I'd Give Anything(56)

“Don’t you think it’s time to take that power away?”

She made it sound easy. I wasn’t so sure, but I said, “I’ll try.”

She said, “Good!” And then she yawned enormously.

“Why don’t you go to bed?” I said.

“But then you’ll have to clean up all by yourself.”

“Um. Well, a friend of mine might be coming over for a bit, to help.”

Avery sat up straight and raised an eyebrow. “A friend?”

“Stop it with the eyebrow,” I said. “You look just like Adela.”

Avery just stared at me, eyebrow like St. Louis’s Gateway Arch.

I sighed. “Daniel. The vet.”

“Your friend from the dog park.”

I nodded, trying to read her face. “Except— Except I might like him as a little bit more than a friend.”

Avery said, “Oh. Okay,” and nothing else.

I dove in with a rush of words. “But it’s early days and who knows? And I realize this probably feels really soon to you, since your dad and I aren’t even divorced yet. And I am doing my best to take it slow, and I don’t want you to worry, but I just—” I stopped.

“You just like him,” said Avery.

“Yes.”

“Mom, I think that’s fine.”

“You do?”

She smiled. There was something a tiny bit shadowy in her eyes, but her smile was wide and bright. “I mean, you’re not getting any younger.”

“Almost time to put this old girl out to pasture,” I said.

“Truth.”

“Do you want to stay up to meet him?” I said.

She hesitated. “I’m pretty tired. Can I—meet him next time?”

“For sure.”

On the stairs, she turned around and said, “Is this going to turn into one of those supposedly cute TV role-reversal situations where you go out on dates and I stay home watching the clock and waiting up for you to get back?”

“Highly possible.”

“Okay, but I draw the line at you borrowing my fashionable teenage clothing.”

“Got it,” I said. “Not even shoes?”

“Fine. Shoes are negotiable,” said Avery.



Daniel kissed me again, first thing.

“Wait a minute,” he said, looking around in bemusement. “This doesn’t look like the dog park.”

“Hey, you’re right.” I eyed him. “Do I know you?”

“Is this a Twilight Zone episode?”

“Who watches the Twilight Zone?”

“Not me. Obviously.”

“Me either,” I said. “What’s your favorite episode?”

“‘The Hitch-Hiker.’ It’s your favorite, too, of course. It’s everyone’s favorite,” said Daniel.

“Nope. ‘Eye of the Beholder.’”

“Uh-oh,” said Daniel. “Trouble in paradise. Already.”

“Hopelessly incompatible.”

And he kissed me again.



We weren’t kissing when Trevor showed up, for which I was grateful, especially after what happened next.

I was scrubbing spilled cabernet off my light green velvet chair, and Daniel was in the kitchen washing dishes. Trevor knocked and then just opened the door and came in.

“Hey, Gin. We got all the way to our hotel before Iris realized she was missing an earring. I texted to let you know I was coming back, but you didn’t answer.”

I could feel myself blush. “I guess I haven’t been paying attention to my phone,” I said. “I haven’t found an earring. What does it look like?”

Trevor pulled out his phone and read from a text: “‘Oval-shaped drops with pavé diamonds. Tell Ginny they’re good costume but just costume, so no worries if she can’t find it.’”

I heard the water turn off in the kitchen.

“You’ve got Avery in there doing the dishes, huh?” said Trevor. “I hope our boys turn out to be helpful like that.”

“Um, actually,” I said.

And Daniel came walking into the room. He held a towel in one hand, a glass plate in the other.

“Hey,” he said, smiling.

“Daniel, this is my brother, Trevor. Trevor, this is Daniel.”

Daniel shifted the plate to his left hand and held his right hand out to Trevor. To my surprise, my usually smooth brother stood as if he were turned to stone—one second, two seconds, three seconds—before he caught himself and held out his hand and shook.

“Daniel,” said Trevor, but more to himself than to anyone else.

“Nice to meet you,” said Daniel.

Trevor didn’t respond, and I was aware of tension zinging back and forth between the two men. Trevor dropped Daniel’s hand, and without ever taking his eyes off him, he said, “Ginny, can I talk to you for a second?”

“Uh, sure,” I said.

“Alone,” said Trevor.

“Trevor? What’s up with you?” I said, embarrassed by his rudeness. “We’re kind of in the middle of cleaning up here. Why don’t we have coffee tomorrow before you and Iris take off?”