Page 50 of Ice Darling
Gordie scrunches her nose. “Homework stinks.”
I nod in commiseration.
“Do you do homework, Delia?”
“Yup.”
“Really?”
“Every day. Want to know the worst part?”
She leans forward to hear the secret.
“If you want to get good at something, you’ll have to do homework, even as an adult.”
Gordie groans.
“Get to it, pumpkin,” Renthrow says with a note of authority. “I’m going to check when I’m finished with the dishes.”
“Okay.” Gordie runs from the table, and then she stops and turns back. “Delia.”
I lift my head to look at her. “Yes?”
“Say goodbye before you leave.”
The earnestness in her request makes me pause. “I will. I promise.”
Gordie grins and scampers up the stairs.
It’s just me and Renthrow.
I chew on my bottom lip, not sure what to say. However, the awkwardness isn’t as sharp as it once was. Maybe it’s because we shared a meal together, but I don’t find Renthrow as annoying as before, and he doesn’t seem as defensive around me either.
“Thanks for coming over to fix my car,” Renthrow says as he pours detergent into the sink. “And I’m sorry for…doubting your expertise earlier.”
“It’s okay. You had a reason to doubt since there was nothing wrong with your car before your mother called me today.”
He winces and tilts his head up with a boyish smile. “I’m sorry for that too. My mother’s been hounding me for a while, but she’s never gone this far.”
“The food made up for everything.”
My body feels languid, full and—most surprisingly—sleepy. I’m falling into a food coma when I get home.
Renthrow smiles again as if the compliment pleases him. It’s another one of those soft smiles, and I realize I’ve never seen anything more lovely.
“I’m glad we made chicken instead of steak today,” he says.
He remembered that I don’t like red meat?
I gravitate to the counter. “Should I… I mean, do you need help cleaning up?”
“I’ve got it. And you must be tired?”
“Tired?”
“That Barbie car looked like it was giving you guys some trouble.”
My eyes widen. Did he see us earlier?
