“Let’s just hope he hasn’t met his own Cuddlebug,” she chuckled.
“Seriously, how did you and Grandpa put up with her while she was there?”
“Well, they only stayed one night, and then I made the announcement that we were all going to church in the morning. I’ve never seen a woman make so many excuses so quickly,” she laughed.
“When was the last time you were in church?” I questioned.
“Several years, but she didn’t know that.”
The bell over the door jangled, announcing a customer. “Grandma, I have to go. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you, sweetie.”
“Love you, too.”
I had a gnawing feeling in the pit of my stomach that it was Scarlet, but luckily, when I turned around, it was Ellie May.
“Oh, thank God. I thought I was going to have to pretend to be nice.”
“That bad, huh?”
“She’s horrible. Absolutely horrible. And the sex! She’s so loud!”
“At least your brother’s enjoying himself,” she smirked. “It’s better than him crying every night.”
“I’d gladly go back to the crying if I could escape this woman. I’m telling you, she’s horrible.”
“Give her another week. She might surprise you.”
“Yeah, she might actually marry my brother, and then I’ll be stuck with her for life. I need sleep!” I whined, thunking my head on the counter.
“Well, you could always move in with that hot neighbor of yours,” she teased. “I hear you’ve been spending plenty of time over there.”
“For sleep,” I argued. “He found me sleeping in my car and took pity on me. I took the couch, and in return, made him breakfast. That’s it.”
“But it doesn’t have to be,” she said in a sing-song voice.
“Yes, it does. If he was at all interested, he would have said something likeHey, baby, come to my room and let me show you my hammer.”
“Yeah, I really don’t think he would say that.”
“It’s better than what I’m hearing at the house. God, I might actually be developing some sort of sickness just by being around the two of them. Is it possible to catch disgust?”
“I don’t think so, but I’m no expert on it. Should we grab lunch?”
I rubbed my stomach, wishing I could untwist the knots forming by the minute. “I’m not sure my stomach can handle food.”
“It can’t be that bad,” she grinned, but her smile slipped when she saw how serious I was. “Right?”
“There’s something very wrong about this woman, Ellie. It’s not just that I don’t like her. She sets me on edge, and I find myself wanting to pick up a knife and stab her. I’ve never wanted to stab anyone before! She took all the hot water this morning!”
“Ooh, that’s not good.”
“And she tossed away my food because I didn’t make it the way she liked it. Who does that?”
“People who have never had to go without food.”
“Exactly. She’s spoiled and pretentious and irritating and…”
