Page 34 of Hand Picked
“What I’m trying to say,” she continued doggedly, “is that as soon as Luke explained to me that your family would be right next door, helping him whenever he needed it, it set my mind at ease. It really…” She broke off in a coughing spasm. “It really has.”
“Mom,” I cut in desperately. “Where’s Aunt Sue? Is it time for one of your breathing treatments?”
“Sue’s out for groceries, but I’m fine for now. Promise. I’m better and stronger every day, now that I don’t have to worry about you, sweetheart.”
“Yeah.” I swallowed and forced myself to give Webb a pleading look, begging him to go along with my lie. “Mom, I—”
“Honey, just show me around your fairy-tale castle. You know I won’t judge if it’s not perfect! I fully expect that you’ve got dishes all over your sink and hideous wallpaper in the downstairs powder room.”
“Actually, I, ah—”
“I know how you are, Sunshine,” she said firmly. “You have no secrets from your mama.”
“No, ma’am,” I whispered miserably. “It’s just that—”
“It’s just that we’re at my, uh… my camper,” Webb blurted, snagging the phone back from my hand. “Sorry, Ms. Williams. I’ve been letting Luke use my camper as, you know, a… a workshop. For doing his… crochet?”
I scowled.Who ever heard of a crochet camper?
Webb widened his eyes significantly.Like you had a better idea?
“Ohhhhh, of course! Good Lord, Lukey, why didn’t you say so?” she chided. “And here I am, rattling on like a ninny—”
“Not at all,” Webb assured her. “You sound like a mother who loves her son very much. And it’s pretty clear he loves you, too.”
Over Webb’s shoulder, I saw my mom beam. “You were right about him, Luke!” she croaked. “Webb Sunday is really the sweetest man—”
Aaaaand that was the moment when I melted right into a puddle of embarrassment, right there on the floor of the trailer. The End.
“I don’t know if I saidthat, precisely,” I protested… utterly unconvincingly, since that had been exactly what I’d said.
My mom ignored me. “Webb, honey, tell me—are you single?”
Would you look at that? Turned out I wasn’t dead, because the universe had more mortification in store for me.Yay.
“Uh. Yes? I have a son, Aiden, who’s in Luke’s class—”
“Oh, that’s right! The one with the drawings who’s such a brilliant scientist. Did he ever lose his other front tooth? I know he was worried about it.”
Webb gave me a look I didn’t know how to interpret. “Yeah,” he said softly. “A couple weeks back.”
“Good, good.” She lowered her voice. “Aiden’s Luke’s favorite student, but you didn’t hear that from me.”
“Oookay.” I snatched the phone back. “That’s enough of that. You know I don’t have favorites,” I said reprovingly. Not officially anyway.
She grinned, unrepentant, and a wave of homesickness crashed over me. Gosh, it was good to see her grin. And with so much color in her cheeks.
“You’re looking really good. Aunt Sue taking good care of you?”
“Of course. You look wonderful, too, sweetheart. Maybe a little tired, though. Are you drinking enough?”
“Oh, plenty,” I assured her, and Webb snorted. I knew without a doubt he was thinking of Rusty Spikes.
“Lukey, you’re such a handsome boy, honey. With those freckles and those pretty eyes—”
“God,stop.” My cheeks were on fire, and I could tell by her mischievous smile that she knew exactly what she was doing.
She tucked her tongue into her cheek, and her eyes danced. “Tell him, Webb! Doesn’t he have the prettiest eyes?”
