I told you about who was a bad influence on me at Señor Gallo's. I had such a hangover the next day. This is Paisely, my right hand. She keeps me sane Monday through Friday."

Paisely gives me a little fluttery wave with her Kleenex.

I'm bombarded with thoughts. What did Notso think of the hangover? For that matter, why isn't she with him? And, why did she laugh when Paisely is so obviously in distress?

"I didn't mean to be a bad influence ... or to interrupt your conversation."

Hannah turns to look back at Paisley, who shrugs her shoulders. "Why don't you join us? We've already beaten a dead horse," Paisley says, and Hannah snort-laughs again.

"Are you sure?"

"I am." Paisley says.

Hannah scoots over, so I slide in next to her before they can change their minds.