Page 90 of A Very Merry Mistake

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

I don’t know why I feel my emotions bubble, but they do. I push them away and continue compartmentalizing it, something I’m well practiced at. “I went to boarding school in Paris.”

“Boarding school?” she questions but looks impressed. “That’s fancy, sweetie. Never knew a person who went to boarding school. What was that like?”

“Strict,” I admit.

“Just means you can follow the rules.” She gives me a grin and a wink.

I chuckle. “Yes it does.”

“So where do you live now?”

I don’t know what it is about this sweet older woman, but I want to tell her my life story and have her swaddle me in a warm blanket. There’s an air of kindness that surrounds her, something I can’t quite put my finger on. It doesn’t feel like she’s trying to gain information to use it against me like some people do.

“New York,” I say.

She shakes her head. “You couldn’t catch me in that big city. Too dangerous for a little old woman like me. And for you, too.”

“I don’t get out much,” I explain. “I work and travel a lot. I’m hardly ever home or in the city.”

Before she asks anything else, Jake enters with a tray carrying three glasses of sweetened tea. He passes them out and sits beside me on the couch opposite her.

“What were you two goin’ on about?” He takes a gulp.

“Just askin’ your girlfriend ’bout her life. California, New York, Paris, boarding school, all those things.”

But the thing is, Jake doesn’t know. I’ve not shared that much with him about my past. It’s not something that’s ever come up.

He raises his brows and nods. “Riveting.”

“Hush up. Now, tell me how you two got together.” She points between us.

“Mawmaw, for the last time, Claire is just my friend.”

She glances down at our knees, which are touching, and how close we’re sitting to one another. “You know, titles don’t mean anything to an older lady like me. I can see something is brewin’ between you. Have ya been kissin’?”

He looks at me. “Don’t answer that.” Then he turns to her. “You said you’d be on your best behavior.”

She gives him a sly grin. “I know y’all have. You look good together. What’s the big deal about callin’ it what it is?”

“For one, titles complicate things.”

She waves him off. “Hogwash.”

“It’s because I’m leaving in January,” I admit.

“See, now that’s a better reason. But why can’t long distance work?”

Now I feel like I’m in the hot seat. Jake looks at me like he’s waiting to hear the answer, too. I open my mouth and then close it. “I don’t do long-distance relationships. I tried it once in my twenties and was hurt by someone I thought I loved. So now I avoid that. The heartache isn’t worth it.”

“I understand,” she says.

When she opens her mouth to ask another question, Jake stops her. “Enough drilling her. Got a hundred bucks I can borrow?”

She gasps. “You didn’t come over here to borrow money, did you?”

He snorts. “Nah, I heard you won at bingo the other night, though. Holdin’ out on me?”

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