Page 27 of Renard's Deliverance

Barney grimaced. “Yeah, she told me. Sorry about that.”

“Nothing for you to be sorry about.”

He said nothing. Just stood there, staring at her.

Sooo.

This was awkward.

Opal cleared her throat.

Was he even breathing? His face seemed to be going purple.

“Barney? Are you all right?” she asked with concern.

“Do you need help with anything?” Barney finally asked, his breath coming out in a whoosh. He pulled out a piece of cloth and patted his forehead.

Great. Now he was sweating.

“Oh no, I’m fi?—”

“Barney!” Mrs. Grackle yelled. “I need your help.”

“I’ll be in there soon! I’m talking to Opal!” he yelled back.

She winced. The Grackle wouldn’t appreciate him putting her off so he could fraternize with the enemy.

“You shouldn’t have done that,” Opal told him as Mrs. Grackle started down the path from her front door.

Barney scowled before wiping that look off his face. “I can do what I like when I like.”

There was a sullen note to his voice that was really not attractive. Then Mrs. Grackle was on the footpath next to him.

“Barney! What are you doing out here talking to this . . . to this . . .”

“To this what, Mrs. G?” she asked seriously.

“Do not call me that. It’s disrespectful and rude.” She sniffed. “Of course, I don’t know why I expected anything different from you.”

Wow.

The nastiness just didn’t stop with this woman.

“Aunt Grace! Don’t speak to Opal like that.”

That was surprising. She’d never seen Barney stick up for himself and she hadn’t expected that he’d do it for her. It made her like him far more than she’d expected to.

“Do not tell me how to speak to her,” his aunt countered. “I’ll speak to her how I like. And I won’t have either of you disrespect me. After all I’ve done for you, Barney!”

His shoulders slumped and Opal found herself feeling kind of sorry for him.

He’d tried his best to stick up for her, but his aunt was a formidable woman and Barney crumpled more easily than a chocolate chip cookie.

Turning, he followed his aunt back inside. But he briefly glanced over his shoulder at Opal. She waved at him and he grinned.

God.

Her morning had started off bad and really hadn’t gotten any better. Surely it could only go up from here?

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