Page 35 of See You at the Sunset

“He did you a favor. And basically ended up giving us at The Sunset a gift,” Betty said, reaching her hand out and grabbing Jia’s. “You.”

Jia was shocked at their responses. A tear welled up in her right eye. This was equal parts sweet and kind of twisted. They celebrated a guy who fired her because she hated her job? That was weird.

“Don’t give him too much credit. He wasn’t actually my boss. He just signed the paperwork. I didn’t even know it was him until I put two and two together at the happy hour.”

“So before then, you were down to jump his bones?” Gladys asked.

“Scotch might have been involved. The expensive stuff,” Jia answered.

“Well, I’m sure he had a good reason for signing the paperwork. At least he wasn’t the creepy boss. That makes me feel better about him,” Mildred said.

“And we should all be so lucky to find a man who knows how to fire us up,” Gladys added. “He really presses your buttons. And girl, that’s a gift.”

“No need to look deeper than we have to. Henry and I have a weird history. And because of it, it’s hard to know how to act around him is all. So maybe it’s best we just avoid each other for the time that we both have left here. And then he’ll be gone. Poof. No longer to be seen.” She shrugged her shoulder. “Anyways, ladies, the sun’s getting higher. Let’s get you all indoors before it’s too hot. How about I make us all breakfast? Acai bowls?”

“Sure, honey. But can you make your blueberry pancakes instead? I love those,” Betty said.

“You betcha,” Jia said. She turned to start the walk back home.

“We’ll be right behind you, love,” Mimi said, waving her hand to encourage her on.

When she was a few steps ahead, Mimi turned to the ladiesand tapped her right shoulder two times, rubbed her nose, and pulled her left ear three times. She ended the pattern with a snap and a nod.

The ladies all snapped and nodded back in response.

The signal was put out there, and they all knew what they were going to do.

They were going to make sure these two young lovebirds (shoulder taps) did the nasty (nose rub) within three days (ear pulls). If nothing else, the people at Sunset Hills were romantics. They believed in true love. And maybe these two just needed a little push in the right direction.

Operation Hookup had begun, and the troops had been activated.

14

Henry had just returned from his morning run. He thought getting his workout in before eight o’clock would be enough to beat the heat. But with the sun already bearing down on the desert neighborhood, he was dripping in sweat. He reached for the door just as it opened from the other side.

Standing in the doorway was his grandfather in a green tracksuit that looked about twenty years old and a bit too snug in the belly.

“Granddad? Where you going?” Henry said. He took a quick look around, taking stock of the order in the house. His grandfather’s walker was off by the back door. The TV was still on, but Henry believed that might be intentional.

“Just gonna go out for a bit. I left the cereal box out on the counter. Eat yourself some breakfast, and I’ll be right back.” His voice was a bit too controlled. But Henry could tell from the ghost of a smile on his granddad’s face that he was excited.

“Off to do something fun? Someone coming to pick youup?” Henry assumed that was the case, considering the walker being left behind.

“Nope, just gonna head over to the community center. There’s a Zumba class at eight thirty.”

“Zumba?”

“Yes, it’s a very fun exercise where you shake your hips and dance the pounds away. It’s one of the most popular new classes at The Sunset, and I wanna make sure I get a spot. So gotta walk over a little early. Catch you later, kiddo.”

“I don’t think that’s such a good idea with your hip—”

“I’ll be fine,” Dennis called back as he shuffled his way down the front walkway.

“Granddad, wait,” Henry called out. His grandfather was already to the sidewalk, obviously trying to hustle away from Henry. “You forgot your walker. You can’t make it all the way to the community center without it.”

“Sure I can, Hank. It’s not that far,” he insisted.

“Granddad, you’re gonna walk all the way over there, do a Zumba class, and then walk all the way back? Without your walker? I don’t think so.”