Page 55 of Nerdelicious
Let it go. None of my business.
“Oh. Great.” I sit up. I better go... do something with myself. I’m probably a mess.
My tone must betray me because she cocks her head at me. “Is something going on with you guys?”
“What? No. What do you mean?” I smooth down my hair. My voice is high and squeaky. I am terrible at prevarication.
She swivels in the chair to face me.
Uh-oh. Not good.
“This morning when we were packing up camp, I saw Beast hug you. But it was like a weird hug.”
“Um, he was trying to make me feel better. About my job search. I got some other rejections. Before the other one, just now.” I wince in an effort to seem upset. She’s going to see right through this.
Her head tilts. “Oh. Yeah. I guess he would understand.” She swivels back around and resumes her tapping.
My ears perk at this possible new information on the enigma that is Beast. “He would?”
She shrugs, still typing. “Yeah. He applied to a culinary place in Dallas last year. Got rejected.”
This is news. Annabel and Reese don’t know he actually applied somewhere. But it makes me wonder, would he be open to moving? Would Grace be okay with him leaving?
“He didn’t try again?”
The tapping stops. “I... I guess not.”
“Don’t you think he should reapply?”
“The culinary science degree at BFU is good.” She shrugs. “Besides, we like it here. It’s home, and we’ve never had that.”
Grace uses a lot of “we” speak, as if she and Beast are a unit instead of two separate people. Did she convince him not to apply anywhere else?
We’re silent for a little while, Grace doing something illegal, me trying to figure out a way to get her to drop more information.
“Beast cooked for you a lot when you were growing up?” I ask.
“Yeah. Our uncle—” The typing stops for a two-second beat. “I don’t want to talk about that.”
“Sorry.”
She shrugs. “We didn’t always know when we would get our next meal. Went to bed hungry more nights than not. But that’s all in the past.” She shakes it off and continues typing. “Anyway. I’m glad you and Beast are okay.”
“Right.” I nod. “We’re fine.”
“Just don’t get involved with him. You aren’t staying.”
My stomach plummets somewhere down to the vicinity of my toes.
She doesn’t turn around and there’s not even a hiccup in her fingers on the keyboard as she issues the command.
I pretend my heart isn’t stuttering to a halt. She’s not wrong. “Nothing’s happening.” I swallow hard. Time for a new topic. “If you ever want to talk to someone about whatever, you know I’m here.”
She scoffs. “Granny already makes me see a therapist. I don’t need more coddling.”
Aaand the teenager is back. “Thanks for letting me wallow. I’m going to help Granny with dinner.”
She nods but says nothing, her eyes fixed on her computer, her fingers moving at the speed of light while I leave the room.
