Maid for Each Other

by Lynn Painter

“We finally met his girlfriend this morning,” my mom said to Warren, and it took me a minute to catch up. What? “You met his Abby?” Warren set down his cup and gave my mom a grin of commiseration. “I was starting to wonder if she’s real, because no one’s ever seen her.” “Right?” My mom laughed in agreement. What. The. Fuck? She wasn’t real. Abby was the name I’d given to my nonexistent girlfriend. So how had my mother met her?

Johnny: Abi is cool as shit Johnny: Abi looks great Johnny: The girl is smart and knows the material—you’ve got nothing to worry about

I glanced up and— Holy shit. The words spilled out before I could stop them. “You are stunning,” I said, my eyes drinking in a sight I hadn’t been prepared for.

I never texted with all caps; I’d only done it last night because I was walking while texting and accidentally clicked all caps. But after her comment, I couldn’t stop myself. She responded: Shhhhh not so loud. And yes—they’re perfect.

“The stones reminded me of the freckles on your right shoulder,” I admitted as I moved behind her, taking the necklace out of the box and lowering it to her neck. I wasn’t lying. When I’d been pinning her sweater together, I noticed the adorable constellation of specks, and the chocolate diamonds almost did them justice.