Page 52 of Something Old

“Madeline!” Mo launched herself at Madeline, who scooped her up into a huge hug. Other than watch her the odd time here and there, Madeline had no idea what she’d done to earn such enthusiastic favor from Aisha’s hilarious and precocious little girl. Still, every time Mo came into the shop, it was the same. Wild, undeserved—and completely returned, it must be known—affection. Another gift.

“How are you doing, Miss M?” she asked, setting Mo down again.

“Great!” Mo said with a grrr sound like she was pretending to be a tiger. “But I have to peeeeeee!”

Aisha rolled her eyes good-humoredly. “I took the chance you’d be here, even though you’re technically closed. Can we use the washroom?”

“Ugh. I’m so sorry. Usually, of course, yes, but—” Madeline’s face scrunched in stress and annoyance. She threw up her hands. “Well, go see for yourself.”

Aisha strode to the small room, surveyed the damage as commanded—then burst out laughing. “Well, you’re right. We can’t use that. Was someone sitting on it when it broke through the floor?”

Madeline nodded, wincing as Gwen’s shriek replayed in her memory—her poor friend! Seeing it through Aisha’s eyes, however, she couldn’t help but laugh a bit too. “I think it was quite the surprise, all right.”

“A bad surprise,” Mo chimed in sternly, giving her mother and Madeline censorious looks. “It’s not funny. It’s a disaster.”

“Disaster” was a new word for Mo, and Madeline had been with her and Aisha when she’d learned it. Aisha and Madeline’s eyes met over Mo’s head of curls, and they laughed even harder.

“I’m going to look at the monsters!” Mo announced archly.

“Doesn’t she need to pee?”

Aisha shrugged. “I already suspected she just wanted to put off grocery shopping. Plus, you know her. She’s obsessed with you and this store.”

“Or the monsters anyway—and really, why shouldn’t she be? They’re awesome.”

“Good point.” Aisha grinned like Madeline was joking, but the little creatures Aisha made out of fabric scraps leftover from her and her friend Katelyn’s other creations really were wonderful.

“Did I tell you that when I watched her for you last week, she sold three of them to one person, then another one on top of that?”

Aisha grinned. “Yes, you did—twice, but that’s nothing compared to her bragging. I think she’s told me at least twenty times that ‘Madeline says I’m a great salesperson.’”

Madeline chuckled. “She is. And I’m glad I said, ‘person.’ I almost made the mistake of calling her a great little saleslady, but I could sense Lauren rolling over in her grave.”

“Even from the bit you’ve told me about Lauren, I think that’s a fair call. Salesperson. No inadvertently demeaning adjective. Much better.”

Madeline smiled. Oh, Aisha . . . so like Lauren at times that it was both a sharp cut and a soothing balm.

“She really did sell them, though. I’m not exaggerating. One woman came in completely intent on buying each of her three granddaughters a china doll. Mo overheard and staunchly informed her that she should buy them each a monster instead because all girls love monsters better than breakable dolls, plus she had seven of her own and loved them all like family.”

Aisha laughed. “She’s a little parrot, that’s what she is . . . And you’d better be careful, or I’ll be dropping her off for you to watch every other day.”

“Anytime, I mean it. Babysitting just anyone here wouldn’t work, but Mo has the personality for it.”

“She has the personality for a lot of things.” Aisha sighed dramatically.

Madeline laughed. “Gee, where does she get that big personality from, I wonder?”

“No idea.” Aisha winked, then added, “Have you been freaking out about this bathroom and what you’re going to do about it?”

“A little,” Madeline admitted.

“Well, don’t. I have the perfect solution—and it’s so well-timed, it’s kind of funny, actually.”

Apparently, Aisha had a set of shell-pink 60s bathroom fixtures—sink, tub, and toilet—in like-new condition.

“I guarantee you’ll love them. They’re super cute and totally immaculate. It’s like they came out of a show house that was never used.”

It also turned out that Aisha’s fiancé Jase was something of a renovation and construction genius. Normally, Madeline would take this kind of glowing description of someone’s significant other with a grain of salt and consider it the bias of love . . . but this was Aisha talking. Madeline had never met someone so forthright about her own work and skills—and those of others. If Aisha said someone had talent, they did—but it was all kind of beside the point, wasn’t it?