Page 44 of Love You, Mean It

“Annnd a quart of the minestrone. Anything else for you today, Loretta?”

Loretta Bownes squinted at the deli case through her purple cat’s-eye glasses. She owned one of those vaguely hippie stores filled with linen tunics and hand-beaded necklaces, seemingly designed exclusively for women in late middle age who’d gotten really into gardening and/or birding. Loretta wasn’t everyone’s cup of (herbal, thought to have calming properties) tea—she was an inveterate oversharer, both of her own personal trials and her opinions about whoever she was speaking to—but I got a kick out of her. She reminded me of a younger, more patchouli-scented Mimi.

“I’m tempted to get a pint of the red pepper ricotta, but it gives me such gas. Last time we ate it, Brian had to sleep in the guest room.”

I glanced sideways at Bella, sipping an Orangina at one of the tables in the window, her entire face pursed with repressed mirth.

“Well, it’ll be here the next time he’s got a business trip.”

I rang Loretta up, she wished me a “peace-filled day,” thenswept out of the store in a swirl of bright felted patchwork overcoat.

“Dear lord, I think it was worth coming into town early just for that,” Bella said.

“Loretta’s definitely a bonus.”

“What’s the main event?” She slipped a bookmark into the thriller she’d been reading and turned to face me.

“I was hoping…that is, I thought maybe you knew…”

I thrust my tongue into my cheek, trying to root out the words. At first I’d planned to just sort through things over text the way Bella and I usually did—I’d written one when I got home from Post a few nights ago, but somehow, seeing it in digital black and white, it felt too cold. After a few failed attempts to frame my questions in a way that rang less stony-hearted, I deleted the whole thing. Apparently family tragedy was on my list of in-person topics.

“Spit it out, Ellie. Mimi will tear me a new one if I’m late.” Bella’s eyelids lowered in familiarI see youexasperation. This was why I needed her here in person. So I couldn’t wriggle away from it.

“So I’m realizing…there’s a lot Theo and I don’t know about each other…”

“You’re realizing thisnow?”

“I’m becoming more aware of it,” I said, ignoring her exaggerated disbelief. We both knew Bella thought the plan was terrible, there was no need to get sidetracked. “Don’t get me wrong, I think we’ve got enough info to pull this off, but…you know. I don’t want to get blindsided by anything.”

Bella took a long sip of soda, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

“Like?”

“Like…how his brother died,” I murmured, dropping my gaze to the countertop.

“Ohhh.” Bella nodded slowly as this sank in. “How’d that come up?”

“Just in conversation a few nights ago.”

“In conversation? Are you guys having nightly check-ins or something?”

“Theo was talking about how he wound up in the family business at dinner…” Bella’s eyebrow shot almost to her hairline—I suppose I hadn’t actuallytoldher about Theo’s impromptu “Let’s be seen out as a couple” night—so I circled my hand through the air,Let’s not get hung up on that. “The point is I didn’t know anything about it, and I wanted to be…sensitive? It’s clearly really tough for him.”

“Youwant to besensitive. ToTheo.”

“Is that so hard to believe?”

“Do I need to answer that?”

I folded my arms across my chest, huffing exasperatedly.

“Yes, fine, we all know I’m the heartless cynic of the family. Can we get past the scolding to the part where you tell me what happened?”

Bella’s face softened and she set the drink down, folding her hands on her lap.

“I’m happy to tell you what I know, Ellie, I’m just surprised you’re that worried about Theo’s feelings.”

Heat rose to my cheeks. “I’m just trying to avoid pissing him off so royally that he walks out on our deal, okay? Are you going to help with that, or…?”

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