They turned to see Dottie driving the new car that George had ordered for her. He’d been so excited to surprise her and had asked Margaret and Gladys for their opinions. They’d studied the many pictures he’d shown them and suggested a new Cadillac Fleetwood in her favorite color—baby blue—with tan seats and leather on the steering wheel. It was finished out in chrome details. Dottie had been excited to show it to them, but they hadn’t expected to see it in person so soon.

“What are you doing here?” asked Margaret. “And where is Joanna?”

“I’m rescuing you. I heard on the radio that the buses are delayed, so I zipped over to pick you up. And as for your niece, I left her sleeping in the arms of the nanny.”

Margaret smiled. Life could certainly be full circle. The former nanny now had one of her own. And no one deserved that more than her dear friend.

Gladys opened the door in the front and slid in next to Dottie. Margaret took a place in the back as the first raindrops fell on her shoulders.

“Just in time, Dots. Thank you.”

She rubbed her hand along the soft interior and let out a long breath, her heartbeat slowing now that they were in the safety of the car.

There were few cars on the road, but a series of red lights halted their progress. All the while, the sky blackened.

“Nice wheels,” Gladys commented. She rubbed her hand along the dashboard. “It’s like she’s purring.”

“George told me some little birds helped him. Thank goodness, because I don’t know much about cars. And really hadn’t planned on getting one.”

“And you’re already behind the wheel?”

“Yes—he’s been teaching me on his. I got my license last week.”

Gladys whistled, as a man might do when walking by a beautiful woman.

“Must have set him back a bit. I’ll bet it’s nice being rich.”

“Gladys!” Margaret tapped her on the shoulder. “That’s not polite.”

“You don’t mind, do you, Dots? I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t ask.”

Dottie smiled in the generous way that indicated her long-suffered tolerance for Gladys’s quirks.

“I don’t mind since it’s you. And to answer your question, yes, it’s nice to have some help with Joanna. And to have a house where I don’t have to worry if she’s keeping a neighbor up because of her crying. And to have a car so I can pick up you soggy ladies. But my riches do not lie in what George’s family has in their bank account. It lies in my two cherished friends. And in having known the love of two good men. It’s more than many women will ever get to have.”