set him up on a couple of dates, both of which had turned out to be complete disasters, as were every other setup Jayne arranged, but she hadn’t given up. Jayne’s friends were her family, and she made it her mission to do what she could to make her family happy.
His sister had been like that, too, and while Jayne would never replace Rosie, she came pretty damn close.
“Maybe I’ll stop by before we go to Carter’s.”
“Screw that—go now. We’re done here, anyway.”
“By myself?” Brett shook his head. “I’ll wait until you’re…”
Nick was already laughing. “You walk around most days with a nine-mil hanging off one hip and a Taser hanging off the other, but you’re scared of a woman half your size? What do you think she’s going to do?”
“I’m not scared of her,” he said, wondering if his smile hit his face this time. “I’d just feel better if I went in with backup.”
“In case she cries.”
“Exactly.”
“Wuss.”
Brett didn’t even try to deny it. Instead, he just kept on sweeping up until the jobsite was back in order the way Nick liked it.
By the time they got to Nick and Jayne’s, Brett had somehow managed to convince himself that he was making too much of it. Sure, Jayne might be a little upset, but come on—it wasn’t like he’d never talk to them again. Between phone calls and social media, they’d barely notice he was gone.
—
When he finished telling her, she just sat there for a few seconds not saying anything. Then she stood up, turned, and walked straight out of the room. Nick followed her into the next room and closed the door, and while Brett wasn’t trying to hear what was being said, he could make out Nick’s voice, soothing and calm, between Jayne’s muffled sniffs.
Not sure what he should do, Brett stayed in the kitchen, where they’d left him, sipping his beer and feeling like a total schmuck until they finally came out again.
Jayne hesitated at the kitchen door, then walked straight at him and threw her arms around him.
“Uh…okay.” In all the time he’d known her, this was the first time she’d ever hugged him, so it took him a second to react.
“See,” Nick chuckled. “That wasn’t so bad, was it?”
Jayne’s eyes were red and her cheeks a little splotchy, but when she spoke, she still managed to smile.
“Sorry about that,” she said. “So when do you think you’ll be going?”
“I’m, uh, not sure exactly. I have to wait and see what comes available.”
With Nick’s arm draped around her shoulders, she nodded as a look of determination slowly crept over her expression.
“Okay. So all we need to do is find something that’ll change your mind before a posting comes up. Right. Good. We can do that.”
“Nothing’s going to change my mind, Jayne.”
But she’d already turned away, her focus now on setting up for Ellie and her mom’s visit. The determined look on her face remained—in fact, it fixed itself even deeper in her eyes as she moved around the kitchen, setting out plates of food and wineglasses.
Maya arrived first, carrying a giant bag of potato chips and what looked like a bulk-food bag bulging with chocolate-covered almonds.
“Hungry?” Nick laughed.
“Don’t start with me,” she warned. “I have a raging case of PMS and I—”
“Whoa! We’re outta here!”
—
With four students in total signed up, Brett noted that the age range in this group was a lot wider than he usually had.
“Aw, snap, dude, no one said anything about five-oh running this thing.”
“Morning, Angus.” Brett handed the sixteen-year-old a workbook and a pencil, then pointed him toward the long table at the front of the room. “Take a seat.”
With another long groan, the kid tossed his book onto the table, then slumped down on the chair at the far end. Next came a tall, thin twenty-year-old guy who bent in a barely there bow when he walked in. Last in were Ellie and old Mrs. Goodsen, who walked together, arm in arm. The old woman’s other hand gripped the top of a cane with as much strength as her arthritic knuckles would allow, but even with both it and Ellie for balance, it was a slow go.
Whereas Mrs. G came dressed like she was off to church in her Sunday-best flowery dress and pearls, Ellie wore a loose-fitting cream-colored silk blouse with low-rise jeans and a brown leather jacket that matched her knee-high boots. A long silver pendant hung around her neck, resting just below her breasts. Before