“I’m sorry,” he said once they’d cleared the driveway. “It’s been a rough night.”
“Really? I hadn’t noticed.”
He shifted in his seat. “I didn’t mean to embarrass you back there. It caught me off guard when he said that about…you know…”
“It caught me off guard too, but so what? He was just being friendly. You might have said two words. Honestly, Glenn. I don’t know how you keep clients.”
His mouth thinned, and she thought maybe she’d gone too far, but the whole evening had left her out of sorts. The way he’d shut down and then was downright rude. Being in a bad mood was one thing but there was no reason to be ill-mannered. Not just to her, but that nice Mr. Russo. She kept her eyes on the road but caught Glenn glancing over once or twice.
“Did you ah, want to stop for a beer?” He slowed as they approached Casey’s. The parking lot was busy, and the place looked lively. Another time she would have been all in, but now she wasn’t in the mood.
“I’d rather just get back.”
He flicked his gaze her way, then drove on. “Okay, whatever you want.”
After a couple of minutes, he sighed deeply. “Look. I know I’ve been an ass tonight.” They were on 136 now, a narrow two-lane road with the occasional sweep of headlights coming at them.
“That’s one word for it.”
“Is there another one?”
“Extremely frustrating.”
“That’s two words.”
She felt the stirring of a smile. “Okay, I’ll throw in ‘rude.’ That makes three.”
He winced. “That bad?”
“Yes. That bad. You acted like a jerk to me and Mr. Russo.” She softened a little. “I assume something’s up with Lilah, and if you don’t want to talk about it that’s fine. But don’t take it out on me.”
For a long minute he didn’t speak, then finally, glumly, he said, “She wants to spend the summer in Colorado with her mom.”
“The wholesummer?”
“That’s whatIsaid.”
She looked over at him. “And you told her no.”
His shoulders sank. “I reacted badly. I might have said some things about her mother I shouldn’t have.”
“Oh boy.”
“Yeah. It pretty much went downhill after that.”
“Maybe you can talk to her when she gets home. Is the friend’s mom bringing her back, or do you have to pick her up?” They were almost back to Glenn’s house now, turning onto his quiet street. Hardly any cars out at ten o’clock on a Friday night in Laurelton. At one time, she would have chafed at the lack of hustle and bustle. At this time on a Friday night—any night—the city was just winding up. But she’d come to enjoy the slower pace, even found herself listening to the crickets when she took out the trash.
“She’s sleeping over at her friend’s. Right now, I’m enemy number one.” He pulled into the driveway and hit the garage opener. “Sorry about tonight. Can we try again? I promise not to be an ass or a jerk or rude…or what was the other one?”
“Extremely frustrating.”
He let go a smile for the first time. “That I can’t promise.”
She laughed. At least he was honest. “Tell you what, I’ll take you up on that drink.”
“Here?”
“Well I wasn’t talking about going all the way back to Easton.”
