Page 98 of Nerdy or Nice
I stepped back and gave the front of the house a long careful look. Sure enough, one of the front windows was open much more than a crack. Oddly enough, it was the same window that had been open thelasttime I'd eavesdropped – on the day I'd first met you-know-who.
Huh. Two could play at this game.Instead of ringing the bell, I said loud enough for the whole neighborhood to hear, "Gee, I wish two handsome men would invite me inside for Christmas dinner. I am so very hungry, and the orcs are on the move."
When the door flew open a moment later, Drake was framed in the doorway wearing the biggest grin I'd ever seen. "Orcs, huh?" He looked to his grandpa. "See? I told you she's terrific."
Grandpa Clint was smiling, too. "Well, you'd better let her inside before the orcs get the pie."
"Forget the pie," Drake said, pulling me into the house. "AllIneed is her."
Epilogue
Drake
Seven Weeks Later
As the movie credits scrolled down the TV screen, Gramps gave Gwen a perplexed look. "Wait, he said I named his dog after a movie?"
On the sofa next to me, Gwen looked from Gramps to me and back again. "Um, yeah actually." She studied Gramps' face. "Are you saying you didn't?"
I spoke up. "Oh come on. He's just razzing you."
"I am not," Gramps said, turning his perplexed gaze on me. "You didn't really think that?"
"Well, yeah…" On second thought, maybeIwas the one being razzed. "The movieisyour favorite."
"Tango and Cash?" Grandpa snorted. "No, it's not."
It was a Friday night in February, and the three of us had just finished watching that very same movie with homemade pizza and popcorn.
The movie had been Gwen's idea, and I loved her for it. But that didn't mean I wasn't confused. To Gramps, I said, "But you named your cat Tango."
"Yeah. After the dance." He gave a bark of laughter. "What, you thought I named him after Stallone?"
"Well, yeah," I said again. "But not the actor. Thecharacter.You know, in the movie."
Grandpa looked to Gwen before hitching a thumb in my direction. "The real character isthisguy."
Gwen was beaming now. "Well, if he is, he's my total favorite."
Gramps gave a dramatic groan. "Stop it, or I'm gonna hurl."
"That's it," I laughed. "No more 'Wayne's World' foryou." That had beenlastFriday's movie – also organized by Gwen. Together, the three of us were plowing through old movies like a semi-truck through snow.
Gwen looked back to Gramps and asked, "So if you didn't name Cash after the movie character, whatdidyou name him for?"
"The prize money," Gramps said.
I stared across the room. "You're kidding."
He stared back. "What, you didn't know?"
Gwen spoke up. "Know what?"
Just then, a clatter sounded from the kitchen. In unison, we all said, "Pizza cutter."
The culprit might've been Tango, or it might've been Ginger. Or it might've beenbothof them, tag-teaming as usual.
These days, Ginger belonged to Gwen, who belonged to me. Or more accurately, we all belonged to each other. Gwen wasn'tquiteliving with us, but it was close enough, considering that she spent more time at this house than at her mom's place.
