lit up Joy’s face. “Your phone call came as a pleasant surprise.”
Cricket followed Letty inside.
“I made some iced tea. Would you like some?”
“Please.” Letty sat in the compact living room; as always, Cricket was at her side.
“Cricket, I have some Play-Doh in the kitchen if you’d like to play with that. My second-graders still enjoy it. I’ve also got some juice just for you.”
Cricket looked to her mother and Letty nodded. The child trotted into the kitchen after Joy. Letty could hear them chatting, and although it was difficult to stay where she was, she did so the two of them could become better acquainted.
Joy returned a few minutes later with frosty glasses of iced tea. She set one in front of Letty, then took the chair opposite her.
“Cricket certainly is a well-behaved child. You must be very proud of her.”
“Thank you, I am.” Letty’s gaze fell to her fingers, which were tightly clenched on the glass of iced tea. “I take it you and Lonny have come to some sort of agreement?”
Joy sighed, her shoulders rising reflexively, then sagging with defeat. “To be honest, I think it’s best if he and I don’t have anything to do with each other. I don’t know what it is about your brother that irritates me so much. I mean, last fall we seemed to get along okay. But—and I’m sorry to say this, Letty—he’s just so
arrogant.
He acted like I was supposed to be really impressed that he was a rodeo champion back in the day.
And
he kept calling me a hopeless city slicker because I’m from Seattle.” She shook her head. “Now we can’t even talk civilly to each other.”
Letty doubted Joy would believe her if she claimed Lonny was still attracted to her. The problem was that he was fighting it so hard.
“You may find this difficult to believe,” she said, “but Lonny’s normally a calm, in-control type of guy. I swear to you, Joy, I’ve never seen him behave the way he has lately.”
“I’ve known him for almost a year, but I had no idea he was that kind of hothead.”
“Trust me, he usually isn’t.”
“He phoned me last Sunday.”
At Letty’s obvious surprise, Joy continued, eyes just managing to avoid her guest. “He started in about his stupid truck again. Then he mentioned something about an argument with you and how that was my fault—and then apparently you fainted, but he didn’t really explain. Anyway, I hung up on him.” She glanced over at Letty. “What happened to you? He sounded upset.”
“He was, but mostly he was angry with himself. We got into an argument—which was
not
your fault—and, well, we both said things we didn’t mean and immediately regretted. I went outside to work in the garden and…I don’t know,” she murmured. “The sun must’ve bothered me, because the next thing I knew, I’d fainted.”
“Oh, Letty! Are you all right?”
“I am, thanks.” Letty realized she was beginning to get good at exaggerating the state of her health.
“Did you see a doctor?”
“Yes. Everything’s under control, so don’t worry.”
Cricket wandered in from the kitchen with a miniature cookie sheet holding several flat Play-Doh circles. “Mommy, I’m baking chocolate chip cookies for Chase.”
“Good, sweetheart. Will you bake me some, too?”
The child nodded, then smiled shyly up at Joy. “Did you ask her, Mommy?”
“Not yet.”
Letty’s gaze followed Cricket back into the kitchen. She could feel Joy’s curiosity, and wished she’d been able to lead into the subject of Cricket’s staying with her a little more naturally.
“There’s a possibility I’ll need to be away for a week or two in the near future,” she said, holding the glass with both hands. “Unfortunately I won’t be able to take Cricket with me, and I doubt Lonny could watch her for that length of time.”
“I wouldn’t trust your brother to care for Cricket’s
dolls,
” Joy said stiffly, then looked embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, I don’t
Cricket followed Letty inside.
“I made some iced tea. Would you like some?”
“Please.” Letty sat in the compact living room; as always, Cricket was at her side.
“Cricket, I have some Play-Doh in the kitchen if you’d like to play with that. My second-graders still enjoy it. I’ve also got some juice just for you.”
Cricket looked to her mother and Letty nodded. The child trotted into the kitchen after Joy. Letty could hear them chatting, and although it was difficult to stay where she was, she did so the two of them could become better acquainted.
Joy returned a few minutes later with frosty glasses of iced tea. She set one in front of Letty, then took the chair opposite her.
“Cricket certainly is a well-behaved child. You must be very proud of her.”
“Thank you, I am.” Letty’s gaze fell to her fingers, which were tightly clenched on the glass of iced tea. “I take it you and Lonny have come to some sort of agreement?”
Joy sighed, her shoulders rising reflexively, then sagging with defeat. “To be honest, I think it’s best if he and I don’t have anything to do with each other. I don’t know what it is about your brother that irritates me so much. I mean, last fall we seemed to get along okay. But—and I’m sorry to say this, Letty—he’s just so
arrogant.
He acted like I was supposed to be really impressed that he was a rodeo champion back in the day.
And
he kept calling me a hopeless city slicker because I’m from Seattle.” She shook her head. “Now we can’t even talk civilly to each other.”
Letty doubted Joy would believe her if she claimed Lonny was still attracted to her. The problem was that he was fighting it so hard.
“You may find this difficult to believe,” she said, “but Lonny’s normally a calm, in-control type of guy. I swear to you, Joy, I’ve never seen him behave the way he has lately.”
“I’ve known him for almost a year, but I had no idea he was that kind of hothead.”
“Trust me, he usually isn’t.”
“He phoned me last Sunday.”
At Letty’s obvious surprise, Joy continued, eyes just managing to avoid her guest. “He started in about his stupid truck again. Then he mentioned something about an argument with you and how that was my fault—and then apparently you fainted, but he didn’t really explain. Anyway, I hung up on him.” She glanced over at Letty. “What happened to you? He sounded upset.”
“He was, but mostly he was angry with himself. We got into an argument—which was
not
your fault—and, well, we both said things we didn’t mean and immediately regretted. I went outside to work in the garden and…I don’t know,” she murmured. “The sun must’ve bothered me, because the next thing I knew, I’d fainted.”
“Oh, Letty! Are you all right?”
“I am, thanks.” Letty realized she was beginning to get good at exaggerating the state of her health.
“Did you see a doctor?”
“Yes. Everything’s under control, so don’t worry.”
Cricket wandered in from the kitchen with a miniature cookie sheet holding several flat Play-Doh circles. “Mommy, I’m baking chocolate chip cookies for Chase.”
“Good, sweetheart. Will you bake me some, too?”
The child nodded, then smiled shyly up at Joy. “Did you ask her, Mommy?”
“Not yet.”
Letty’s gaze followed Cricket back into the kitchen. She could feel Joy’s curiosity, and wished she’d been able to lead into the subject of Cricket’s staying with her a little more naturally.
“There’s a possibility I’ll need to be away for a week or two in the near future,” she said, holding the glass with both hands. “Unfortunately I won’t be able to take Cricket with me, and I doubt Lonny could watch her for that length of time.”
“I wouldn’t trust your brother to care for Cricket’s
dolls,
” Joy said stiffly, then looked embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, I don’t
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