10
“Ifeel like we got off on the wrong foot,” Keri says after ordering a sweet tea.
“How so?” I look up from the menu.
“My son was trespassing, and then last night…I swear I’m not judging you with anything but jealousy.”
I smile. “It’s fine.”
“For what it’s worth, Jared swears he wasn’t trying to spy on you. He thinks your house is haunted.” She rolls her eyes and sighs. “Better than the alternative, right?”
“Yeah. And it is a big old house. I think it’s haunted too.”
She laughs and slides her menu to the side of the table, already knowing what she’s going to order. “I won’t tell him that. And trust me, he won’t be bothering you anymore.”
“Actually, I was wondering if he’d want to do some yard work for me. I’d pay, of course. The house itself is a lot of work and the yard was a mess when I moved in. I don’t want it to get worse.”
“Oh, he’d jump all over that. He’s trying to save up to buy a new car. He hates the old one we gave him. Though, you don’t have to pay him. We’re neighbors and he still owes you for not arresting him.”
I wave my hand in the air. “Nah, he doesn’t owe me. I can tell he’s a decent kid.”
Keri raises her eyebrows. “That’s subjective,” she says on a laugh. “Everyone says teenage boys are so much easier than teenage girls, but it’s like I don’t even know that kid anymore.”
That’s because she doesn’t.
“I love him, don’t get me wrong. And I’ll send him over after school if you’ll be home.”
“Yeah, I will be. Thanks.”
“No problem. It’ll be good for him to do some work too. Kids are so lazy these days.”
The waitress comes over to take our orders. Keri orders a salad with the dressing on the side, and I order a BLT.
“Can I ask you about the boyfriend situation?” She crosses her arms and rests them on the table, leaning in.
“Sure.”
“How did it come about? Were you with one first and then the other came along?”
“Not really. I met them both at the same time.”
“Were they together?”
The simpler the lie, the easier it is to believe as well as recall. “No, not in that sense. They’re friends and that’s all.”
“So you three never…you know.” She wiggles her eyebrows. Her nosiness reminds me of Gemma, and I feel a weird tug on my heart. I should still be mad at her. But dammit, I kind of miss her and I’m worried she’s going to die from lack of medical care.
“No, not all together.”
“This is so interesting. Sorry for bombarding you.” She bites her lip and grabs her drink, sliding her finger up and down the glass. “You’re the coolest person I know.”
I laugh. “No one’s ever told me that before.”
“You’re a homicide detective who’s caught two serial killers in the last few monthsandyou’re dating two gorgeous men.”
“Well, when you say it like that, I do sound pretty cool.”
“Exactly!” she says, and we laugh. Our food comes quickly, and we talk the whole time throughout lunch. Unlike Gemma, Keri and I have nothing in common. She comes from money, both her parents are alive, well, and over involved. She got pregnant when she was still in college, dropped out, did hair for a while before she started blogging, which is what she does full time now. I had no idea you could make a living blogging about online coupons.
