Page 43 of Whispers and Wildfire
“I don’t know what you’re getting at,” I said. “Sure, I’ve had relationships that didn’t work out. But who hasn’t? Look at you guys.” I pointed at Theo first, then Zachary. “You’re still single, and you just got married last year. It’s not like either of you are paragons of long-term relationships.”
“No, but you have a specific talent for dating women who are clearly bad for you,” Theo said.
I opened my mouth to keep arguing, but a part of mewondered if he was right. I didn’t have the best track record when it came to dating.
“It’s a thing,” Z said with a casual shrug of his shoulders. “If you bring someone home, we already know it’s doomed.”
Instead of answering, I took a drink of my beer.
“Don’t be grumpy.” Zachary nudged me with his elbow. “You just need to find a woman who’s the right kind of bad for you.”
“What does that even mean?”
“I don’t know, but you’ll know when you find her.”
“That actually makes sense,” Theo said.
“Neither of you makes sense,” I said.
“Burgers are done,” Mom called.
Glad for the interruption, I went to the picnic table. Everyone dished up on paper plates, and even with the arrival of Zachary and Marigold, there was plenty to go around. I loaded up my cheeseburger with condiments but paused before adding pickles.
Melanie loved pickles. Wrinkling my nose, I skipped them.
There wasn’t enough room for everyone at the table, so Theo and I pulled a couple of camping chairs closer, angling them so the sun wasn’t in our eyes. Marigold offered to take Emily, but Zachary said he’d just eat standing.
“So what’s new?” Mom asked, looking around. She paused on me like she expected me to be the one to answer.
I took a bite of my burger to avoid replying.
“Other than Luke hiring his ex-girlfriend to work at the garage?” Theo asked.
I shot him a glare.
“Luke, I think it’s great,” Mom said. “I saw Krista Andolini yesterday, and she said it’s going well.”
Dad snorted.
She turned to him. “What was that for?”
He shook his head and took a bite of his burger. I understood his meaning—
what the hell were you thinking?
“It’s just temporary,” I said, more to answer my dad’s unspoken question than in response to my mom’s curiosity. “She needed a job, and I needed someone to fill in for a while. Not a big deal.”
“I’m so glad to hear that,” Mom said. “It sounds like she’s been through a lot.”
Had she been through a lot? How was I supposed to know? She’d made it clear she just worked there. “Maybe. I don’t really know. Her personal life isn’t my business.”
“If you hear that she’s hiding from the FBI, don’t listen,” Mom said. “It’s just the gossip line getting out of control again.”
“That doesn’t even make sense,” Theo said. “If she were hiding from the FBI, she wouldn’t come here, where everyone knows her.”
“Or use her real name,” Owen added.
Theo held out an open bag of chips for Owen to take some. “Exactly.”
