I rinse the dishes and hand them to Jonah to put in the dishwasher.
“What’s going on, Vivian?” he asks, stacking the mixing bowl on the bottom rack.
We’re finally going to discuss the elephant in the room. This thing going on with Mom. I blow out a breath. “I’m not sure?—”
“Bullshit. You planned this.”
I stare at him. Of course. This isn’t about Mom. It’s about Jonah not trusting me. I’m not even sure what to say. “You really think I want to spend ten days stuck in a vehicle with you?”
“Something is going on. I don’t know what it is, but it’s something.”
“Unbelievable.” I rinse the cake pans and hand them to him. If he gets a little wet, that’s his own fault.
But the stubborn look on his face tells me he’s not letting this go. “It’s conveniently at a time when I can’t go.”
Why did I ever feel sorry for him? Jackass. “You guessed it, Jonah. This was my plan all along. I convinced them to hold Pridefest during Pride month just so you wouldn’t be able to go.”
“You’re such a jerk. I’m glad I’m not going. I wouldn’t last ten days. I can barely stand ten minutes around you.”
The look he gives me, as if I’m something he scraped off his cowboy boots, has me talking before I can stop. “You could have fooled me, Jonah. Yesterday, you seemed more than happy to get as close to me as possible.”
“Fuck off.” He shakes his head as he adds the detergent pod. Once the dishwasher is going and everything is back in order, he mutters, “Thank God for June weddings.” And then he storms out.
