All of Me by Leeanna Morgan (book recommendations for teens TXT) đź“•
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- Author: Leeanna Morgan
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Evie had always been hypersensitive about her weight and what she looked like. But this time she’d been neurotic. She’d lost more weight and looked gaunt and hollow-eyed. She’d told Tess she was taking drugs. Her addiction had spiraled out of control. The boyfriend she’d raved about for months was giving her everything she needed, killing her one fix at a time.
Tess had tried to convince her to cancel her contract in Los Angeles and come to Milan with her. Evie had laughed and told her there was nothing to worry about. When she got back to New York, she was going to check into a drug rehab program.
It hadn’t happened. Christmas had come and gone and so had Evie.
Tess looked at her empty coffee mug. “Whether I did the best I could doesn’t matter. Evie died.” Tess thought about what had come next; the funeral, the police, the lies and the publicity that had changed her life. It had been one of the hardest times of her life.
Logan stretched his legs out and focused on his sneakers. “When I got to Afghanistan it was different than I thought it would be. I went there to tell the real story, to let the rest of the world know what was happening. But it wasn’t that easy. Everyone had their own reasons for telling part of the story. When I got home, I had an independent interpreter look at some of the interviews I’d done. One of the official interpreters consistently translated everyone’s words into things they hadn’t said. I’d been reporting on information that was based on lies.”
Tess rested her head against the sofa. “How did that make you feel?”
“As though most of what I’d done had been a waste of time. I blamed myself for not speaking fluent Pashto or Dari.”
“Did any of the reporters know how to talk to the Afghan people?”
“No. Most of the contracts were for six months so they didn’t see it as a high priority. The official interpreters were supposed to help us.”
Tess pulled her feet up beside her and turned to Logan. “What happened at the school you told me about the other day?”
“I don’t talk about it very often.”
Tess knew whatever had happened must have been traumatic. Logan looked tense and stressed. The knuckles on his hands had turned white around his coffee mug. “That’s okay. You don’t need to tell me.”
He took a deep breath and left his mug on the table. “I started a school with some soldiers not long after I arrived. The children in the village knew a few English words, but not a lot. We didn’t think it would do any harm, so we set up a roster and started classes. Three-quarters of the children that came to the school were girls. It was a big deal for them.”
Logan glanced at Tess. “Abiba was twenty-one years old and knew more English than anyone in the village. She loved coming to school to help the students. One day she arrived late, which was unusual for her. I’d taken some of the older students outside to pick up the supplies that had arrived from the States. Friends and family would send chalk, pens, paper and anything else they could get in boxes.”
He stopped talking and crossed his arms in front of his chest. But not before Tess saw how badly his hands were trembling. What he was about to tell her had shocked him beyond anything he’d known.
“Abiba was a suicide bomber. That morning we lost two soldiers and at least ten children. After the bomb exploded, the Army evacuated the village. The Taliban had targeted the school and everything around it.”
Tess rested her hand on his arm. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Is that why you’re not sleeping?”
“Some of it.”
Tess didn’t know what to say. “What happened to the people that lived in the village?”
“Most left on their own. Others were taken to a refugee camp. The injured soldiers and children were airlifted to the nearest hospital.”
“And you came home?”
Logan nodded. “I couldn’t go back.”
Tess rubbed his arm. It wasn’t much, but she wanted him to know that she cared. She walked across to the pantry and took out her four o’clock pick-me-up treats.
“Sounds like we could both do with a sugar rush before you go home.” She sat down beside Logan and offered him a cookie.
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s the subtlest way of giving me my marching orders that I’ve ever heard.”
“I aim to please. But not as much as I used to.”
“Good for you,” Logan said as he bit into a bar. “At least one of us is learning to deal with their issues.”
Before Tess started her café, she would have told anyone that Wednesdays would have been the quietest day of the week. But that was before she found out about all of the midweek activities in Bozeman. Between the library, the bridge club and the genealogy club she had a steady stream of regular Wednesday customers.
By eleven o’clock that morning they’d sold most of their muffins. She was busy making another batch when Annie handed her the phone.
“I need to keep serving in the café. I think it’s Connie. She sounds upset.”
Tess took the phone out of Annie’s hand. “Connie? Is everything all right?”
“I’m sorry to call you at work, but I didn’t know how to get hold of you.”
“That’s okay. What’s happened?”
“Mom’s not well. Dave and I are getting married at five o’clock tonight in the hospital chapel. If you can still make it, we’d like you and your friends to be there.”
“Oh, Connie. I’m so sorry about your mom. Of course we’ll be there. What about your dresses?”
“I haven’t really thought that far ahead. I dropped the bridesmaids’ dresses off at a friend’s house. She was going to do the alterations for us. My best friend can’t get here until tomorrow and we don’t know…”
Connie didn’t need to finish what she was going to say. Tess felt a lump form in her throat. “I can help. Do you have a dress to wear?”
“A bridal store is making my gown. I don’t know if they’ve finished.”
Tess grabbed a pen and piece of paper out of a drawer. “Would you like me to sort out the dresses?”
“Could you? Dave and I are busy calling all of our friends and family. I’ll give you my sister’s phone number. Denise will be able to help. Thank you for doing this for us.”
“Don’t worry about it. I’ll give you a call as soon as I’ve got the dresses.” Tess wrote down Denise’s phone number and said goodbye. The next person she called was Kate, her part-time assistant. Tess knew she’d need Kate to come in early if she was going to help Connie.
Annie poked her head around the kitchen door. “Is everything okay?”
Tess shook her head. “Connie’s mom isn’t doing too well. They’ve brought the wedding forward to tonight. Are you able to come?”
“Sure. We’re not bowling tonight. What do you want me to do?”
“Could you look after the café with Kate until we close? The wedding’s at five o’clock in the chapel of Bozeman Deaconess Hospital.”
“What about the bridesmaids’ dresses? Connie wouldn’t have had a chance to make any alterations.”
Tess slid the uncooked muffins into the oven. “I’m going to give Connie’s sister a call. Between us, we should be able to work something out.” She had one other person to contact before she rang Denise. “I’ll give Logan a call, too.”
“No need,” Annie said. “He’s sitting in the café. I’ll call Molly and Sally.”
“Thanks.” Tess undid her apron and dialed Denise’s phone number. In less than six hours, Connie would be walking down the aisle.
With a little help from her friends, Tess was going to give Connie and Dave something special to remember.
An hour later, Tess and two of Connie’s sisters were standing in Emily Green’s boutique. “Where would you like us?”
Emily waved Tess, Denise, and her sister, Kristine up the main staircase. “Come upstairs with me. When is the other bridesmaid arriving?”
Denise looked at her watch. “Joanne will be here in half an hour.”
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