Healing Tea Read online

  I had taken time with my makeup. Did everything Teagan taught me and a couple of things I picked up on YouTube. I did a smoky eye in copper. I know it sounds weird, but orange is the opposite of blue, so it makes my eyes really pop, and it was kind of a statement thing to go with my dress. I put way too much product in my hair and made it as poofy as possible with just a touch of spiky. It worked. I didn’t have any jewelry to go with the dress, but the dress was jewelry all by itself. I put in a pair of dainty gold hoops. It worked.

  I almost missed one of the things the girls thought of. On a hanger next to the dress was a bag. I opened the bag, and it had a beautiful purse that coordinated perfectly with the dress. Inside the bag was a pair of leather ballet slippers that were the softest I’d ever tried on. A note in Anna’s handwriting: For when your heels are too much.

  They had thought of everything.

  For the first time in a really long time, everything worked.

  Which made me wish my mother could see it.

  Which threatened to bring my mood right to the floor, but I didn’t let it. I took a deep breath, concentrated on A.J.’s cologne, and headed for the door.

  There was a knock at the door. A.J. answered. Our concierge asked if we were ready and indicated there was a driver for us downstairs.

  “We’re ready.” I smiled at her.

  Well, at least we now knew we were not dining in the same building.

  When you’re staying on the strip, it seems like everything is within walking distance, but as my toes will testify, things are farther away than you think they are. We’ve walked for miles and miles this trip. I’ve enjoyed every step.

  “We were asked to give you this, ma’am.” I hate it when people refer to themselves as we.

  I took the little box and opened it.

  Another note.

  Dearest Cara, these are on loan. Have a great evening.

  Written in Adeline’s distinctive hand.

  Emerald earrings. They’ve got to be worth more than my car. Maybe my parents’ house.

  I showed them to A.J. “I’m not sure I’m comfortable wearing these. What if I lose one?”

  “Then Adeline will be happy to remind you they are insured, and at least you didn’t lose two.” A.J. was taking to all of this more quickly than I.

  I didn’t argue further; just put them in and said a prayer. “Keep looking at my ears. If one goes missing, you need to notice right away.”

  “Don’t they have a locking mechanism?”

  “Yeah. Watch my ears.”

  A.J. chuckled as we followed our concierge down the hall.

  As we walked out to the waiting limo, people turned to see who we were. There are all kinds of rich and famous people wandering around in Vegas, but we happened to be neither.

  We looked like we were both.

  And we were getting in a casino limo, so everyone would figure we were high rollers or someone even more interesting than that.

  It was kind of fun.

  There is a lot of construction going on in Vegas. The driver explained that they are building another stadium. Vegas is changing, and the authorities and entrepreneurs are trying to keep up. It was amazing that he could get such a long car through so many twists and turns without hitting anything.

  I was a little surprised when it became obvious we were leaving the strip.

  “I wonder where we’re going.”

  “I’m sure there are a lot of places off the strip. My guess is a steak house.”

  “That sounds good. I’m hungry again. I’m gonna get fat.”

  “You’ve got a long way to go before you have to worry about that.”

  I wasn’t sure if that was a compliment, but I’m pretty sure it was meant as one, so I smiled and looked out the window.

  I could see the Welcome to Las Vegas sign and figured we were going to stop and take a picture.

  What I didn’t notice until it was too late is that right near the Las Vegas sign is a heliport.

  The girls know I’m not a heights person.

  Why had they booked a helicopter flight, and how the hell was I going to get out of it? It was definitely going to mess up my hair.

  Long story short, the flight was to see the sights of the strip. We were in the air about twenty minutes. It didn’t scare me. Much. It was more like being on an airplane, and airplanes don’t scare me. Really. Vegas is amazing at night and from the air.

  I was able to fix my hair.

  It might have even been better after I attacked it in their bathroom.

  I applied new lipstick, and we were off in the limo, headed back to the strip.

  I should have asked if we could stop at the sign for a picture, but the line was so long I thought it would throw off the whole schedule, and the girls obviously had a schedule.

  Okay, I would never say this to the girls, but I wasn’t really looking forward to our fancy dinner. I am intimidated by all that stuff. Everybody gets their own waiter, and there are forty pieces of silver on the table. I always feel like I’m going to do the wrong thing or use the wrong fork, and I don’t eat most foods, so I always feel completely unsophisticated.

  A.J. was right. It was a steakhouse. The menu stated they wet-aged their meat for weeks, dry-aged it for a while longer, and then cooked it to order. Really? Their chef would not be happy when I ordered his beautifully aged meat well-done. In the past, at other fancy places, they have made me sign a waiver because well-done ruins the meat.

  It was a wonderful dinner.

  They were so nice to us and didn’t make me feel foolish at all.

  The server regaled us with stories of old Vegas. He said he’d been working on the strip for thirty-seven years, and although you wouldn’t find anyone to admit it, it was a lot nicer when the mob was perceived to be in charge. He said people dressed better and were more polite, and there was a sense of dignity then that the strip doesn’t have anymore. Based on the pictures I’d seen hanging on the walls of one of the casinos — tourists in decades gone by — and remembering the people waiting to check in, with their ice chests and torn up clothing, I could understand his point. But the truth is, I like that people are more casual these days. We’ve just gone a step or two too far.

  The next morning, we went on a hunt for a thank you gift for the girls. I didn’t know what I wanted, but I knew that I wanted it to be personal, to be special, and to let them know how much we appreciated everything they’d done. For me, they’d brought me back from the edge of a very deep and dark chasm.

  I know that sounds dramatic, but it’s the truth.

  I think I might have even put on a couple of pounds.

  It helped that one of the casinos has this outrageously good gelato. They also have a three-story chocolate waterfall-type thing. And a huge area that is full of flowers. The guy there said they change it out for every season and special holidays. When they’re changing it out, they work on it twenty-four hours a day, and it can take up to seven days. They bring in trees on forklifts and build bridges and all kinds of stuff. In the spring, they have a little glass house full of butterflies.

  We wandered through the really expensive shops in the connector tunnels of a couple of the casinos. I figured if I spent my seventeen hundred dollars, it would be perfect.

  I found all kinds of stuff for each of them individually, but I didn’t find anything that I wanted to give them as a group. The girls, together.

  I was about to give up when I saw a tiny shop with the perfect gift in the window. I figured I’d just blown the budget, but I’m good with that. A while back, I got a check for cleaning out the condo of a dead cop, so I can dip into that if I need to.

  We went into the shop. An older gentleman stood behind the display case. “Can I help you youngsters with something?”

  He had a twinkle in his eye.

  “I’m looking for a gift for three very special women in my life. I saw a bracelet in the window. The one with the hearts. You don’t happen to have three of
those, do you?”

  “I normally do not carry multiples of anything, but let me check.”

  He walked away, leaving us alone in the tiny shop area. “What do you think? Isn’t it perfect?”

  “I think it’s beautiful.”

  “I like the symbolism behind it.”

  “Three hearts intertwined. I like it, too.”

  “Oh, but, A.J., it’s so much more than that. One of the hearts has tiny little diamonds. That one reminds me of Adeline. One of the hearts has amethyst. That stone is supposed to bring you wisdom. That one reminds me of your grandmother. She was a schoolteacher. The other, I’m not sure what it is, but it looks like autumn jasper. That stone is all about efficiency and good humor. That’s Anna. Could it be more perfect?”

  “How do you know all that stuff?”

  “My mom. She believed in all that kind of stuff. Like everything else in my mom’s life, it was a mix that she created herself over the years. My mom’s belief was a kind of hybrid of faith and paranormal and ancient tradition. She claimed she took the best of all the different groups and created her own belief structure. ‘I know a little bit about a lot, but not a lot about any bit.’ She used to say it all the time.”

  I think that was the first time I talked about my mom without crying, which almost made me cry, but the shop man came back and joined us.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t have three.”

  “Can you order them?”

  “I can.”

  “How long will that take?”

  “I’m not certain. I can check on it for you.”

  “Would you do that please?”

  He went back behind the curtain. “My very own Oscar Zoroaster Phadrig Isaac Norman Henkle Emmannuel Ambroise Diggs.”

  “Who the hell is that?” A.J. looked completely confused.

  “The Wizard of Oz.” I smiled.

  As if summoned, the shop guy came back through the curtain. “I can have it in the store in three days.”

  “We’re leaving tomorrow. Could you send them to me in Florida?”

  “Of course.”

  He started to take down all my information. I pulled out my credit card, making a mental note to pay the balance as soon as we got back to the hotel so there wouldn’t be any interest to pay, when a woman walked in the front door.

  She was about the shopkeeper’s age, with eyes that twinkled just as much. For a split second there, I thought they might be Mr. and Mrs. Santa Claus on the off-season. “Hello, love.”

  It about killed me. She sounded too much like Mom.

  The wizard smiled. “Your hand is so much better than mine. Could you finish this order for me, dear?”

  As the woman started to write, she clucked. “Is there a reason not to take these with you? It will save you a bit on shipping.” She smiled.

  “We were told there weren’t three in the shop. I need three.”

  “As well you would.” She smiled at me. “I have them here for you, dear.”

  She disappeared behind the curtain, and moments later, came back with three green velvet boxes. If she opened them and shamrocks fell out, I’d faint dead away.

  I half expected it to happen, though.

  She opened each of the boxes. The matching bracelets were present and accounted for.

  “Perfect. I’ll take them.”

  “Would you like me to wrap them up for you, dear? Are they a gift?”

  “I think I’m going to try to find something to put them in. I don’t expect the girls to wear them all the time. I’d like to have a special little something for them to be stored in.”

  “How old are the girls? Would they do well with something a bit special?”

  I had to laugh. “They are grandmothers. They refer to themselves as ‘the girls,’ and it has become a habit.”

  “I think I might have just the thing. Please, give me a moment.” Behind the curtain she went.

  I stared at A.J. It was all becoming a little bit weird, but in the most wonderful way.

  He didn’t say a word, just made a face that threatened to make me laugh hysterically.

  I hadn’t laughed hysterically in so long.

  It felt good for it to bubble up.

  When herself put the little boxes on the counter, I wanted to hug her.

  They matched. I like that. They were heart-shaped. That was good, too. They had a Celtic knotting design around the sides. The first symbol was the Triquetra. It’s the most common I know of. The trinity. Some people think it means the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Some think it is mind, body, and spirit. But there are also those who believe it is the stages of a woman’s life: the Crone, the Mother, and the Maiden.

  On the top of the boxes — down by the point of the heart — were three roses. It was really intricate and beautiful. Then above the roses was the Claddagh symbol. The hands represent friendship, the heart represents love, and the crown represents loyalty.

  Could it be any more perfect?

  “I love all the Irish symbolism.”

  “I thought you might.” The woman’s eyes twinkled.

  She must have seen the confusion on my face. She said, “With that red hair and those blue eyes, I would know you to be a fellow countryman anywhere.”

  That made me smile.

  I couldn’t help myself. I was so excited. “I’ll take it. All of it. And thank you.” I ran around the counter and gave the woman a hug. “This means more to me than you know.”

  “I think it is a lovely thing you are doing, child.”

  She sounded like my mom again. But instead of killing me, it made me smile.

  Maybe things are getting better.

  FIVE

  I’D BEEN HOME about three minutes when the phone rang. My mom’s picture popped up. It stunned me for a second. “Hi, Daddy. What’s up?”

  “Just calling to make sure you made it home safe and sound.”

  “We just this second walked in the door. You want to come over for dinner?”

  “I’ll not intrude.”

  “I bought you something. You wanna come get it, or are you making me drive all the way over there?”

  He chuckled. “Is it perishable, or shall we just leave it to the next time we see each other?”

  “It’s not perishable, and it’s not a big deal, but I’d really like to tell you about the trip. It was nothing like we expected. Like I asked Teagan to tell you, we ended up in Vegas. We should go sometime.”

  “Your mother never did make it there.”

  “Maybe she did. We can talk about that. There was this lady in a shop who really reminded me of Mom. And there were several times I felt like she was looking out for me.”

  “Did she come for her cup of tea, girl?”

  “Not yet. But she will.”

  “Are you sure dinner wouldn’t be too much trouble?”

  “Not at all. What do you want?”

  “Whatever it is that you are serving.”

  “Six thirty?”

  “That would be grand.”

  “How about I invite Teagan and Jessie?”

  “All the more.” And he was gone.

  Teagan and Jessie arrived early. Jessie and A.J. walked up to the bar on the corner for a beer and a quick game of pool. Teagan set the table and ran a dust cloth over my living room. Begrudgingly.

  “There’s no dust here, dingleberry.”

  “I’ve been gone almost a week. There has to be dust.”

  “There’s no dust, which I’m sure negates your entire belief structure and perhaps your reason for living.”

  “And you are in a mood, because?”

  “No reason.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “Actually, things have been going pretty well. Work is good. We got the bug client.”

  “Bug client?”

  “The lady with the aversion to palmetto bugs. The reason we had to shut down the office and spray enough poison to insure the annihilation of all future generations of the critters.�
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  “Oh, yeah, I remember. I’m glad you got the client.”

  “Honey has calmed down. She works exactly half-time. She’s in enough to be annoying but not to cause postal worker-type rage.”

  “That’s an improvement.”

  I wondered how long it would take her to get to the point.

  “Jessie and I are good.”

  There it was. The opening salvo. She was just waiting for me to say something she could jump on and start a fight. I could hear it in her voice. “That’s good.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “I mean it is good that you and Jessie are good.”

  “I got your texts about Joy calling and wanting you to be a go-between. I talked to Jessie about it. We didn’t want to interrupt your trip with our stuff, so he sent off a quick email — through his lawyer — that agreed to it. She didn’t respond.”

  “That’s kind of like putting out a fire with alcohol, but okay.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “It means saying you approve of an intermediary by going directly to the source is a bit passive-aggressive, but I understand I wasn’t around to deal with it, so it’s probably my fault.”

  “You don’t have to be around all the time to referee my life, Cara.” Her tone was somewhere between sarcasm and pure disdain, and I am loath to admit, I took the bait.

  “I don’t have to referee your life at all. I’m doing you the favor, remember?” I snapped. Not very ‘good sister’ form. “What’s going on with you, Teagan?”

  “I’m sorry. You’re right. I’m just not in a good place. Not with work. Not with Jessie. Not with anything or anybody.”

  “It’s been a very rough few months.”

  “It’s been harder on you than it has on me, and you sure seem to have bounced back all of a sudden. Maybe I need a lux vacation.”

  I didn’t want to react badly, but she was really working my last nerve. My sense of well-being was new, and fragile, and she was trying to break it into a million pieces.

  “I’m really trying here, Teagan. You want to talk about what’s going on? Or do you want to keep trying to bait me into a fight so you can fight with me instead of dealing with your problems?”

  “I hate it when you’re right.”