each of them loving and doting like grandparents should.” She tucked a piece of loose hair back into the low-slung side ponytail and raised her eyebrows. “I would much rather hear about Kyle. For someone you’ve known so long, you hardly mention his name.”
Manny stiffened. It wasn’t anything too obvious, but Rebecca noticed the way his shoulders went up ever so slightly. She waited and the silence was obvious.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Hmm?” He sniffed, scratched his nose and turned the knob to change the radio station. “Press scan and see if you can find something good.”
“‘Manhattan’s Bachelor of the Month,’ according to New York Life & Style .” Rebecca put up quotations with her fingers and straightened in her seat, her voice dipping for effect. “I read the article back at the apartment.”
Manny didn’t seem amused, eyes on the road. No reaction to speak of.
Rebecca knitted her brow. “He’s going to be there, right? Aren’t I going to meet your best friend today?”
“Oh yeah, he’ll be there.” He paused and gave her a look she couldn’t read. “We had this thing between us. It’s fine, but shit got kind of weird and…”
“What, like a fight?” She leaned forward. “Over a girl? Over the girl who broke your heart?” Rebecca nodded her head, letting it all take shape in her mind. “Did he steal her away from you?”
“No…not that.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t ask any more questions. I can already see your nose twitching. Do you know you do that when you get stressed?”
“I’m not stressed.”
“OK, but if we’re spending the weekend with Kyle, you’d better wear mittens, because I think you could scratch that thing right off of your face.”
“I thought we were done talking about Kyle.”
Rebecca pinched her fingers and ran a zipping motion across her lip. Then she pressed the scan button. Deborah Harry of Blondie crooned through the speakers in her signature smoky voice. “Ooh, I love this song! My mom used to play it all the time. Gotta love the eighties!”
Manny shook his head at the silly way her arms undulated like a wave with the music, and Rebecca was happy to see his shoulders come back down from scarecrow level. A mystery rift between friends she could deal with. She just hoped to God the bitch who broke Manny’s heart wasn’t going to be there.
* * *
Manny gave in to that crazy wiggling thing she was doing next to him and laughed out loud. He sang along with her, forgetting how tone deaf he was. She could do that to him—make it OK to just be himself and forget everything else. That wasn’t the only thing she had in common with Kyle Hunter.
As they neared the Hunter estate, nostalgia fell over him in a rush. He had great memories of that sprawling stone house, where he had spent lots of summers before his mother got sick and almost every holiday after she died. Olivia had opened her home to him and his shrinking family with a level of generosity no one would have believed a politician was capable of. Kyle’s family had practically adopted Manny, and Jeanette right along with him.
He was suddenly ashamed for not informing any of them about his Nana’s passing. It was a selfish move, hoping to avoid a face-to-face with Kyle. It had been wrong, and the first thing he’d do when they arrived was apologize for it.
Olivia wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Manny Tescadero! How could you?” She pulled him into a hug even as she chastised him. “I adored that woman.”
“Don’t make him feel any worse, Mom,” Kyle said. As Manny struggled to breathe, Kyle reached his hand out to Rebecca. “And so you must be the woman Manny’s been keeping in his apartment.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” She smiled and shook his hand. “I’m Rebecca Sinclair.”
Olivia left Manny alone to appraise Rebecca. “She’s beautiful, Manny. How did you get so lucky?”
Rebecca blushed, and a shy smile crept
Manny stiffened. It wasn’t anything too obvious, but Rebecca noticed the way his shoulders went up ever so slightly. She waited and the silence was obvious.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“Hmm?” He sniffed, scratched his nose and turned the knob to change the radio station. “Press scan and see if you can find something good.”
“‘Manhattan’s Bachelor of the Month,’ according to New York Life & Style .” Rebecca put up quotations with her fingers and straightened in her seat, her voice dipping for effect. “I read the article back at the apartment.”
Manny didn’t seem amused, eyes on the road. No reaction to speak of.
Rebecca knitted her brow. “He’s going to be there, right? Aren’t I going to meet your best friend today?”
“Oh yeah, he’ll be there.” He paused and gave her a look she couldn’t read. “We had this thing between us. It’s fine, but shit got kind of weird and…”
“What, like a fight?” She leaned forward. “Over a girl? Over the girl who broke your heart?” Rebecca nodded her head, letting it all take shape in her mind. “Did he steal her away from you?”
“No…not that.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t ask any more questions. I can already see your nose twitching. Do you know you do that when you get stressed?”
“I’m not stressed.”
“OK, but if we’re spending the weekend with Kyle, you’d better wear mittens, because I think you could scratch that thing right off of your face.”
“I thought we were done talking about Kyle.”
Rebecca pinched her fingers and ran a zipping motion across her lip. Then she pressed the scan button. Deborah Harry of Blondie crooned through the speakers in her signature smoky voice. “Ooh, I love this song! My mom used to play it all the time. Gotta love the eighties!”
Manny shook his head at the silly way her arms undulated like a wave with the music, and Rebecca was happy to see his shoulders come back down from scarecrow level. A mystery rift between friends she could deal with. She just hoped to God the bitch who broke Manny’s heart wasn’t going to be there.
* * *
Manny gave in to that crazy wiggling thing she was doing next to him and laughed out loud. He sang along with her, forgetting how tone deaf he was. She could do that to him—make it OK to just be himself and forget everything else. That wasn’t the only thing she had in common with Kyle Hunter.
As they neared the Hunter estate, nostalgia fell over him in a rush. He had great memories of that sprawling stone house, where he had spent lots of summers before his mother got sick and almost every holiday after she died. Olivia had opened her home to him and his shrinking family with a level of generosity no one would have believed a politician was capable of. Kyle’s family had practically adopted Manny, and Jeanette right along with him.
He was suddenly ashamed for not informing any of them about his Nana’s passing. It was a selfish move, hoping to avoid a face-to-face with Kyle. It had been wrong, and the first thing he’d do when they arrived was apologize for it.
Olivia wouldn’t have had it any other way. “Manny Tescadero! How could you?” She pulled him into a hug even as she chastised him. “I adored that woman.”
“Don’t make him feel any worse, Mom,” Kyle said. As Manny struggled to breathe, Kyle reached his hand out to Rebecca. “And so you must be the woman Manny’s been keeping in his apartment.”
“Well, when you put it like that…” She smiled and shook his hand. “I’m Rebecca Sinclair.”
Olivia left Manny alone to appraise Rebecca. “She’s beautiful, Manny. How did you get so lucky?”
Rebecca blushed, and a shy smile crept
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