Page 156 of While You Were Trending

Same sticky note.

Same printed font.

Name the zin after me.

That’s all it says.

Just a simple request.

“Um, morning?” Adelaide says softly from the doorway. “Everything okay?”

Mabel slides a glance at her as she tucks the money into her back pocket, then shakes her head. “Just a mystery over a gift someone left us.”

“Oh, that was me.” Her smile holds a touch of guilt. “I was hoping it wouldn’t be delivered until—well, until after I left.”

My jaw goes slack. “You—but the first envelope?—”

“Envelope?” Her brow furrows. “If that company delivered a cheese basket in an envelope, they’re doing more magic than my great-aunt Gloria ever pulled off in her lifetime, bless her heart.”

We all shift gears as we process what she just said.

Samantha’s the first of us to speak. “You’re ready to leave then, hon?”

Adelaide glances around at all of us, her eyes going shiny. “It’s time. I did—I did what I needed to do here. I marked something amazing off of Mama’s bucket list, and I did it with the nicest ladies in the world.”

Forget the money.

This is more important.

We surround her, sharing hugs and affirmations andwe’ll miss yous like we always do whenever one of our guests leaves.

“We have to get your picture before you go,” Olivia says.

“Oh my goodness, do I get a spot on the wall?” Adelaide asks.

“Of course you do,” Mabel tells her.

Those of us who stay—we’re pretty rare.

But we don’t forget the women who have come and gone after their viral moments. Whenever someone leaves, we hang their picture in the hallway, where we see them every day.

It’s a constant presence reminding us of the good we do here.

“You’ll always have a home here if you need us again,” I tell Adelaide.

“What are your plans? Do you have one more night for a going-away dinner?” Samantha asks.

Adelaide shakes her head. “Oh, no, dinner the other night was—that was everything. And—” She blushes. “And havingtheDeclan Fox make pancakes for breakfast for us was the pineapple in the upside-down cake. But I got tickets to see Mama’s favorite musical in Los Angeles tomorrow afternoon, so I—I’m fixin’ to head out on the drive after I grab myself a little bit of breakfast. If that’s okay.”

“Doing what you need to do for you is always okay,” Mabel says.

“Number one priority,” Olivia agrees.

“I hope a cheese basket is enough to say thank you.” She sniffles and takes the tissue that Samantha hands her.

Mabel smiles. “No thanks necessary. Seeing you ready to continue your journey is more than enough for us.”

I’ve heard her say it dozens of times, but it hits different this morning.