“Why are you two talking about me and Jenny?” she demanded.
“What was the last thing you heard?” Dan asked.
“One’s tall and one’s short. At first I thought you two were writing bad poetry together.” Sadie had a way of smiling without using her eyes. This was one of those times.
Dan pulled out a handful of Tootsie Rolls from his work backpack and held one out like a peace offering. “We were talking about how neither of you tell us anything important. Like Jenny’s roommate problem.”
“Ah.” Sadie took the Tootsie Roll and fiddled with the wrapper. “I tried asking her this morning. All I know is the name of her apartment complex and the cross-streets.”
“Why do you know that?” I asked.
“I don’t know,” Sadie turned and stalked over to her car. “I was working my way up to more important questions, I guess.”
I sighed. Dan was our last hope, and I probably should have reached this conclusion a lot sooner. “Dan, it has to be you.”
“What has to be me?”
“You need to be the one to ask Jenny once we’re all inside the car together. You’re non-threatening.”
“Just what every man wants to hear.”
“We all have our gifts.”
“As my mother used to tell me.” Dan handed me three of his Tootsie Rolls before getting in the passenger seat. I ate one and stuck the other two in my pocket for Jenny. And then we settled in to wait for her.
Chapter 14 – Jenny
It was suspiciously quiet when I hopped in Sadie’s car after work, a clear sign they’d been talking about me. Not that I was particularly surprised. I’d been creatively vague this morning, and I planned to do more of the same until I had a full plan in place. Right now, my plan was to get my car from Denver’s house, go check on my apartment and…. That was as far as I’d gotten. It wasn’t much of a plan.
I moved my folded blanket to the middle seat and stuck my purse on top of it. “Sorry I’m late. We were trying to find the best way to shave four ounces off the shipping weight of March’s gift basket.”
They all nodded in sympathy, a further sign of their guilt. Usually, whoever came last got a chorus of grumbling from everyone else, even though we all pretty much took equal turns being late.
“Tootsie Roll?” Noah pulled one out of his pocket and held it out to me. “I warmed it myself.”
I met his teasing gaze. “No thanks.”
“Unwarmed Tootsie Roll?” Dan asked, reaching his arm back. I took one out of his hand and smiled at Noah while I ate it. But then I had to glance away because eye contact with Noah these days always turned into me losing what little resolve I had to keep my distance from him. I had to remind myself of all the times he’d been an untrustworthy flip-flopper, and that if I let him, he’d only let me down and make me feel stupid for my feelings in the end.
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Noah’s hand moving slowly towards my purse, and I yanked it away just in time. “What are you doing?”
Noah folded his arms, letting a folded ten dollar bill hang out between his fingers. “I was being preemptive.”
“By givingmeten dollars? You already bought me lunch.”
“I figured this way when you found a way to plant that ten dollar bill on me, we’d already be even.”
I had planned to sneak the ten dollars back to him, the stinker. Well, the joke was on him. I’d just make it twenty. “Fine. Thanks for lunch. Let’s never do that again.”
“Which part?” Noah whispered, leaning towards me.
“All of it.”
He sighed. “That’s a shame.”
It really was. I missed the feel of his hand in mine. Worse, I still wanted that hug. Maybe Denver would hug me. It would be just as good. And as a bonus: less confusing.
Sadie flipped on the radio and fiddled with it before Dan said something and she switched it off and gave him a furtive look. They were definitely up to something. I waited for Dan to pull out some radioactive candy or some other nonsense, but instead he cleared his throat and turned around to look at me. “So, Jenny. I’m going to go all Dad here for a few seconds and remind you we all care about you and we’re here to help. But we can’t help you if we don’t know what’s going on.”
