“Nice to meet you.” I stepped forward and offered my hand. Hers was soft as we shook.
“Very nice to meet you, Theo.” Her eyes moved up and down. “Please, sit.”
The fact that she was openly staring didn’t bother me. I liked that she wasn’t trying to hide her curiosity. Made her seem honest.
Penelope and I took seats at her table. Colleen didn’t stop staring.
“Um…” Pen looked between me and her grandma, like she wasn’t sure what was happening. “Grandma, I should tell you something.”
I glanced at Pen with alarm. She wasn’t going to tell her that we—
“Theo is a Haven.”
That seemed like a weird thing to bring up. Not as weird as the other thing would have been, though.
“Is he, now?” Colleen said. “One of Paul’s?”
I nodded. “Yes, ma’am. Do you know my dad?”
“Not well,” Colleen said. “I’m afraid I was always on the wrong side of the feud for that.”
Her mention of the feud made me crack a smile. “Those were good times. Mostly. I’m glad it’s over, though. Having to hate another family for no reason was kind of tiring.”
“It does help when there’s a reason.”
I knew enough about her personal feud with Maury Haven to know what she was talking about. Back in the day, I wouldn’t have given prank advice to someone on the Bailey side, but since this was just between the two of them…
“Do you have your own kitchen?” I asked.
“I do, although I don’t use it much. Why?”
“Have you put any of his stuff in Jell-O yet?”
Colleen’s mouth curled in a devious smile. I decided then and there that I liked her. “I have not.”
“It’s a good one,” I said. “Just make sure you keep it in the fridge long enough. And don’t make the mistake of freezing it, thinking it’ll set faster. It just freezes and then melts into liquid once it starts to warm up. Makes a mess, and it isn’t even funny.”
“If only I could get ahold of his teeth,” Colleen said.
Pen laughed. “Grandma, please don’t put Maury’s teeth in Jell-O.”
“Why not?”
“Because that’s disgusting.”
Colleen tapped her chin. “I’ll think of something. Although he’s been keeping a close eye on me lately. I might have to call in a favor.”
“A favor?” Penelope asked. “What kind of favor?”
She patted Pen’s hand. “Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I want to hear how it goes,” I said. “Especially if you manage to get his teeth.”
“So, tell me, Theo,” she said, and I could hear the subject change coming. “How do you know my granddaughter?”
“We work together.”
“Theo’s a math teacher and the head football coach,” Pen added.
