Page 28 of Forever Never
“A girl might think you cared if you take too much interest in her,” she shot back.
It was a direct hit.
“Are you two fighting?” Hadley asked, breaking their stare down.
Kimber snorted. “They’re always fighting.”
“We never fight,” Remi insisted.
“Youlooklike you’re fighting,” Hadley pointed out.
Ian shook his head. “Aunt Remi hasn’t slugged him yet. That’s when they’re fighting.”
“Aunt Remi and Uncle Brick have a strained relationship,” Gilbert offered from the head of the table.
“Why?” Hadley asked.
“Yeah. Why?” Kimber asked, adding her own curiosity to her daughter’s.
Remi gave up on the pretense of eating and crossed her arms over her chest. “Uncle Brick hurt my feelings a long time ago and never apologized, and so much time has gone by that there isn’t an apology big enough for me to not be mad at him anymore.”
Brick stiffened. This was fucking news to him.
“What if he got you flowers?” Ian asked. “That’s what Dad used to do for Mom.”
Remi’s gaze flitted to her sister’s face at the “used to.” “Um. No. Flowers definitely wouldn’t do it.”
“How about a public serenade in a soccer stadium?” Hadley suggested.
“We also watched10 Things I Hate About You,” Kimber interjected.
“Heath Ledger,” Remi said, raising her glass at her sister. Kimber mimicked the toast from across the table.
“Aunt Remi is really good at holding a grudge,” Darlene explained with a wink at her grandkids.
“This is true,” Remi agreed. Her foot began to jiggle under the table.
Brick cleared his throat. He felt the weight of everyone’s attention. That was the problem with not being much of a talker. When you did speak, people paid entirely too much attention. “I’ve been thinking,” he said, frantically searching for a topic. “The welfare checks the department does.”
“What about them?” Darlene asked, scooping up a bite of equal parts, turkey, corn, stuffing, and potatoes.
Yeah. What about them, dumbass?
“What if we did something different?” This is why he didn’t talk much. Because when he did, he sounded like an idiot.
Darlene thoughtfully chewed her way through a bite.
“Welfare checks?” Kimber asked.
“The department checks in on some of our older residents. Keeps an eye on anyone we know who lives alone or has been sick or going through a tough time,” Darlene explained.
“If it was neighbors checking in on them, it might seem more like a social call,” Remi mused.
“Yeah. I was thinking something like that,” Brick said, grateful for the inadvertent lifeline she’d thrown.
“That’s a great idea, Brick.” Gil gesticulated with his glass, spilling a healthy portion of bourbon on the tablecloth. Unlike both of his daughters, Gilbert Ford was a lightweight.
“Actually it was Remi—”
