“I hate quitting more than I hate failing,” I replied dryly recalling Meri’s previously spoken words.
Kitty snorted. “That explains… most of your personality.”
I dropped onto the edge of the couch beside Meri, careful not to knock her book. The adrenaline was finally ebbing, leaving behind something warm and fizzy in my chest, like accomplishment trying to decide if it was allowed to stay.
“I drove through town,” I said.
Kitty’s head snapped up. “You didn’t. With that truck?”
“I did,” I said. “I drove slowly with supervision.”
Meri lifted an eyebrow. “Supervision?”
I hesitated for half a second too long.
Kitty grinned. “The cop must have gone with her. He’s pretty brave.”
“He has a name,” I said automatically.
“And that name is?” Kitty prompted.
“Ephram,” I said, trying very hard to sound normal.
Meri watched me over the top of her book. “You said that carefully.”
“I said it correctly,” I replied.
Kitty laughed. “You hugged him.”
I stiffened. “You did not see that.”
“I absolutely saw that,” Kitty said. “It was quick, but it was sincere.”
“Why are you spying on me?” My face heated. “It was reflexive. I was excited. It was inappropriate and very brief.”
Meri smiled faintly. “Those are usually the most honest moments.”
I groaned and leaned back against the couch. “Can we please talk about literally anything else.”
“How about Cousin Collin,” Kitty said mischievously.
I sat up. “No.”
“Yes,” she said, sobering. “We need a plan.”
Meri sighed, marked her place with a bookmark before closing the book and setting it aside along with her reading glasses. “We really do.”
The earlier tension crept back in, subtle but persistent. “He hasn’t said anything to me, at least not directly, but I have seen him hovering like a vulture. It’s as though he’s deciding if I’m next on his list to propose to.”
“Which is worse,” Kitty replied. “Because now he’s thinking about you.”
“He’s always thinking or talking too much,” I muttered.
“He’s staking you out,” Kitty continued. “Lucy noticed. I noticed. Mom definitely noticed, even if she’s pretending not to.”
Meri folded her hands in her lap. “Waiting someone out isn’t romantic.”
“No,” I said with a groan. “It feels like erosion.”
