“I was there when she promised.”
He scoffs lightly. “I got a real vow out of her.”
“Out of that superfan in there?” I smile to soften the words. “Do you believe she’s telling the truth?”
He seems to give this consideration, which I appreciate. “I do.”
That’s enough for me. Maybe this is blind trust, but that’s steered me wrong before, like when I let my sister Olive apply her new self-tanner to my skin and I had to show up to aMarc Jacobs photoshoot all streaky and orange like a chocolate-covered creamsicle that had been left in the sun.
Yes, I looked as gross as that sounds.
I make Olive try new self-tanners first now.
But what choice do I have? There’s no time to see if I should put my faith in her. She knows already.
“Okay, then I’ll trust you both.” I pull out a clean glass and fill it from the tap for Nancy.
“But tonight, I should get you home,” Benny says. “It’s been a long day. If you’re not careful, she’s going to rope you into staying for Jeopardy, which will turn into karaoke.”
It’s a good thing I’m not drinking anything, because I would have done a spit take. “How?”
“She’ll want to hear you sing. Call it a gut instinct.”
“After tomorrow, she won’t,” I mutter, passing him to go into the living room.
“What was that?” Benny asks.
Maybe it’s that self-sabotaging streak I have that makes me ruin good things, but as much as I don’t want Benny to know what I’ve done, I’m eager to rip the Band Aid off so he’ll be aware of my idiocy, and it’ll be over. The anticipation of knowing he’s about to lose respect for me is worse than the event itself.
Gosh, at least I hope that’s the case.
“Here’s your water, Nancy.” I hand over the glass.
“Thank you, honey.” She peers at me in faint wonder, taking in my natural hair.
I miss the sassy lady who talked to me in the kitchen before. “Should we make you something to eat before we leave?”
“I’ve had dinner, and my heart has calmed down. As long as you don’t pull that dreamboat brother of yours out of the garage next, I don’t think I’m in any danger of fainting again.”
“Mymarriedbrother?” I ask, fighting amusement. “The one who just became a dad?”
Nancy sips her water, but she doesn’t look away. The woman hardly even blinks. “Yep, that one.”
A laugh spills from my mouth. “I hope to see you again soon.”
“Tomorrow? Should we have lunch? I make a mean chicken salad.”
Benny groans. “Grandma?—”
“What? I can invite a friend to lunch, Benny.”
I look between them. Did he tell her to leave me alone? Despite my hiding, I don’t enjoy being alone. I prefer being with others. Which is why I’ve spent so much timenotby myself since coming here, despite how determined I was to remain sequestered and isolated.
Being with Benny is more fun.
By tomorrow at lunchtime, I have a feeling neither of them will want to have lunch with me.
“Maybe another time,” I say lightly. “I have some things to catch up on.”