Page 67 of Phishing for Love
I let that sit a beat, then I burst out laughing.
Kate shoots me a withering look. No one can pull off scorn quite like my sister. In the face of her glare, I feel myself shriveling into a small, remorseful heap.
“What’s so funny, Auntie Tess?” demands Lisset, who hates to be left out.
I pat my niece absentmindedly on the head and ask Kate, “Uh, you’re not joking about the name?”
One glance, though, at Eric’s hurt, confused expression and I already know the answer.
Kate props her hands on her hips. “Why would I joke about a name?”
“It’s just...Eric is an old Norse name and...” I gesture at Eric. Tall. Blond. Muscular. Bearded. I mean, come on, can no one else see it?
But everyone is staring at me blankly.
“I’m sorry, Eric,” I say, trying to look as if I’m sorry. “It’s lovely to meet you.”
“Yes, it is,” Mom agrees, rushing over to Eric and fussing over him in an effort to make up for my rudeness. “Forgive Tess. She tends to laugh when she’s nervous.”
With Mom and Eric occupied, Kate asks, “Why are you nervous?”
“I’m not. I mean, I am, but that’s not why I was laughing.”
Grandma whispers to Kate, “Did you hire him?”
Kate frowns. “What do you mean?”
Grandma gives a theatrical wink. “You know, as anescort?”
“What? No!”
“What’s an escort?” demands Lisset.
“Never mind,” I say hastily, but it’s a red-flag response to an inquisitive seven-year-old who’s learned from the best.
“HEY, GOOGLE,” yells Lisset. “WHAT’S AN ESCORT?”
Kate lunges and unplugs Google.
I grab Lisset’s hand. “Yes, of course, I’llescortyou to Grandpa. Eric, would you like to join us?”
“Yeah, sure,” Eric replies in a rumbly voice, still looking slightly wary of me.
I lead Lisset and Eric out to the garden, where Dad, Nathan, and Aaron are standing around the barbecue with beers in hand. The garden is my parents’ pride and joy, bursting with color. Bird feeders hang from trees and a small pond filled with fish lies in a shaded back corner.
“Hey, everyone, this is Eric, a friend of Kate’s.”
I wait.
Dad simply beams and shakes his massive paw. Nathan, meanwhile, gets this look on his face that tells me he has a mini man crush going on.
Giving up on them, I turn to Aaron, who is trying to maintain a straight face. My heart gives an unwelcome flutter. He’s theonly one who sees what I see: Eric with his Viking name and Viking looks. This shared knowledge feels too intimate, and I tuck my hair nervously behind my ear. A part of me wishes I could tuck Aaron away in a quiet, harmless corner.
While Nathan and my dad engage Eric in a conversation about how much he bench presses, Aaron asks me, “I assume this is yoursharing is caringniece?”
I nod. “My sister Kate’s daughter.”
He hunkers down in front of Lisset, who’s pressing herself shyly against my leg. “Does this princess have a name?”
