“She has you here, and I can tell the two of you are close.”
“How do you know that?”
He smiled. “Because she told me I needed to come meet you.”
“Please tell me she didn’t.” Elinor could feel her face growing hot. She hoped he was only teasing, but he had no reason to make it up, and Marianne… well, it was exactly like something she’d say.
“Don’t be mad at her. I had to come anyway. For, um, bowling tips.”
“From me? Have you seen my score?” They looked at the board and laughed, though inside Elinor was preparing the face she’d be giving Marianne.
She didn’t have to wait long. Marianne waltzed back moments later, all smiles. “Your turn, sister dear.” She looked between the two of them, and then back at Elinor’s glare. “What’s the matter?”
“You told him he had to come meet me.”
Marianne shrugged. “Well, of course. Who wouldn’t want to meet the fabulous Elinor?”
“Right, who wouldn’t want to meet you?” Edward echoed, trying to hold back a smile.
“You’re both in trouble.” Elinor stood to take her last turn. “I’ll plot my revenge while I bowl.”
“She’s fabulous at plotting,” Marianne said, clearly not in the least bit sorry. She never was.
Elinor forced herself not to look back and see if they were watching her terrible swing. She concentrated on the pins and managed to knock down five, making her last-place finish slightly less sad.
“You should come with us for ice cream,” she heard Marianne say as she was walking back.
“Oh, I don’t know.” Edward glanced up at Elinor, as if hoping for assistance. Marianne was a force not all men were equipped to reckon with, and Edward’s hesitance only made Elinor like him more.
“Let him be, Marianne. In a town this size we’ll see him again. Whether he wants to see us or not.”
“Well, I do. Want to see you.” He looked away from Elinor as if embarrassed by what he’d said. “It’s always nice to make new friends.”
“Do you have something against ice cream?” Marianne asked. “Mom, tell Edward to follow us over to that ice cream place we saw. Three Scoops.”
Mom had been unlacing her bowling shoes, but she looked up and smiled. “Yes, the more the merrier.”
Edward shrugged in good-natured defeat. “Okay, thanks. I’ll see you there in a few minutes.” He took off his shoes and walked towards the shoe return.
Marianne nudged Elinor. “You should catch a ride with him.”
“Absolutely not. We’ve known him for all of five minutes. Are you insane? He could be a mass murderer.”
Marianne gave an exaggerated sigh. “Now I know why you’re still single at twenty-five. You think every guy is a mass murderer until proven otherwise.”
“It’s good policy.”
“It’s unhealthy.”
“Twenty-five is not old, by the way.”
“I didn’t say it was old. I’m just saying maybe it’s time for a boyfriend or something.”
“I’ll make sure and put that in my online profile. My sister says it’s time.”
Their argument didn’t matter because Edward, after throwing a last wave at them, had already walked out. Elinor was not about to chase him down. How could she tell Marianne that her way of barreling through life at full speed was what made Elinor extra cautious? Not that Elinor wouldn’t be cautious anyway, but sometimes she felt like she had to not only look both ways before crossing the street, but get a traffic analysis done first.
They returned their bowling shoes and walked to Mom’s old Honda Civic in the parking lot. One vehicle for three drivers was not ideal, but they’d make it work for now. All the company trucks they used to drive around had been sold off when they lost the family business.
