Waking up in her grandmother’s pristine guest room made Retta want to sink deeper into the bed. This was the only place where she could sleep in. She hadn’t been here in almost a year, and the last time she was, she’d been in the middle of a spiral over herWinner Bakes All“win” and recent breakup.
Not wanting to tarnish the moment, Retta got up and prepared for the day. From experience, she knew her granny would’ve already eaten, but a box of cereal and a pot of tepid coffee would be waiting for her.
As she descended the stairs, she spotted Duncan and her grandmother sitting at the breakfast nook, silent. Retta loved that the older woman was able to knock Duncan down a few pegs. He thought he’d come in here with his smile and strong shoulders and charm Grandma Edie, ha!
“Good morning,” she said.
Duncan turned around and winked at her.
Her gran moved the newspaper from in front of her face long enough to reveal her bob with blunt bangs and say, “Morning, sweetheart. The cereal box is on the counter.”
After preparing her breakfast, Retta joined Duncan and her grandmother at the table.
“How was everyone’s night?” she asked, breaking the silence.
“Perfectly fine,” her granny replied.
Duncan closed his eyes and shook his head.
Pressing her lips together she dumped teaspoons of sugar into her coffee and doused it with almond milk to make it somewhat palatable.
“I should get you better coffee, Granny.”
“I’ve been drinking that brand for thirty years. It hasn’t killed me yet.”
“That’s a low bar. You should want it to taste good,” Retta said as she gathered a spoonful of cereal.
“The best coffee I’ve had is from that cafe we first met at,” Duncan said.
“I haven’t actually tried—”
Her grandmother tsked behind the newspaper.
Retta looked sideways at Duncan. “Is everything okay?”
She didn’t answer right away, and when she did, it was from behind the paper. “Well, last night you told me you met because your businesses are beside each other, but now you’re saying you met at some coffee shop.” She dropped the newspaper. “What is the truth?”
“Both are true. We briefly met at the coffee shop before officially meeting when we realized we were neighbors,” Retta said.
Her grandmother pursed her lips and studied the two of them before saying to Duncan, “You seem like the flighty type. I don’t know if I trust you.”
It could be intimidating being on the receiving end of Edith Rankine’s sharp tongue, but before Retta could smoothly change the subject, Duncan said, “That’s cool. I’m grateful you let me stay here, but at the end of the day, I’m here for Retta.”
His words made her tingly all over. She knew he meant he was there because of their agreement, but for a moment it sounded as if he was truly there for her and not parking spaces.
Her grandmother made an indecipherable sound before returning to her reading material.
“I think I’ll go for a run,” Duncan said, getting up from his seat. “Excuse me.”
When he disappeared into the bathroom, Retta said, “You’re doing too much.”
“Perhaps,” her grandmother replied.
“He’s a good guy.”
“We thought that of the last one as well,” the older woman said.
Retta shook her head. Sure, Chris was sometimes condescending and she’d mistaken his arrogance for wit, but he wasn’t a bad guy. She even suspected she would’ve thought fondly of their relationship if they’d had a regular breakup.
