“You might miss the baby coming.”
“I hope I’ll be back in time. If not, Juliette says she understands.”
“All right, you can go, but you gotta at least come back for the wedding.”
“Your wedding? I’m invited?”
“Yeah, you’re invited.”
“That’s very sweet, Cy,” she said, “but you don’t really want a dominatrix in a leather catsuit at your very Catholic wedding, do you?”
“Can you do the electric slide?”
“Is that a kink thing?”
“Nora.”
“I went to high school in the ’90s. Of course I can do the electric slide.”
She smiled again. This time the smile stuck around a little longer.
“Almost there,” Cyrus said. “Come on.” He tugged her arm and pulled her past a white SUV blocking their view. And there it was.
“Oh my God,” Nora said, eyes wide, mouth open.
Before them stood a tree, a great gorgeous monster of a tree with a million branches and a billion leaves.
“I give you the Tree of Life.”
“It’s so beautiful.” She wandered around the tree, staring up at it. Cyrus had done the same the first time he saw it as a kid. “I had no idea this was here.”
Cyrus and Paulina had taken their engagement photos here. It was a massive ancient live oak tree with low branches made for climbing. Follow Annunciation Street to the very end and BAM, a little bit of Eden right before your eyes.
“This tree is amazing,” she said.
“It gets better. Ready to climb?”
“What? Climb the tree? I’m wearing a skirt.”
“It’s a long skirt. Trust me, you want to climb this tree.”
“Fine. Fine. Let’s do this.”
The branches of the tree were thick and low to the ground, easy for climbing. Nora clambered up first and Cyrus followed. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t easy. About fifteen feet up, he stopped and pointed.
“Oh my God!” Nora burst into startled laughter.
“That’s the zoo,” he said. “Wave at the giraffes.”
Nora waved at the two giraffes hanging out in their pen at the zoo next door. Cyrus waved, too.
“We’re standing in a tree,” Nora said, “waving at giraffes. I think the paint fumes did permanent damage.”
Cyrus laughed. “Paulina showed it to me on our first real date. I knew about the tree, but I didn’t know you could see the giraffes until she dared me to climb it.” He couldn’t wait to bring their kids here.
“You and Paulina are a great couple,” Nora said. “You two have my blessing.”
“Good. I was thinking about not marrying her until you said that.”
She glared at him. “Smartass.” One giraffe stuck its tongue out at another. She laughed gently. “Céleste has to see this.”
“What about Søren’s son? Fionn? When’s he coming to visit?”
She blinked. He saw her do it and he wished he hadn’t asked. “He’s not.”
They were quiet together a moment, watching the giraffes.
“You ready to get down?” he asked.
“Almost.” She reached into the pocket of her skirt and pulled out a set of beads—rosary beads.
Nora clutched them in her hand for one second more, then reached up and draped them over a low branch. They carefully climbed down, leaving the silver rosary beads glinting solemnly on a high branch.
“Feel better?” he asked once they were on the ground again.
“A little,” she said. Then, “Do you really want me at your wedding?”
“Yeah, I do. Paulina does, too.”
“What the hell are you going to tell people when they ask who I am? Just your friendly neighborhood dominatrix?”
“I’ll tell them the truth. I’ll tell them you’re my friend.”
“Okay,” she said. “I’ll be there. It’ll be my honor.”
They both stood back to get a good long view of the tree.
“Pretty tree,” Nora said.
“Yeah,” Cyrus had to agree. “It’s not too bad.”
He took her hand in his and squeezed it. She squeezed back.
“You were kidding about wearing a leather catsuit to my wedding, right?”
“Guess you’ll find out.”
* * *