Too quiet, maybe.
After dinner, Riley demands that Morgan read her a bedtime story. I'm about to intervene, and tell Riley she's being too much, that Morgan's probably tired, but Morgan just smiles and says, "I'd love to."
So, I clean up the kitchen while their voices drift down from upstairs, Morgan doing different voices for different characters in a book about a bear who's afraid of the dark.
She's good at it. Better than I am, which Riley has pointed out on multiple occasions.
I'm wiping down the counter when my phone buzzes. My dad.
*How's my granddaughter?*
I text back: *Good. Insisted we adopt a stranger today.*
The response is immediate: *What?*
I should probably explain, but I'm perversely enjoying the idea of my dad trying to figure out what that means.
*Woman's car broke down. Riley invited her to stay in the guest room.*
Three dots appear, disappear, appear again.
*Casey Michael Brennan, please tell me you didn't let a complete stranger into your house where my granddaughter sleeps.*
I roll my eyes. *She's fine, Dad. Harmless. Just traveling through and needed help.*
*You don't know that she's harmless.*
*Pretty sure harmless people don't travel with a car full of camping gear and granola bars.*
*That's exactly what a smart criminal would want you to think.*
I'm about to respond when another text comes through.
*Your mother wants to know if she's pretty.*
I stare at the phone.
*Why would that matter?*
*She says it matters. Is she?*
I think about Morgan's hazel eyes and the freckles across her nose and the way she looked when she laughed at something Riley said.
*Not relevant to the situation,* I text back.
*That's a yes. Your mother's already planning the wedding.*
*There's no wedding. She's staying for a few days while I fix her car. That's it.*
*Uh huh.*
*I'm serious.*
*So was your mother when she said you need to stop hiding from the world.*
I set the phone down. My parents mean well. They always mean well. But they don't understand that I'm not hiding. I'm protecting. There's a difference.
Riley comes downstairs then, pajamas on, teeth brushed, Morgan following behind her.
