“Most likely, yeah,” Drew says with a shrug of resignation. “It’s fine, Ally. We have nothing to hide.”
He’s right, of course. We’re both single adults, and our living arrangements are no one’s business but our own.
But even though he said we have nothing to hide, Drew’s clearly not pleased that his sister’s here.
His phone rings, and he taps at the screen. “I’ve buzzed them up.”
A moment later there’s a knock at the door, and Drew opens it.
“Hey, Uncle Drew!” Drew’s niece greets him with a smile that shows the braces on her teeth. She’s got her mother’s dark hair and eyes, and she looks like she’s around twelve or thirteen.
“Hey, Charlotte,” Drew says, pulling her in for a hug. “Hi, Breanna.” The look he gives his sister is a cooler than the one he gave his niece.
“Hey,” Breanna says. “Hi, Ally. Sorry, Drew, I didn’t know you had Ally over.”
“Right,” he says dryly. “Charlotte, this is my girlfriend Ally. Ally, my niece Charlotte.”
“Nice to meet you, Ally,” Charlotte says. “I’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Oh, really?” Drew asks, cutting a glance to Breanna. “Like what?”
“Mom said you seemed really nice,” Charlotte tells me. “She also said you were beautiful, which was interesting, because she’s always telling me that looks aren’t important?—”
“Charlotte!” Breanna interrupts. A blush creeps up her neck, and now Drew looks amused.
“Your mother’s right, Charlotte,” I put in.
“Ally is beautiful,” Drew says with a nod.
“That’s not what I meant,” I say quickly, and now I’m blushing too. “She’s right that looks aren’t that important.” I’m young enough to remember how miserable being a teenage girl can be. I elbow Drew in the ribs, and he picks up the cue.
“That’s true,” he says. “The first thing I noticed about Ally was her brain.”
Charlotte looks skeptical. “Was she, like, your patient or something?”
Drew chokes on a laugh. “Um, no. But she . . .” he pauses for a moment, and my heart sinks.
“She gets my humor,” he finally says. “A lot of people don’t realize when I’m trying to make a joke, but Ally does. And she’s a lot of fun to argue with.” He catches my eye, and I realize he’s serious.
“Huh,” Charlotte says thoughtfully. “What do you argue about?”
“Nothing that important,” Drew says. “That’s why it’s fun. Anyway, Charlotte, I heard you wanted to do some math?”
“Yeah, my class is doing the Gauss contest next week,” Charlotte says. “You know the University of Waterloo one? I have a book of practice problems, but some are really hard.” She slips a purple backpack off her shoulders and pulls out a book.
“Well, sit down then,” Drew says, gesturing to the dining table. “You too, Breanna. You can help.”
Breanna frowns. “Drew, I’ve been doing those problems all week. I’ll chat with Ally.”
Drew looks at me to confirm I’m okay with that.
“Sounds good to me,” I say. At least it means I won’t get roped into helping with math.
Breanna leads me across the living room to the pair of armchairs by the window. As she settles into her chair, her eyes catch on the rolled up yoga mat that’s resting against the wall. It’s mine, of course, and she knows it.
“So, Ally,” she says. I half expect her to ask if I’ve moved in with her brother, but she takes a softer approach. “Are you into yoga?”
“Mostly Pilates. I tried yoga a few times, but I could never really get into it.”
