“Why on earth would I do that?”
“BecauseCalebis up ahead, and I don’t want him to see me. Now just be cool, Grandma.”
Understanding falls over her expression. “Ah, okay. The avoidance technique. Got it.” Striking up a whistling tune of “Rockin’ around the Christmas Tree,” she stands next to the trash can and twirls her cane. “Good afternoon,” I hear her say. “How are you doing? Beautiful day forshopping. Not many days until Christmas—I hope you’re ready for Santa. Oh, hey there, Caleb.” My back stiffens.Please don’t let him see me here, please, oh please.
“Hello, Grandma Louise,” he says, his deep voice draping over my shoulders like an old blanket, all warm and comfortable. “How are you?”
“Wonderful. Getting ready for Christmas. What about you?”
The chill of the cold sidewalk starts to seep past the fabric of my jeans as I shiver, hoping he doesn’t see me.
“Just taking Arden to get some fudge. Griffin Knightly put some on hold for us over at the Lobster Landing.”
“What a nice boy,” Grandma Louise says. “We got some earlier.”
“We?” I hear Arden ask.
Oh, come on, Grandma!
“Uh, yes, we.” Her voice shakes ever so slightly. “We, as in me and my trusty cane. This girl loves a good jaunt around town.”
I press my hand to my forehead. This ship is sinking.
“Friends with your cane now, Louise?” Arden asks.
“Are you judging me?” she snaps. She may be small, old, wrinkly everywhere, but she is feisty.
“No, not at all. Would never think of doing such a thing.”
“That’s what I thought.” Grandma Louise raps her cane on the ground, putting an end to that conversation.
There’s a brief silence before Caleb says, “Ah, well, it was good seeing you.”
“You too, dear.”
“Arden, I’m just heading into this shop—I’ll catch you in a bit,” Caleb says.
Listening to the departure of boots, I shift around the trash can just in case Caleb decides to look back, and wait another minute before I determine the coast is clear. That’s when I stand and come face to face with Arden.
“Nola? I thought that was you behind the trash can.”
I swallow hard and try to act as casual as possible. “Oh, you, uh, you saw me there? I was just checking for, uh, for any sort of trash in the gutter. Got to look out for Mother Nature and she’ll look out for us, you know? Littering is for fools.”
“That it is.” Arden smiles broadly, bushy eyebrows raised.
“Did you like my save back there?” Grandma Louise says, her inability to remain cool completely vanished. “That boy is walking away, thinking I’m having some sort of love affair with my cane.” She lets out a wallop of a laugh before walking right by Arden and into Snow Roast.
Thanks a lot, Grandma.
When my eyes connect with Arden’s, he gives me a knowing look as he rocks back on his heels. Great.
“So.” I shift uncomfortably. “You’re, uh ... you’re not going to tell him you saw me, are you?”
He smiles softly. “Although appealing, I think I need to honor your stealthy invisibility moves.”
I let out a long sigh. “Thank you.”
“But you know, it’s bound to happen at some point. I hear that you’re renovating your parents’ old home. And word on the street is, Caleb owns a hardware store.”
