“’Kay.”
Anna tried deep breathing, but the humidity on top of the lump made her feel like gagging. Beth came on the line quickly, thank God. “Hey. What’s wrong?”
“I love you.”
Beth’s surprised laugh rang through the phone. “You called me out of a filling forthat? Can you give my kids lessons?”
She pinched the bridge of her nose. “A friend of mine at work just lost her brother-in-law.”
“Aw, honey. I’m sorry. That bites.”
“So even though you’re not fighting a war, I want you to know I love you. You know. In case you get hit by a bus or something.”
“I’ll watch out for buses. Promise.”
“And falling space junk.”
“Anna,” Beth sighed.
“I’m serious. You never know when your time’s up, and I might never get another chance to tell you I’m glad you’re my sister.”
“I’m glad you’re my sister too, but Tony’s not falling-space-debris lucky,” Beth said. “And if it makes you feel any better, you’re in my will.”
She blinked at the woven metal tabletop, all neat and even and insignificant. If she’d let Rodney kiss her that night, would it have changed anything?
“I’m joking, Anna-banana. Nothing’s going to happen.”
She blew out a slow breath. She could do this. She could fake normal. “Take me out of the will. I don’t want your gerbil.”
“You are such a dweeb. I really need to finish up this filling, but I can call you back in fifteen.”
“I’m okay. Really. I just needed to hear your voice.”
“I’ll come visit soon. I need a day without sniffing testosterone. Keep your chin up, okay?”
She’d had enough practice lately.
So she said good-bye to Beth and went on with her day. Because while the world had lost Rodney, Anna still had a schedule to keep.
“How’d it go, sugar?”
Anna dropped into the seat across from Kaci at Jimmy Beans that night as if her butt was carrying around the weight of the entire last week. Considering all the thermo knowledge that had evaporated out her ears during her test the last two hours, she should’ve weighed less than the chai latte Kaci had waiting for her.
“It’s over.” She gestured to the cup. “What do I owe you?”
Kaci sniffed and ignored the question. “I’ve got half a mind to march into ol’ grandpappy’s office and give him what for. Giving a test first class after a long weekend. Humph. I don’t know what I ever saw in that man.”
Anna had a couple ideas. There were the potato guns and his penchant for discussing the ignition points of various substances, both turn-ons to Kaci. Plus, he’d retired from the service earlier than he’d wanted, to move across the country and try to win her back. But Kaci had Lance, and Lance had not only voluntarily gone into the training squadron to avoid deployments for Kaci, he’d also stood up to her mother. Considering Kaci’s stories of ol’ grandpappy flirting with her mother, Anna thought Kaci was better off with number two.
Good for her, but Anna wasn’teverdoing a number two.Not given the way her post-divorce love life had gone.
“You okay?”
Kaci’s tone had that sympathetic note that tended to provoke lumpy throats and stingy eyes. But Anna swallowed both with her chai and met her friend’s eyes. “Thermo didn’t beat me the first time, it won’t beat me now.”
Not what her friend was asking, and she knew it.
Kaci didn’t push. She simply waited while Anna let herself process what she’d been hiding from most of the day. Shirley had come through with a few details, the most comforting being that Rodney probably hadn’t felt a thing, but for the most part, Anna had shut Rodney and Brad and Jules out and coped by focusing on her test.
