“I’ll be on the lookout for that,” I tell her, waving at Mary as she comes out from the kitchen. Mary’s hands are full, but her eyes grow wide as she takes in the beautiful girl sitting across from me.
I usually eat here alone, or with my mom, sometimes with Anthony, but definitely never with a girl. Not since Desiree. After she left town, Mary informed me she never liked her anyway, and promised next time she’d tell me what she thought about someone. There hasn’t been anext time, but the way Mary is hurrying over it looks like she’s remembering her promise. This ought to be interesting.
“Well, hello there,” Mary says when she arrives. She sets down two glasses of ice water and Brynn looks up. Mary grins and Brynn actually has a normal response. Shesmiles.
“Is it cold in here?” I ask, teasing her. Her foot swiftly connects with my ankle.
Mary gives me a curious glance and refocuses on Brynn. “I haven’t seen you in here before.” She sticks out a hand. “I’m Mary.”
“Brynn Montgomery,” she answers, shaking Mary’s hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Brynn and Mary make small talk, and I try not to fall out of my seat. Since when is this girl nice? I don’t know what to do with nice Brynn. Mean Brynn is better. Mean Brynn can be kept at arm’s length. Mean Brynn—
“Connor?”
“Huh? Sorry, I—” I shake my head. “Never mind. I was somewhere else. What did you say?”
Mary scrunches up her eyes, like she’s trying to figure me out. It’s the same face she makes when she’s looking at her iPhone.
“I asked if you wanted your usual.”
I shake my head. “Monte Cristo this time. Thank you, Mary.”
“Umm hmm.” She gives me an extra long look before she turns to Brynn.
Brynn holds the menu out to Mary. “I’m not sure where he went just now,” she says to her, but she smirks at me. She’s enjoying this far too much.
“I think I know where he went,” Mary says as she turns to go.
Brynn either didn’t hear Mary, or she’s acting like she didn’t. “Today was fun,” she says, reaching for her straw and pushing the ice around her cup.
“Fun?”
“Yeah. It’s useful knowledge.”
“I suppose so. You really only need to change locks after you’ve moved in somewhere.”
“Sure,” Brynn agrees quickly. I think maybe she’s placating me.
“Or you could buy some of those floor alarms like you have,” I say as casually as I can, trying not to make eye contact with her. Pushing my straw aside with one finger, I drink from the cup and keep my gaze down. I’m trying not to look interested in her answer.Nope, I haven’t been dying to know why you have that floor alarm ever since it blared in my face this morning.
When she says nothing, I try again. “Those are pretty cool.”Those are pretty cool?That might be the dumbest thing I’ve ever said.
She looks at me, her face blank, but the nearly imperceptible twitch of her lips tells me she’s trying not to show emotion. Whether it’s laughing, frowning, or smiling is anybody’s guess.
I switch tactics. “What do you do for fun? When you’re not learning handyman skills from someone as devilishly handsome as me, I mean.”
She rolls her eyes, but they look happy. At least if she won’t crack a smile, I can see her eyes glimmer.
“Back home, I was a nightclub promoter. I taught a barre class, and I went to Mexico to visit my parents.” Her voice gets softer, so I lean in to hear her. Something takes over her whole face as she talks. Wistfulness, I think, and maybe despondence. Fear of her clamming up keeps me from asking why.
“My parents retired to Mexico five years ago. They have a sport fishing tour company, and they take people out and help them fish. They fish themselves, too, and sell it to local restaurants. I loved going, but…” Her eyes lift, meet mine, and it’s like there are steel shutters dropping down over windows. Looking away, she takes a deep breath and asks, “What about you?”
Her voice has changed. She is eager to turn the question to me and relieved that she didn’t keep talking. Like she caught herself from whatever she was about to say. I start slowly, thinking about what just happened, but soon I’m talking at a normal pace as I tell her about my dad.
“It’s hard to see him this way, but there’s nothing anybody can do about it. It might actually be more difficult to watch my mom. She has always been caring and nurturing, but I doubt she ever thought she’d have to care for her husband this way.”
“In sickness and health, Connor.” Brynn tips her head, watching me.
