Emily squiggled out of Shelby’s lap and dropped to the floor. She ran full tilt toward the monkey, dodging all the other kids in her path. The monkey leaned down and opened its arms wide. Emily screeched with joy as the monkey picked her up and swung her around.
As depressed as Shelby had been the last few days, it felt good to smile. The happiness on Emily’s face made it hard not to. Maybe this place wasn’t so bad after all.
After the monkey set Em down, he handed her the present at his feet. She picked it up and added it to all the others on her table. “Mommy, Chester is going to play games with us now.”
“Okay, have fun.” Lori waved at Emily as she slid next to Shelby on the aluminum bench. All the kids gathered around the monkey, who picked each of them up and gave them a big twirl. “Nick must’ve really been feeling guilty about missing the party. That monkey had to cost a bunch extra.”
Shelby shrugged. “Yeah, but he needs to learn he can’t throw money at a situation and make it better. He should’ve made the effort to be here.”
Lori’s mom and dad joined them. Linda said, “I totally agree. This is a fun party, Lori.”
When the monkey picked Emily up and carried her over to the skeeball machines, Shelby turned to Lori. “So, Jo mentioned something about you selling your client list?”
Lori nodded. “I loved being a matchmaker, but life got in the way. I needed to make more than my business was pulling in to be sure Em can go to college one day. But I’ll really miss the people. And proving my gut feelings were right when they end up together. You know the feeling, right?”
Shelby shook her head. “I don’t have the gut thing, my matches are based on algorithms. But I know what you mean about the excitement of matching the right people. It’s an awesome feeling to be a part of that.”
“I had a good feeling about you and Nick.” She held a hand out in her parents’ direction. “We’re all sorry things didn’t work out.”
“Yeah.” Shelby sighed. “Me too.”
Nick had the nicest family. It always made her heart ache a little when she spent time with them. Since losing hers, she’d always longed to be a part of a family again. But that wasn’t happening anytime soon.
Suddenly the monkey and Emily appeared in front of Lori. A muffled voice from inside said, “This is for you, Emily’s mom.”
“A present for me?” She reached out and peeked inside the big gift bag the monkey held out. Lori pulled out a stack of papers, frowning as she studied the note attached.
“What have you got there, Lori?” Nick’s dad asked.
“It’s my client list.” Lori’s head whipped up and she blinked at the monkey. “How could . . .”
The monkey lifted his hands and removed the headpiece.
Emily screamed, “Uncle Nick is Chester! I thought you had to work?”
Nick’s family all smiled as Nick picked Em up and gave her a hug. “I couldn’t miss your party, Em. I let someone else handle my work.”
Then he turned to Lori. “You need to do what you love, Lori. It makes you happy. I’m sorry I tried to fix things behind your back. Won’t happen again. We’ll find a way for you to go to school and keep this too. Okay?”
Lori blinked back her tears as she pulled the bundle of papers to her chest. “Thank you, Nick.”
The raw emotion on Lori’s face thawed Shelby’s frozen heart a few degrees.
Nick had actually come through and chosen his sister and Emily over work. Good for him. Maybe he had changed a little.
When Nick’s eyes met hers, his smile slowly faded. The unhappiness written all over his face tugged at her soul.
Lori quickly pulled herself together and reached out for Emily. “Let’s go get some more cake everyone, so Nick can speak to Shelby.”
Emily frowned. “But he wants cake too.” She turned to him. “Right, Uncle Nick?”
He handed Em over and forced a smile. “I’ll be there in a minute. Save me some okay?”
Lori and her family quickly disappeared and then it was just the two of them, staring at each other, surrounded by screaming kids.
Butterflies took flight in her gut as she rose from the aluminum bench. “Hi.”
“Can we talk, please?”
She could only nod because her throat was so clogged with emotion.
Part of her wanted to run, afraid he’d hurt her again, but the dark shadows under his eyes stopped her eager feet. He probably hadn’t slept a full night either and looked as miserable as she felt.
He glanced around. “Too loud in here. Let’s go outside.”
She cleared her throat. “Give me a second.”