Chapter 15
BURTON
It took some persuading for me not to get on the bus, but the main gal finally relented. I’m not a high school kid on a field trip, but a grown man who can get a ride when he needs one.
“Where are we heading?” I ask Laney as I get into the passenger seat. It’s a tight fit, but it’s doable. This is why everyone I know should have a truck. There’s usually plenty of room for limbs in those.
“My grandma’s favorite place is a little hole-in-the-wall restaurant about twenty minutes from here.” Laney puts the car into reverse and backs up while turning the steering wheel. She makes it so she can pull out of the long driveway without driving backward the entire time.
“Sounds good. I’m ready for more than the sandwiches we had for lunch.” I might’ve snuck the extra one and still feel a gnawing hunger. “At least your grandma gave us a granola bar a couple of hours ago.”
Laney laughs, filling the car with the sound. “Did you break a tooth on it? She buys things in bulk, and then they don’t eat them fast enough.”
I shake my head. “It was fairly fresh. No teeth were harmed in the process of eating it.”
“That’s a good thing.”
“What should I expect from this conversation?” I ask, turning to study her face.
She blinks a few times, like she’s concentrating. “What do you mean? Our conversation?”
I snort and say, “No, sorry. I meant our dinner conversation. With your grandparents.”
She inhales and then exhales deeply. “Grammie is a straight shooter, as you might’ve seen earlier.
Grandpa will work to figure out if you know of any places he can get some free wood.
The two of them together are both a hoot and very frustrating.
” She hesitates before she continues. “They’ll probably ask what we are to each other. ”
I point between the two of us. “You and me.”
She nods.
“What are you hoping to tell them?” I don’t know why I say it like that, but I’m curious about her response.
She shrugs. “We’re neighbors and friends. I owe you dinner because you fixed my car.”
I lean my head back against the headrest. “We’re already squared away with that. I’ve still got like twelve coupons to go.”
She tenses, and I hope I haven’t said something wrong.
“Are you okay?” I ask, trying to see her face as we make it to the road.
“I’m good. I still feel like an idiot for giving that to you.”
“Why? It’s a good excuse to hang out with you,” I say, smiling at her.
She looks at me for a moment and then turns her gaze forward, checking both directions before pulling onto the road. Her grandparents are ahead of us, and they’re going faster than I expected.
“You want to hang out with me?” she says, her voice small.
“Of course. I feel like there’s always something new to learn about you. And maybe there’ll be an actual crime one of these times.”
She rolls her eyes at me. “It was dark, and it looked like a body.”
Laughing, I say, “I know. I just thought I’d tease a little more about it.”
Laney turns on the radio, and we sing along to 80s songs, quizzing each other on the lyrics as we go.
“You know a lot of songs,” Laney says.
“I’m old, and my parents listened to a wide variety of music. I didn’t always love it, but now I’m grateful for it.”
“Do you see your parents often?” Laney asks, looking at him for a second while at a stop sign.
I blow out a breath and shake my head. “No, not too often since I’ve been in the league.”
“They don’t come watch your games ever? At least once a year or something?” Her concern nearly breaks me.
“My parents differ from most. I’m not in a place to return the money they spent while raising me, so they don’t love the idea of adding to that debt.”
“Are you serious?” Laney asks, her expression pure shock.
I turn to stare out the windshield, trying to rein in my emotions and push them back behind the wall.
“Connie comes out in the summer and will stay for two weeks with her kids so they can see me play. Camille came when she just had the one baby, but she gets really sick when she’s pregnant, so she won’t be here this year.”
“What about the third sister?” she asks.
“Cecilia? She’s on my parents’ side.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Really?” She shakes her head, and her face turns red.
With a quick shrug, I say, “I’m used to it now.”
“But that’s the thing. You shouldn’t have to be used to it. You should be loved because of who you are, and they should be proud of where you’ve gone in your life, not asking for repayment.”
We’re quiet for several moments before she says, “Sorry for that. I just get really irritated when people are so worried about themselves that they don’t think about anyone else.”
“I appreciate that.”
“Do you have anyone else who shows up for you?” she asks.
“Not really. I send Neighbor Nora the link so she can watch the games on her computer when we play. She doesn’t sit well in the bleacher chairs there.”
Laney grins. “She watches your games? That’s the cutest thing ever.”
“She’s definitely cuter than your goat,” I say, grateful to talk about lighter subjects.
Laney turns to me with wide eyes. “Are you ragging on Pearl?”
“Is that the name of the goat that scared me when I was trying to scare you?”
“Yes.”
“Then yes. She’s a feisty little thing.”
“Until she hears loud noises and then freezes and falls over.”
“Was she born on the farm?” I ask, curious about Laney’s attachment to the small animal.
Laney shakes her head. “No, we got her and her siblings from a neighbor who was moving and couldn’t take care of them. But we usually get our animals from an adoption site that’s been around for a while.”
“There are animal adoption sites?” I ask.
She laughs and says, “Oh, just wait. That will be part of our conversation at dinner as well.”
“I can’t wait.”