and then seemed to watch me with expectant gazes as I moved toward the formal dining room. That’s where my mother reigned.
“There she is,” Grandma called out when I appeared in the opening between the kitchen sitting area and dining room. “I was starting to wonder if you were going to show up at all. I was going to remind you about the barbecue when you stopped by earlier, but I thought it was unnecessary. Apparently not, huh?”
I glanced at the clock on the wall. I was on time, which was early given the fact that Brad’s wife had made a habit of running more than an hour late since she’d been introduced to the family. Nobody gave her grief. Apparently I was the only lucky one on that front.
“I’ve been here for a little bit,” I argued, trying to keep my temper in check. “I was talking to people in the kitchen.”
“Yes, well ... .” Grandma trailed off, her eyes shrewd as she glanced between my mother and me. “Aren’t you going to say hello to your mother?” she asked finally.
Now I had no choice. I’d been considering sitting at the opposite end of the table and forcing her to say something to me first. Grandma had taken that option out of my hands ... and I wasn’t happy about it.
“Hello, Mother,” I said darkly, my eyes finally seeking — and finding — hers. “How are you?”
There was a catch in her chest as she regarded me and I braced myself for an onslaught of passive-aggressive statements. Instead, she sucked in three steadying breaths and flashed a smile that was faker than Grandma’s bottle-blond hair. “Hello, Stormy. It’s so good to see you.” She didn’t get up and offer a hug, for which I was thankful.
“It’s good to see you, too.” I sat in a chair that was far from her reach should she decide to wrap her hands around my neck. She was playing a game — probably because Grandma had warned her about acting out — and she expected me to be the first to crumble. That wasn’t going to happen this time. I was older now, wiser. I had infinite patience.
Okay, the only part of that statement that was true is the older part. I felt like an idiot and snakes writhed in my stomach. She would definitely win whatever game she was playing. The only option I had was putting up a valiant fight.
“How is the apartment?” Mom’s tone was clipped. “I wanted to come and help you set it up, but I never received an invitation.”
Like that had ever stopped her before. “It’s fine.” I matched her tone, going for a breezy demeanor that I knew would drive her around the bend. “I don’t own anything, so there’s really nothing I need help with.”
“That’s not true,” Grandpa countered, shuffling into the room. He was dressed in bright red shorts, a pale-yellow polo shirt, and a black belt. When I glanced at his feet, I found he was wearing black socks and a pair of Crocs. Yup. His outfit matched the chaos in his brain. “Hunter was over measuring for blinds. It sounds like you’re going to do some decorating.”
Well, that was a thorny subject ... and not just because Hunter was the last person I wanted to talk about. I couldn’t very well admit to feeling as if someone was watching me. It would turn into a thing, and my mother might well insist that I move in with her as a precautionary measure until Roy’s killer was caught. I’d rather live in my car than share a roof with my mother.
“He was just helping because I think blinds are a good idea if Grandpa is going to keep using my apartment for his afternoon bathroom breaks,” I replied coolly. “It’s not a big deal.”
“Yeah, that’s not what was going on.” Grandpa shook the side of my chair and raised an eyebrow, an unspoken message being sent.
I scowled as I got up from his chair — he had a regular stool in the restaurant and two regular chairs in his own house. Nobody was allowed to usurp his territory. I moved to the spot to his left. “You could’ve just asked,” I grumbled. “Or, I don’t know, you could’ve sat in a different chair.”
“No, I couldn’t.” He was blasé as he shifted his eyes between my mother and me. It was obvious he was trying to read the temperature of the room. “You and