“I did? I didn’t notice.”
“Yeah. Like, when Bambi was next to you, you spoke in a British accent. When she wasn’t, you didn’t.”
“Hmmm.”
“What happened to her?”
“Who?”
“Bambi.” Rio seemed engulfed again, this time with the cucumber she was slicing.
“She went on with her life.” I shrugged, feeling Rio’s gaze on my profile now. I wasn’t surprised she didn’t know. Like my grandfather, Simon thought my relationships weren’t worth mentioning. He was right. “You’re my best friend andI love you, man,” he always said, “but I’m glad I’m not a woman.”
Good thing he didn’t know about Rio and me.
“Who’s the friend so invested in your workout routine?” I smirked, tossing the sliced onions, potatoes, and red peppers into the sizzling skillet.
Even without looking directly at her, I could feel Rio fidgeting. “A friend on Instagram. She follows my tutorials, we got to talking, and she thought I might enjoy it.” She was chuckling now.
“And did you?”
Rio halted and turned to me, which made me turn to her. “Obviously!”
I laughed. “He did give some great workout there, I’ll give him that.”
We both laughed now.
“What tutorials?” I then asked while adding the eggs.
Before she could reply Walter announced his entrance with a puzzled, “You cook?” directed at me.
“Cook isn’t the exact word, but I know how to make a few things.”
“Smells good,” he said.
Did he just compliment me?
Walking over to Rio, he leaned over the salad bowl. “No parsley, please.”
“I made that mistake onlyonce, a year ago.” Rio chuckled. “You can take a seat, Walter. I’ll set the table.”
My grandfather sat at the round kitchen table and looked over at us. “Let me tell you, people these days don’tappreciate anything. I was just watching two idiots on TV arguing about—”
He went on and on to quote one panel member, then another, and complained about all of them equally, until the food was ready and served to the table.
“Watching these shows isn’t good for you, Walter. You have your blood pressure to think about,” Rio said when Walter’s mouth was full and she could finally squeeze in a word.
“I don’t have enough friends alive to argue with, so I argue with the TV,” Walter replied with his mouth full.
“You have friends down at the Seniors’ Center. But maybe it’s good you’re not arguing with them.” Rio gave Walter a challenging smile with her eyebrows raised.
The way she handled him was amazing and amusing to watch.
“How’s the frittata?” I asked.
“Nicely done, Owe—Where’s the salt? I need more salt.” Walter deflected.
“Can’t finish the compliment?” I teased.
