Page 27 of Brenna, Brat

“I did,” he said, nodding. “I got the knife, the new pot, and several new spoons. And this thing.” He pointed to an object on the table.

“It’s a trivet.”

“And I got a trivet,” he said. “Do you like it?”

“Why do you care what I think?” I asked. “Why did you get so upset when I said that stuff about ski clothes?”

“You’re not impressed by very much,” he said.

“So?”

“I don’t know,” he answered, and shook his head. “I felt like an idiot at the store, like a spoiled kid. You’re sure of yourself.”

“No, I’m not,” I admitted. “I’m really worried about the atelier I just rented. I’m worried that I locked myself into something that I won’t be able to afford if the gallery goes under, which it will if the gum artist sues over the loss of all his pieces.”

“What about designing clothes full-time?”

“No, not yet,” I said. I wasn’t ready, not monetarily or reputationally. I had hardly sewn for anyone except my siblings and their babies, and they weren’t exactly high-flyers in Detroit society. No one was looking at what Nicola was wearing, and she was mostly in hospital scrubs, anyway.

“What about…” He stopped, frowning, and looked at his phone. Then he held it to his ear and stood up. “This is Campbell,” he stated, and walked out of the room.

He was gone for a while, long enough that I had time to clear the table, put the dishes in the dishwasher, and scrub the new Dutch oven by hand. When he came back, he was frowning and pulling on a coat.

“I’m sorry. I have to end the night early,” he said. “I need to go into the office.”

I would have thought that he was lying to get out of being with me, but he looked worried to the point that I asked, “Is something wrong?”

“It should be fine,” he answered, but he didn’t look like he thought things were fine. He looked nervous, and like he was ready to leave. Immediately. I walked to the door and Campbell came right behind me. He escorted me to my car, checking his phone as he did.

“We’ll fake our way through making dinner again soon,” he said, and opened the door for me. “Although, you didn’t have to fake it.”

“No, I’m…” I looked at his hand where he held the car door. He gripped it tightly enough that his knuckles had turned white. “Are you sure that everything is ok?”

“Everything’s going to be fine.”

I drove away, glancing into my rearview mirror as I did. I didn’t believe him at all.

Chapter 6

Nicola was waiting, and my sister wasn’t known for her exceptional patience. Pretty soon, she would try to extract everything that she wanted to know, and it was hard to withstand her tactics.

But maybe I could head her off. “No,” I said. “No, and I’m fine.” As I spoke, I knew that answer wasn’t going to satisfy her.

And as expected, Nic shook her head. “Stop lying. I don’t want to have to worry about you, because I already have Juliet on my list, and now there’s Grace. What is she up to?”

“She says she’s fine, too.” She did, when she bothered to answer. “What are you going to do about it? She’s chronologically an adult, although—”

“Brenna, don’t start on her,” she said, although she had been the one to bring up our youngest sister. “I want to know what’s going on.” She leaned forward, blue eyes intent. Nicola was the shortest of all of us, and she was a nurse who was supposed tocare for people. Also, now she was a mother and had supposedly mellowed, but still…

I felt threatened.

“Back off,” I snapped. “There’s nothing to tell. I have nothing to say.”

She did give me a little breathing room, but she still looked suspicious. “I think I know what this is about,” she told me.

“No, because there isn’t anything,” I insisted, but she shook her head.

“You’re acting strangely,” she said. “Very strangely. Everyone noticed it last night at Mom and…at Mom’s house.” She’d almost said “at Mom and Dad’s,” just like we always had, except that Dad hadn’t been there. No one had sat in his chair, and then Nicola’s husband Jude had quietly stood and removed it from the table.

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