Fools Rush in(37)

“Before you lecture me,” I said, “I want to apologize. I’m really sorry. I just thought…I don’t know, you guys would be so…I’m sorry.” I kicked at his shell driveway, trying to look genuine. I peeked. He wasn’t fooled.

“Uh-huh,” he said. A grin tugged at his mouth, but he tried to look stern.

“Katie reamed me another orifice last night,” I said. “And I’ve sworn off matchmaking, so even though you two would be perfect together, I’ll just leave it alone and let you walk away from what could be the greatest love of your life.”

“Well, you know, in one sense, it was nice of you to think of us. But in the other, you’re a real pain in the ass,” he said, far too seriously for my taste.

“Sam!” I cried. “Come on! I just wanted to help. You’re just too pathetic, sitting around here, mooning over Trish. It’s time you—”

“I think you should shut up now, Millie,” Sam said quietly. Any amusement he’d felt was gone. A warning prickle went through me.

“Sam, it’s just hard to see you—”

“Millie. Stop talking. You’re a great person, and I appreciate your concern over me, but the thing is, you don’t know squat about marriage, or divorce. Or, obviously, how I’m feeling these days. Not to mention how Katie feels about dating. So the best thing you can do is go back to the ‘I’m sorry’ part of your little speech and leave it at that before I get really mad. Okay?”

I swallowed at the idea of Sam not liking me. Bending to pull up a weed, I said—sincerely, this time—“Okay, Sam. I really am sorry. I think you’re the best guy in the world, you know that. I just want you to be happy.”

His hard expression softened, his sad, downturning eyes crinkling with a smile. “I know, kiddo. You’re off the hook, as long as you’ve learned your lesson. Now stop killing my flowers and come have some lemonade.” He took the plant out of my hands and replaced it gently in the flower bed.

Inside the house, Sam went to shower. Relieved that I was forgiven, I made Danny lunch, because the poor boy was weak with hunger, having only eaten, from his recounting anyway, eight pancakes for breakfast an hour and a half before. As I slathered mayonnaise on four slices of bread, he leaned on the counter, nearly drooling.

“Mom wants me to come and visit her for a couple of weeks this summer,” he said.

I hadn’t seen my sister since our brief encounter at our parents’ house. Aside from a couple of perfunctory phone calls and two e-mails telling me about the fabulous parties she’d been to with Mr. New Jersey, we hadn’t really talked. Sometimes I felt that my role of younger sister was just to admire and agree with Trish.

“Are you going to go?” I asked.

“Well, actually, I don’t think I can, what with Appalachia and my job and the baseball team and stuff. But I might go for a long weekend before school lets out.”

“How is it for you when you’re down there?” I asked, layering cheese and turkey and thick slices of tomato on the bread.

“Well, it’s not too bad. A little uncomfortable, a little weird, but mostly okay. She came up to see me a couple days ago, did Dad tell you? We had dinner, just her and me. It was nice.”

“No, your dad didn’t mention it. How is she?”

Danny grabbed one of the sandwiches and stuffed a third of it into his mouth. “She’s good, I guess. Seems happy.” He paused to swallow, Adam’s apple bobbing wildly. “She looks great.”

“She always does,” Sam said, laying a hand on my shoulder as he leaned in to claim a sandwich. The smell of shampoo and soap wafted toward me. I started making two more sandwiches, knowing how these boys ate.

“And how was it for you, seeing her?” I asked Sam, curious.

He ran a hand through his damp hair, making it spike up. “Oh, it was okay. Strange, but not bad. She was just here for a little while to pick Danny up and then drop him off again. It was…fine.” Whatever mysterious emotions Sam had running through him, he seemed to mean what he said. I reminded myself not to assume I knew everything about the people I loved and opened a bag of chips.

Danny inhaled the second sandwich, gulped down some milk and wiped his mouth. “Gotta go!” he announced cheerfully. “I’m helping Sarah’s dad clean the cellar.” He thundered upstairs, thumped around in his room for a minute and clattered back down.

“Bye, Aunt Mil,” he said, kissing my cheek. He one-arm hugged Sam and then banged out the back door. A second later, we heard the car start, and he was gone.

“Noisy little fella,” I said, smiling at Sam. He smiled back, and we shared a moment of silent Danny adoration.

“You want a sandwich?” Sam asked, pointing to the last one.

“No, thanks,” I answered. There was far too much cheese and mayonnaise on that sucker for me. But I poured myself a glass of lemonade and sat at the counter next to him. There were a few catalogs, and I opened one for flowers, idly flipping through the pages, wondering aloud what might look nice in window boxes for my little house. Sam made a few suggestions, and I scribbled down names in the margins.

“What are you doing on the house these days?” Sam asked, ripping open a package of Oreos. I steeled myself against the temptation, forcing a mental image of myself in a bathing suit into my head. Could I actually do it? Appear in public in a bathing suit? It would be the first time in my adult life. It would take a great deal of courage….