Page 47 of Her Hidden Smile

“It was like you said. The scars were bad. A lot of them were worse than mine, but most of the people had come to grips with their scarring. They weren’t hidden away in their houses like I was.”

I hated what I heard in her voice. It was self-recrimination.

“Hey, none of that. You were watching and listening to people who had come out the other side. We don’t know what it took for them to get there.”

“But some of them were young children. They were so well-adjusted,” she protested.

“You didn’t have your parents who could have helped you through this. Instead, you had your aunt and uncle. From what you told me, they weren’t the best people to help a young girl navigate such a rough time.”

“I told you about Aunt Marge and Uncle Phil?”

“It was the night you said there were only real-life crime dramas on TV, and I was supposed to entertain you. We stayed on the phone for three hours, remember that?”

“Oh yeah,” she breathed. “You told me about having to go out to Hollywood and oust your sister’s boyfriend out of her condo and then had to take his place on the red carpet. You sure sounded pissed about it.”

“Beating him up wasn’t a problem. It was more of a problem having to dress up and having my picture taken.”

Millie giggled again.

What I wouldn’t give to actually see her smile and giggle and maybe, just maybe, out-and-out laugh.

“So, when can I come over?” I pressed.

She sighed. “Not today. I have company coming over.”

“Little Grandma?”

“Actually, it’s Lisa Reynolds, and she’s bringing Bella Clark.”

“I know Bella, but who’s Lisa?”

“She runs the auto shop in town. She’s been over here a couple of times. She’s a little bit like you.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Pushy.” I could hear the smile in her voice.

I paused. “Do you like her?”

“Actually, I like her a lot. She’s been coming over here for the last six weeks. It’s been fun.”

“And Bella?”

“I don’t know. This will be the first time she’s bringing her over. I hope she’ll like me.”

I could hear the trepidation in her voice. “Just swear in front of her, then she’ll like you.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Then you’ll owe her money. Once you pay the little minx, she’ll love you.”

Millie laughed again.

Damn, I wanted to see that in person.

“Cariña, I’ve got to go. I need to go visit with Harvey.”

“Okay.”