Her spine stiffens as she dumps the beef stew into two bowls. I reach over her head to the cabinet I know holds the dishware and set down a third bowl in front of her.
She elbows my arm out of the way. “Back up, you’re too close. You’re also not invited to dinner.”
“Actually, Natalie invited me.” I take a small step backward to give her some wiggle room, but not much.
Holding a bowl in each hand, she ducks under my arm. “I’m uninviting you. You found your way in, you can see yourself out.”
I quickly ladle some stew in my empty bowl, snatch a spoon from the utensil drawer, and rush past her to block her path.
“That would be rude since Nat asked me to stay.” I grin as I open the screened door for her.
I think she mumbles “insufferable ass-twit” under her breath when she shoves by, and my grin spreads from cheek to cheek. It’s official. Needling Douglass Donnelly has just become my most favorite thing to do.
“Oh good. You both made it just in time. Look,” Natalie says, and points.
Douglass and I pause to look up. A few stars have already popped out in the dusky evening sky, along with the Mexican free-tailed bats dipping and diving as they swoop to catch moths and mosquitoes.
Douglass sets the food on a small circular table next to Natalie and bends low to whisper something in her ear.
Natalie whispers a not-so-quiet “I will,” then looks at me. “What are you doing standing there? Come. Eat.”
I’m taken aback by her warm acceptance of me just showing up at her doorstep after all this time. But that’s Natalie to a fault. Accepting, kind, and a huge heart with an endless capacity to love. So, I follow her lead and act like it hasn’t been five years and a called-off wedding to her niece between us.
“Douglass, can you go inside and bring a dining room chair out for Jordan?”
I expect Douglass to object or make an excuse as to why I have to leave or flat-out refuse to do what her aunt asked, so I’m surprised when all she does is hunch her shoulders, and without a word, gets out of her rocker to do as Nat asked.
“I’m good with standing.”
Cautiously, I walk over to the porch railing and lean back against it, then wait for Douglass to retake her seat. The back patio isn’t that big. Along with two rockers that have resided here for as long as I can recall, Natalie has filled every available space with an assortment of potted flowers and greenery. She and Mom both had green thumbs and loved to garden together.
Natalie sees me looking at the blaze climbing rose that’s curled around the patio side railing. It’s a transplant from Mom’s garden that she gave to Natalie a few months before she passed. The warm winter has caused it to bloom early this year.
Our gazes meet, and Natalie offers me a warm smile of understanding.
“Heard your car broke down and Jordan was kind enough to give you a lift.”
Douglass chokes on the sip of iced tea she just drank. She hasn’t touched her food yet.
“Uh, yeah.”
“Good thing Jordan was there. You should have called me. I could’ve come to get you.”
“Phone died,” Douglass replies. “I’ll call and get a replacement from the rental place.”
I take my first bite of food and hum in pleasure.
“So good, Nat.”
“Thank you.” She beams at me. “And you will not spend another dime paying for a rental when I have a perfectly good sedan you can use,” she addresses Douglass.
“I appreciate that, but we’ve already discussed this. You need it to drive to your—” Douglass glances up at me. “You need it more,” she finishes, taking long gulps of tea.
Douglass intonated earlier during the verbal whipping she gave me that money was tight. And seeing the state of Natalie’s house, I assume money is tight for her as well. Something I have more than enough of. Which is why I say, “I’ll have a car dropped off by tonight that you can use. I’ll let Curtis know to tow the rental back to the agency. Airport, right?”
Before Douglass can say thehell noI see coming, Natalie preempts her.
“That’s so nice of you, Jordan. Are you sure it won’t be an inconvenience?”
