Page 42 of Until Then

“How old is Jackson?” I ask, turning my attention back to Maura.

“Six,” she answers with a wistful smile. “Total surprise. A wanted one, but a surprise, nonetheless. We struggled with infertility after we had Amanda and had given up on more children. Then Jackson happened.” She wraps her fingers around the wine bottle and gives it a wiggle. “Want any?”

“I’ll never say no to wine.”

She grabs a red plastic cup from a small stack at the end of the table and fills it with a serving.

I thank her and take a sip, appreciating the crisp flavor, even if drinking wine out of a plastic cup is far less appealing than from a wineglass.

“Brooks said you’re staying with Derrick for the summer?”

I turn my attention from the cup to Maura. Her dark curls are cut to her chin, the style so gorgeous it has me pulling at the ends of my hair, wondering if I should do a chop.

“Yeah, my sister is Via. She’s dating?—”

“Reid,” she finishes for me with a nod. “He’s a good guy.”

“He is.” I take a sip of wine and leave it at that, because I don’t have the first clue where she’s going with that comment.

“So is Derrick.”

Stomach dipping, I meet her eye, unable to ignore the tiny smile fluttering at the edge of her lips like it’s desperate to break free.

I don’t know what has the words flying out of my mouth, but I ask, “Are you suggesting I date him?”

She shrugs, and the smile breaks free. “You’re quite a bit younger than he is, but I wouldn’t judge. He deserves to find someone who cares about him. Age shouldn’t stop that.” She wrinkles her nose. “Unless it’s illegal, but you don’t lookthatyoung.”

A bark of a laugh escapes me. “I don’t know whether to say thank you or be offended.”

With a laugh, she shakes her head in a way that makes her curls bounce. “Sorry. I may have already had a bit too much to drink. I don’t drink much, so I’m a lightweight.”

“It’s okay.” I’m not offended in the least. It takes a lot toruffle my feathers. Like an entire army of Luxonators coming after me.

“I want him to be happy,” she goes on, undeterred. “He’s made comments about dating here and there over the years, but then…” She swirls the wine in her glass. “Nothing comes of it.”

Before I can stop myself, I blurt out, “I offered to set up a profile for him on a dating app.”

Maura’s eyes light up, and she straightens. “Now,thatis a great idea.”

“Izzy, you want a hot dog or a burger?” Derrick asks, suddenly much closer than I realized.

Cheeks heating—because, shit, I hope he didn’t hear us talking about him—I say, “Always a burger.”

With a nod, he saunters back to the grill, where Brooks is removing the hot dogs.

Maura snaps her fingers, the action bringing my attention back to her. “Wait, are you the woman Layla works for?”

I lift my cup in the air and give her a wry smile. “That’d be me.”

“Amanda looked you up. Said you’re pretty famous.”

My heart lurches a little, and I swallow back my nerves. “I don’t know aboutthat. I’m not a celebrity. I just post videos.” I stare down at my cup. In LA, it’s easier to feel confident about what I do and the following I’ve built. Here, though, where life feels sonormal, I feel uncomfortable talking about that part of my life.

“Regardless of how you want to frame it, it sounds like you’re very successful.”

Lips pressed together, I dip my chin in acceptance, grateful for her perspective and kindness. When I look up again,Derrick is waving me over to the grill. So I give Maura a small smile, then I stand and head over to his side.

“What’s up?”

---