The fan started up and Shay’s dress and hair moved in the flow of air. She practiced her smile and mentally rehearsed her line as the cameras panned over the selection of cars available in the showroom. When she saw them swing in her direction, she beamed, even though the fan was buffeting the air from her lungs, and gasped, “You’ll go ape when you see the deals we’re making at Reese Motors! Come on down and talk to us at 6832 Discount Way, right here in Skyler Beach!”

“Perfect!” Richard exulted, and Shay’s relief was such that for a moment she sank into the hollow of that giant ape hand and closed her eyes. One of the salesmen came to help her out from under the hairy fingers and down the ladder.

“You were magnificent!” Alice said when Shay came to stand before her, but there was an expression of profound relief in her eyes.

“I’m just glad it’s over,” Shay answered, wondering if Alice would tell her friends back home that her granddaughter earned her living by dressing up as a bee or lying in a huge and hairy hand.

“Well,” Alice announced brightly, “I’m off to look at apartments with Ivy’s young man. I may be late, so I took the liberty of setting out one of the casseroles you had in your freezer.” The older woman’s eyes shifted from Shay to Ivy, and they sparkled with pride. “My granddaughter is a very organized young woman, don’t you know. She’ll make a fine caterer.”

The vote of confidence uplifted Shay; she said goodbye to Alice and went into the restroom to put on her normal clothes and redo her makeup. Within twenty minutes, she was so involved in her work that she’d forgotten all about her brief stint as the captive of a mythical ape.

After work, Shay met briefly with one of the contractors providing an estimate on the renovation of the old house. His bid was higher than the one Todd had gotten, but she reviewed it carefully anyway.

Over the next three days, the rest of the estimates came in, straggle fashion. Shay looked them all over and decided to go with Todd’s original choices all the way down the line. She called her friend and, after taking one deep breath, told him that she would lease the house he’d shown her if the option to buy later still stood.

“You’re certainly efficient, Todd,” she said after the details had been discussed. “Alice loves that apartment you found for her. She’s looking forward to becoming a ‘beach bunny,’ as she put it.”

Todd laughed. “She’s something else, isn’t she? I’m glad you and Alice found each other, Shay.”

Shay was glad, too, of course, for her own sake and for Hank’s. What a surprise Alice would be to him when he came home from his trip! Even before her illness, Rosamond had never been very interested in the child, but now he would have someone besides Shay to claim as family.