“Too late. It’s already been discovered.” She helped herself to one of the broken cookies.
“But if I want to get all the badges, I have to discover something. Right now I’m working on my science badge.”
“Let me guess, you’re going to blow something up.”
Bean wrinkled his nose. “I can’t do that! Dad and I are going to build a catapult with a rocket. You can set it on fire, you know.”
“The catapult?”
“The rocket.”
That sounded like a major hazard to her. She imagined him attempting this flaming rocket catapult in the backyard and setting the whole house on fire. How closely did his dad watch this kid?
Bean dipped another cookie into the milk. “I like your dog.”
“Unnecessary to mention. It’s been well established.”
“Did you know Aggie can roll over?” he asked, sitting up taller.
“Her name is Agnes,” Lorna said.
“Watch.” He hopped off his stool and got down on his knees next to Agnes. “Roll over, Aggie! Roll over!”
Agnes looked at Bean adoringly, then rolled over. And rolled over again, presenting her undercarriage. Bean petted it with both hands. Then he put his face on her belly and rubbed it around. “Good girl!” he praised her. He climbed back onto his stool to polish off the rest of the cookie pieces. Lorna couldn’t help but reach across and brush an upsetting bit of dog hair from his cheek.
“My homeroom teacher is really pretty,” he said. “Her name is Mrs. Kimble. You know what I like to watch on TV with my dad?Gunsmoke. Dad says it’s a really old show, but I like it becausethey shoot each other a lot. Dad’s usually on his phone, though. Sometimes he’s asleep.”
She would be, too, faced with an endless round ofGunsmoke.
The kid nattered on, throwing out random Bean facts. He had big toes. Diego was his best friend, and he had chickens. His dad didn’t like bicycles anymore. He’d thought about being an astronaut but decided to be an explorer. He could make his ears wiggle. Lorna insisted on seeing evidence of that, and he obliged.
He was a sweet and innocent kid. She vaguely remembered being sweet and innocent. Kristen was her best friend.
Until she wasn’t.
Then Callie was her best friend.
Until she wasn’t.
The cookies were gone, and Bean was working on his second glass of milk when there was a knock at Lorna’s door. Agnes hopped to her feet and began to bark. Bean raced for the door, Agnes on his heels, Lorna trying to get off her stool and beat them there. She was too late—Bean threw open the door like he thought it might be Santa calling a little early. “Hi, Dad!”
“Hey, buddy. What are you doing here?” the man asked, ruffling his son’s hair.
“I forgot my key.”
“Again?”
Lorna reached the door and stood behind Bean, blocking his dad’s view into her apartment. It was one thing to reveal her weirdness to a kid, quite another to reveal it to an adult. Especially one who smiled like he did. And he kept smiling, like he didn’t see anything wrong. Like he didn’t see anything wrong with her, which was... nice. “Hey, thanks so much. Sorry about Bean. I think we should introduce ourselves since this keeps happening. I’m Seth. Seth Rooney.” He held out his hand.
Lorna considered it. Her palms were probably sweaty, but to ignore it would appear rude. She took his hand and gave it a good hard shake before quickly letting go. “I’m Lorna Lott. And that’s Agnes.”
“I’ve heard a lot about Agnes,” Seth said.
Remarkably, he was still smiling. It made Lorna feel strangely warm. Which in turn sprouted a tiny bit of panic in her. She didn’t know what to do with that warmth. Except gawk. She was so rusty when it came to exchanging pleasantries.
Bean ducked under her arm to grab his things, leaving at least a portion of her apartment exposed. “He’s too young to be a latchkey kid,” she blurted, the words tumbling out of her mouth before she could stop herself. It made her curl into a ball on the inside. She didn’t want to be unlikable. She wanted Seth to like her. She expected shock. Indignation. At the very least, a retort to keep her nose to herself.
But Seth Rooney, by all outward appearances, was not offended. He actually chuckled. “I couldn’t agree more,” he said genially. “This was never the original plan, but we’re doing our best. We’re working on remembering important things, like our key. Right, Bean?”
