CHAPTER 9♥To a Great Night
Elinor was having so much fun watching Edward and Greta sing along to a pop song on the radio that she’d completely forgotten about her demon phone. It rang with another strange number just as they were pulling onto their street.
She automatically handed it off to Edward after he turned down the music. “Hopefully this is the last one.”
“Don’t you want people to call about the running club?” Greta asked.
“Not these people.”
Edward put his finger to his lips before answering. “Hello?” He paused, and a strange look came over his face. “Yeah, she’s here. Hang on.” He was about to hand the phone over but the person on the end said something else and he took the phone back, wincing.
Elinor watched him closely. Who was it? Whatever the person said had turned him still as a statue.
“I was giving her and her sister a ride home. Hang on, I’ll give her the phone.”
He covered the bottom of the phone and mouthed, “Lucy,” before handing it over.
Oh dear. Elinor really should have added Lucy to her contacts, but she also hadn’t expected her to follow through on calling to hang out.
“Hello?” Elinor glanced at Edward, who was suddenly very intent on his driving.
“Hi Elinor, it’s Lucy. I can’t believe Edward has you working this late. But why is your sister with you?”
Lucy was so casual about her nosiness. In other circumstances, Elinor would have found it irritating. But Elinorwasthe one out with someone else’s fiancé. Maybe Lucy had a right to be suspicious. And if that was a possibility, Elinor would not be making excuses for him or downplaying the reason they were together after work. That was not something she’d signed up for by being Edward’s employee or neighbor.
“Oh, we’re coming back from the store. Did you know Edward lives on my street? We’re having a little bonfire in my backyard tonight. You’re welcome to come.”
Edward’s hands tightened on the steering wheel, and it gave Elinor a strange sort of satisfaction. No more cryptic answers and delicious tension. No more walking a line she didn’t quite understand. Why not add Lucy to the mix and see what it brought to light? If he didn’t like his fiancée around, why were they even together?
Lucy squealed. “I’d love that. Can you text me your address? What time and what should I bring?”
Elinor glanced at the car’s clock. “Eight o’clock? And you don’t need to bring anything. It’s just s’mores. Maybe bring a lawn chair if you have one.”
“Will do. See you then.”
After Elinor hung up, there was silence in the car. Greta was turning one of the fliers into an origami bird, her little tongue dipping out in her total concentration. Edward frowned at the road ahead.
Rosa’s warning about Lucy echoed in Elinor’s head, and she wondered if she’d just made a huge mistake. But then, she hadn’t asked to be put in the middle of this, making decisions on the fly.
“Talk to me, boss,” she finally said, sticking her phone back in her purse and pulling out a fresh pack of gum. For something so cheap, it sure made her feel luxurious. There was nothing better than the sweet mint scent that floated out the second she ripped open the pack. She handed a piece to Edward before throwing one back to Greta, who was waiting for it like an anxious baby bird.
Edward chewed the gum thoughtfully. “You’re right. We’ll need lawn chairs. I have a bunch in my garage I can bring over.”
“That would be great. Thanks.”
“Thanks for the gum.”
And that was it. He gave no further explanation for Lucy’s phone call, and she gave up asking. He pulled up to their house behind a car she didn’t recognize, and Elinor hopped out with Greta. He kept the fliers to shred and promised to get chairs from his house, and they went in to eat dinner and see who was parked in front of the house. If Elinor had any money to bet, she would put it on this Will Abley fellow who suddenly had all of Marianne’s attention.
Two steps in the door answered her question. Will and Marianne were dancing around the kitchen table with plates in their hands. Loud, brassy swing music blared from a phone on the counter, presumably Will’s. Marianne had to be in heaven. There were few guys these days who liked swing, let alone knew how to do any of the dances. Although they were just messing around, Elinor could see Will had the moves down.
Greta bobbed on her feet, looking like she wanted to join them. But Will was a stranger to her, and swing was for partnered dancing.
Mom popped her head out of the kitchen and spied them standing awkwardly at the door, one daughter dying to join in and one content to just watch. She motioned for Greta, and the two joined hands and did their own thing off to the side, dodging the few packing boxes still lined up against the wall between kicks.
Elinor edged around them to go make sure nothing in the kitchen was burning. They were not living in a musical, and in real life, boiling pots didn’t wait for dance numbers to end.
At the stove, she found chicken noodle soup left warming and toast waiting to be buttered. That, she could do. She popped two more pieces of bread in the toaster while she worked on buttering the first two.
