“Hey, I think I lost my earring…” Velma’s out-of-breath voice trailed close.
Brek sucked in a breath. “V, I thought you left.”
“Unless he already knows what?” Velma asked, climbing up into the bread-mobile.
Chapter Twenty
“Scripture,” Pops said. “Unless he already knows the…scripture. Brek here’s a real theologian.”
Brek? No way. Then again, Pops could convert anyone.
“Scripture?” she asked, confirming she’d heard him right.
“Yeah, you know, Bible shi—tuff.” Brek shoved his hands into his pockets. “What are you looking for?”
Somewhere between when they’d originally left and when they’d returned, one of Velma’s favorite pearl earrings had disappeared.
“My earring. I barely got out of the parking lot before I realized one of the pearls was gone.” She gave Pops a quick hug and grinned at Brek. “Have you seen it?”
“Seen what?” Brek asked, rubbing his forehead.
Velma raised her eyebrows. Was he serious? “My earring, silly.”
“Oh. Uh…no.” Brek shifted like he’d gotten caught with his fist in her candy jar of suckers. What was that all about?
“You’re acting weird.” She looked between Pops and Brek. “Is everything okay?”
“Oh fine, just fine.” Pops had a mischievous glint to his expression.
“What he said,” Brek muttered and knelt to run a hand along the floor.
She followed suit. “I swear if I dropped it in the street, I’m going to lose my mind.”
“Dropped what?” Brek asked, glancing up.
“My earring.” She scrunched her forehead.
“Earring. Yeah.” He glanced back under the bench.
Velma looked to Pops. What the heck was going on here?
He raised a shoulder. “Long day for everyone.”
“Uh-huh…” She stretched to feel along the edge. Something sharp poked her fingertip. “Got it!” She held up the small white bauble. “Thank goodness.”
She caught Brek’s blank stare. He was pale and being super weird.
“Are you feeling okay?” She lifted the back of her hand to his forehead. No fever.
“Long day, that’s all.” He kissed her palm and tangled his fingers with hers.
Pops cleared his throat. “Earring found. Crisis averted. I’ll be going.”
“Are we having brunch on Sunday?” Velma dropped Brek’s hand to slip the pearl into the side pocket of her purse.
“Of course.” Pops helped her climb down to the concrete parking lot. “No one makes pancakes like you.” He winked at Brek.
They were both being so odd.
