“Lemonade?” asked Ted.
“Ooh, yes, please.”
Ted smiled and handed her a glass as Abby looked around. There was a small living room up front, with built-in couches on each side, a table between them, and a wide-screen TV on one wall that looked like it folded up into the ceiling. Beyond that was a tiny kitchen, with a sink, an oven, a microwave, and a two-burner stove. A closed door beyond that must have led to the bedroom. Bedrooms? Maybe there were bunk beds, Abby decided.
“Come!” said Lou. “Sit!” She ushered Abby to the couch. A folding light-up makeup mirror, already plugged in, was centered on the table, along with a hair dryer, a curling iron, a large acrylic box full of brushes and lipsticks and eye shadow palettes, and four pairs of earrings, and half a dozen bracelets and necklaces.
Abby shook her head, staring at the jewelry. “This is so nice!”
“Oh, please,” said Ted. “You’re doing them a favor. This is the most fun they’ve had all week.”
“We think you and Sebastian are lovely together,” said Sue.
Abby blinked. Lovely together? Did they know what had happened yesterday, in the rain? And if they knew, who else did?
Abby sat back on the couch as Lou handed her a pot of moisturizer, a brand that Abby recognized from her own mother’s vanity. “Dab,” Lou instructed. Her blue eyes were bright, her fingers warm as she took Abby’s chin in her hand, turning her face from one side to the other before she began opening drawers in the makeup kit, rummaging through an assortment of pots and sticks and palettes and brushes.
“Lou used to work at the Chanel counter at Bloomingdale’s,” Sue said.
“Many moons ago.” Lou’s hands were quick and gentle as she patted various creams onto Abby’s skin and used a pencil to darken her brows. Abby closed her eyes and figured this was as good a focus group as any.
“You guys like Sebastian?” she asked.
“Well,” said Sue, bustling out of the bedroom with more accessories. “He’s employed. He’s intelligent. You both love cycling.”
“And he’s very good-looking,” Lou said dreamily.
“Ouch,” said Ted, slapping his hand to his chest.
“And he likes you,” said Sue. “And you like him. You two fit together. And when you find someone like that, it is a rare and wonderful thing.”
Abby considered. You two fit together. Did that mean she didn’t fit with Mark? Or that they did fit, but less well? “Eyes closed, please,” Lou murmured. Abby complied. The warmth of the trailer, the way her muscles were loose and relaxed from the day’s ride, plus the excitement of her early morning were all making her drowsy, in spite of her anxiety, her worries about her mother, and what Eileen knew, and what, if anything, she was telling Mark.
“What about the TikTok thing?” she made herself ask, even though she was far from certain she wanted to hear the answer. “I’m not sure Sebastian’s cut out to be a boyfriend.”
“Or,” said Ed’s voice from somewhere behind her, “maybe his rambling days are over and he’s ready to settle down.”
“It’s not about where he’s been, it’s about where he’s going,” Ted boomed.
“Do you like him?” asked Lou, as she gently worked a brush along Abby’s brow bones. “Because that’s what matters.” The other woman cupped Abby’s chin, turning her head left, then right, and Abby said, low-voiced, “I don’t want to get hurt. And I think he could really hurt me.”
“Sometimes,” said Sue, “you’ve got to take that risk. If you don’t open yourself up to possibilities—even bad ones…”
“Then nothing ever happens,” said Lou. “Good, bad, or indifferent. Now! Let’s decide what you’re wearing, and then we’ll finish your eyes and give you a lip.”
“Oh.” Abby hadn’t even considered the option of new clothes. “I’ll just wear this. It’s all I’ve got with me.”
Sue looked disappointed. “Don’t you want to try a dress?”
“Okay, but what if I’m in a dress and Sebastian’s just got on his shorts and tee shirt? I don’t want to be overdressed, do I?”
“Don’t worry about Sebastian,” Lou said with a merry, I’ve-got-a-secret smile. “The boys are going to take care of him.”
Abby didn’t voice her other concern, which was that, of the quartet that was the Spoke’n Four, only Ted’s clothes would fit her. She was pleasantly surprised when it turned out that Sue had a number of skirts and dresses made of jersey fabric that had elastic waistbands, or enough give to fit her. They were a little long but definitely better than her regular clothes.