My uncle beamed. "Thanks. I wanted to wear my green tux to match, but your aunt said no."
Aunt Vivian gave him an annoyed look. "Ernie. Dear. I believe she was being sarcastic." She turned back to me and added, "Which we don't appreciate, by the way."
Talk about nerve.
"Wanna know whatIdon't appreciate?" I said. "These little visits. Just admit it. You're not here to see me. You're here to see what you can make off with."
My aunt gasped, "Well, I never!"
Joel spoke up. "Yes. You did." An edge crept into his voice. "But it's gonna stop."
Aunt Vivian turned to glare at him. "Who asked you, anyway?"
Now, it wasmyturn to speak up. "Me. That's who."
Suddenly, my uncle burst out, "Hey Melody! We brought you something." And then, with a flourish, he reached into the lapel pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small silver box, topped with a matching bow.
He held it out in my direction. "See, we weren'ttakingsomething. We weregivingsomething." He gave my aunt a sly wink. "Right, Viv?"
She froze. "Um, well, you see…" And then, like a striking cobra, her arm shot out, reaching for the gift. Startled by the sudden motion, my uncle jerked back, and the box tumbled to the concrete. The lid popped off, and a small silver thing went rolling down the patio stairs. My aunt screeched, "Look what you did!"
Who? Me? Or my uncle?
I never found out, because already, my aunt and uncle were scrambling away, like kittens chasing a ball of yarn. Whatever the thing was, my uncle swooped it up and kept on running, with my aunt sprinting behind him.
I had to give her credit. For someone wearing heels and a long dress, she was no slouch in the running department.
When they disappeared around the corner of the house, I reached down and picked up the empty box, along with its lid. Attached to the lid was a small gift tag. I read it out loud. "To Bob and Marge. With love, from Ernie and Vivian."
I lifted my gaze to Joel. His body was rigid, and his mouth was tight. He was staring at the corner of the house, where my aunt and uncle had disappeared from view.
Hoping to lighten his mood, I said, "Well, Bob. What'd you think of that?"
His gaze didn't waver. "I think they need a talking to."
Maybe they did. But I'd had more than enough drama for one night. I reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. "No.I'mthe one who needs a talking to. Remember?"
Finally, he turned to look. "You said they wouldn't be back for a while."
"Yeah, well, they probably had some sort of special thing going on." I perked up as I realized something. "Hey, you know what that silver thing was?"
"What?" Joel asked.
"A little penguin. Aunt Vivian has this friend – Marjorie – who collects them. No wonder my aunt was so horrified. She probably had it made special or something."
As I talked, Joel's gaze kept shifting back to the corner of the house, as if he hadn't quite decided whether or not to give chase.
Hoping to keep him rooted next to me, I went on to tell him that Bob and Marjorie had a lake house twenty minutes away, and that they entertaineda lot.I finished by saying, "So that explains the early visit." I gave a happy sigh. "There. Mystery solved."
At last, Joel turned and gave me his full attention. "You're happy about this?"
I smiled. "Nope."
He studied my face. "So why are you smiling?"
Still smiling, I tossed out a phrase I'd heard from him several times already. "You've gotta ask?"
Finally, he smiled and took my hand in his. Together, we circled the house, heading toward the driveway, so I could retrieve my keys from the car. But just as we reached the porch, Joel stopped to stare at the front door.
