True Colors

“Just now. I hope that old truck makes it.”

“If it breaks down, she’ll meet Tom Cruise at the gas station.” Winona pushed past her sister and went into the small, cluttered laundry room, where stacks of folded clothes layered every surface. “Can we talk about me for a change?”

“Come on, kids,” Aurora said behind her, “Aunt Winona is crazy today. Give her plenty of room. You never know when she’ll blow.”

“Very funny.”

Aurora took Ricky and Janie upstairs and put them down for naps, or television; whatever mothers did with four-year-old twins in the late afternoon. Fifteen minutes later, she was down again.

“Okay, what’s going on?” she said, standing in the middle of the living room. Today she was wearing tight black jeans, penny loafers, and a boxy jacket with oversized shoulder pads. Her straight brown hair was drawn back from her face in a French braid. Bangs poufed out over her forehead like a tiny awning.

Now that Aurora had asked directly, Winona found herself reluctant to reveal her true reason for racing over here. Stalling, she said, “I told Dad he should sell off the back ten acres or short plat them and then sell them.”

“Yeah, well, you’ve got the learning curve of a lemming.”

“Water’s Edge is going under. Why else would Vivi Ann have to borrow entry money? And have you noticed how run-down the place looks?”

Aurora sat down on her new gray and mauve sofa. “You can’t tell him to sell his land, Win. The man would rather sell his sperm.”

“It’s a few acres you can’t even see, and it could give him financial security.”

Aurora leaned back, drumming her long red fingernails on the glossy mahogany end table beside her. “You know you should talk to Vivi or me before you do something like that.”

“I shouldn’t—”

“I know. You think you’re smarter than we are, and it’s your responsibility to take care of everyone ’cause you’re the oldest, but honest to God, Win, when you get a thing in your mind, you can’t see the forest for the trees.”

“I was just trying to help.” Winona sat down on the salmon-colored brick hearth. A moment later she got up and went to the window. From here, she could see Aurora’s child-friendly backyard and the houses behind it.

Aurora frowned. “I haven’t seen you this jumpy since Tony Gibson asked you to go away for the weekend.”

“We promised never to mention that.”

“You promised. How can I forget the image of him stripping down to his women’s panties?”

Winona couldn’t take it anymore. She blurted out: “Luke Connelly called me today.”

“Wow. That’s a blast from the past. Last I heard he was off to vet school.”

“He’s back in town, and thinking of buying into Doc Moorman’s clinic. He wants me to look over the documents.”

“He called you as a lawyer?”

“That’s what he said.” Winona took a deep breath and finally turned to face her sister. “And that he was looking forward to seeing me.”

“Does he know you had a crush on him?”

Crush. That was a pretty small word for what she’d felt, but she certainly wasn’t going to tell Aurora that. Instead, she said, “I’m going to meet him at four tomorrow. Do you think you could help me look good? I know it’s a herculean task, but—”

“Of course,” Aurora said without smiling.

“What is it?” Winona asked. “You’re giving me the something’s-wrong look.”

“I won’t say anything. Okay, I’ll just ask a question. It’s about Luke, right? Just Luke.”

“What do you mean?”

“Dad always wanted the Connellys’ land. Don’t pretend you don’t know that. And he liked them.”