Don't Let Go(21)

“Julianna White,” I said, noting her firm handshake in lieu of the limp girly one I expected. Noah had said she was a military brat, so she’d probably been taught right.
“Nice to meet you, Julianna,” she said, her eyes showing the slightest hint of wariness. She knew who I was. It was there.
“You too. Oh and—call me Jules,” I said, darting a look to Noah. “My full name usually means I’m in trouble—or my grandmother is hunting me down.”
Shayna laughed. I laughed. Noah just looked as if he were stuck in a bad dream. My pump mercifully clicked off and I had something else to do besides stand there. She started making her way back around the truck and the words came out of my mouth before I even knew they were there.
“Congratulations, by the way,” I said, feeling all the awkward atoms of the universe descend upon our little fifteen-foot area. “On the baby—and the engagement.” Noah’s eyes fixed on me with a clear What the hell are you doing? look, and if I’d had one for I have no f*cking clue, I would have used it.
Shayna’s steps faltered, and I watched as she looked at him with questions before turning slowly back to face me. “Um—thank you,” she said with a more pallid complexion than was just there seconds before. She covered with a smile as she looked at Noah again. “I didn’t know it was public knowledge yet. I thought just family—”
Oh, son of a bitch, I wasn’t supposed to know. I wanted to jump in my gas tank. Noah wanted to run over me with that truck—I could see it in his twitching jaw muscles.
“I told Jules yesterday,” he said, meeting her eyes with that dead-on look I was learning to recognize. I didn’t apologize, knowing instinctively that would sound coy and even more like Noah and I were in cahoots.
After a few beats of silent stare-down between them, Shayna looked away, fidgeted with her hoodie, and brought her gaze back to me.
“Thank you,” she said with a smile carved from practice. Possibly from years of growing up as an officer’s daughter and knowing when to be politically correct. “We appreciate it.”
Oh, we. That was good. Very smart of her, staking her claim and making them a unit. I nodded and smiled at both of them as I closed my gas tank and “see you later’d” them. I got in my car and released a long breath with my eyes closed.
“Why, you idiot?” I breathed. “Why can’t you just say hello like everyone else? Holy shit.”
I started the car and pulled out, not wanting to look back, but I did. I couldn’t help myself. And there they were, still standing in front of the truck, facing each other in what looked like an intense conversation. I’ll bet it was.

? ? ?

Becca was out the door within thirty minutes of walking in it, including a full wardrobe change, makeup refresher, and half a care what I thought about it.
“What do you think?” she’d asked when she came downstairs, spinning so that the mock chain-link belt she wore loosely around her hips spun at the ends.
“I think I got whiplash,” Nana Mae said. “If I got ready that fast, I’d need to skip the going out and take a nap.”
Nana Mae had walked over to surprise me with my favorite all-time dessert. The one thing I could not say no to. Mississippi Mud. So of course showering and getting ready for the evening had been temporarily delayed. Mud requires sitting and savoring, and Nana Mae and I were doing just that.
I laughed. “You look beautiful. Just try not to spin like that too much or you might take someone down.”
She gave me a mischievous grin with narrowed sexy eyes. “Maybe that’s my evil plan.”
“Well, then stay under the radar.”
She laughed, and I had the urge to snapshot the moment. For one precious second we were clicking.
Nana Mae gestured to the big red plate with the yum on it. “Get you some Mud, Becca.”
Becca eyed the plate as she plopped down next to me, and then snatched the remnants of my piece instead.
“Hey!” I said. “Get your own!”
“Just wanted a bite,” she said around the mouthful. “Oh, dear God. Talk about evil plans.”
“No kidding,” I said, plucking another smallish piece of the gooey chocolaty marshmallowy nutty goodness from the plate. “There’s nothing even remotely right about this.”
“Yeah, well, I say live a little,” Nana Mae said, holding her piece on a napkin away from Harley, who was eye level with it all and was nearly trembling with hope.
“Are you driving?” I asked.
“Nah, Lizzy is,” she said, reaching over me to attack Harley’s head with love scratches. To her credit, Harley tried to enjoy it, but the smell of melted chocolate trumped love. “It’s four or five of us going to the mall and a movie and whatever.”
Ah, that whatever is what made my heart pitter patter with joy. On the upside, Lizzy was a better driver than Becca was and a straight A student. I always wished she’d sprinkle some of her glitter on Becca.
“Home by midnight,” I said as she rose, which got me more of the face I was used to.
“Oh, come on, Mom,” she said, one hand on her hip. “I’m almost an adult.”
“Almost being the key word.”
“Everyone else gets to stay out till one,” she said, a frown scrunching the top of her nose.
“Well, if Lizzy is driving all those everyones home at one, then how does she get home on time? Think of how considerate you’re being,” I said, reaching over to pick up that morning’s newspaper from the end table.