Page 42 of No Place Like You

“Showing you mine. You know, to even the playing field.”

She looks at me, her face twisting in an attempt to hide her laughter. A loud snort rattles through her throat when she ducks her head while covering her mouth. Little droplets of water land on her shirt from her wet hair, darkening the material with small spots, and I get a small whiff of her shampoo and body wash. “You are such a weenie.”

I lean back when she pushes her hand to my shoulder, her body shaking with laughter. “I’m a weenie?”

“Total weenie,” she confirms, her hand still pressed into me.

“Wooow,” I answer, feigning shock while trying to ignore the warm, fuzzy feeling spreading across my chest. What is it about when she playfully shoves me that makes me feel all giddy and confident? Like I can move a boulder or doTheNew York Timescrossword puzzle in one sitting. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone over the age of nine use that word before.”

“Well, you know, if the shoe fits.” She ignores the twist in my lips hiding my smirk, the practically menacing bounce in my brow, and even the shift in my body, angling my hips toward her as if offering an invitation.

“‘If theshoe—’” My buzzer rings just then, interrupting this amorous back and forth.

I wasn’t expecting company, so Lucy’s face matches mine in confusion when we look at each other as I walk to the door. “Who is it?” I call, pressing the intercom buzzer as the staticky feedback distorts the outside noise filtering through the speaker.

“It’s Janet!” I hear. Followed by “and Charles” in a deeper voice.

Aww, crap.“What are you guys doing here?”

“Bringing you dessert. Now let us up!”

I do as she asks, or rather, demands, and quickly turn to face Lucy. “Uh, it’s my sister and her boyfriend.”

“Oh.”

“Uh…” I laugh nervously and cup the back of my neck, figuring out how awkwardly this is going to go, just as a sharp knock on my door interrupts us. “I’m. Sorry.”

When I open it, Janet stands there, a Styrofoam to-go cup in her hand and the widest smile on her face.

“I couldn’t head back home without bringing you a mint chip milkshake,” she says coolly while breezing past me. She stops when she sees Lucy at the counter. “Ah-ha! So youdohave a hot date!”

Charles stands by my sister’s side and wraps an arm around her shoulders. “Babe, you’re killing his game.”

“Oh, no. We’re not—I mean, I’m not…” Lucy stutters.

“Janet, this is Lucy. She’s…visiting from Seattle for, uh, work. And staying in the spare room.”

“Hi,” Lucy says with a small wave of her hand.

“Lucy, this is my sister Janet, who likes to come around unannounced like she pays rent.”

“Don’t be a dick. You should be thanking me for bringing you this liquid heaven.” She extends the milkshake in my direction—a peace offering or abribe, I don’t even know—with an innocent smile. I look at her, examining her gaunt features. Her hair is beginning to thin, and she’s wearing a lavender-colored scarf wrapped around her head. The skin around her eyes is a shade darker than the rest of her face, making her features look sallow and pale at the same time. And even though it’s summer, she’s wearing a thick cardigan wrapped around her small body because of the incessant chill rolling through her.

I take a step toward her while reaching for my drink. “Are you okay?” I ask, keeping my voice low and discreet.

“Yes. Why wouldn’t I be?”

“I don’t know…I just want to make sure. You’re really okay?”

“Yeah.”

When I don’t say anything else, Janet rolls her eyes. “I’m going to go home and rest after this. I just wanted…”

“To be normal for a night?”

“Yes.” She exhales a sigh that sounds like she’s slightly annoyed. “Plus, you were on the way home. So please just, drink your damn milkshake and let me be.”

Instead of prodding further or telling her to go home right away, I take a long, drawn out sip of my milkshake, savoring the dessert I would ride a tornado to get to. And even though my ability to share dwindles down to toddler-level selfishness when I have a mint chip milkshake from The Lunch Car in my hand, I can’t resist offering Lucy some.

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