Tisha?”
“She went home.”
“Already?”
“Yes.” Jonah wanted to keep this as simple and straight to the point as possible. “We had a disagreement.” He looked up at Cami and smiled. “But it’s nothing for you to worry about. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Then why is all this stuff on the floor?”
“You may not believe this, but your uncle has a tendency to be a big baby from time to time.”
“I believe it, all right.”
“Hey.” He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you act like you’re my age.”
“I do not.”
“Sorry, Uncle J, but you do.” She cocked her head to the side and shook it as if somehow their roles had reserved and he was the clueless child and she was the responsible adult. “Do I need to bring up the whole garage blowup? Not your finest moment.”
Snorting, Jonah rose to his feet. “Please don’t. In fact, please don’t ever mention it again.”
“No can-do, Uncle J. I’m your kid. It’s my job and pleasure to remind you when you screw up.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly as he pulled her into his arms. “What would I do without you?”
“I have no idea.”
“Me either.” Sighing, he shook his head and wondered how in the world he’d screwed up so badly. “Think flowers will do the trick?”
“Flowers, candy, jewelry and possibly money.”
“Wow.” He pulled back and looked down at a grinning Cami. “You’re assuming I messed up bad.”
“Well, she’s not here, and you’re throwing things around. I’m thinking this isn’t a Hoops and YoYo e-card kind of thing.”
“I was afraid you might say that.”
“Want me to get your wallet?”
“No, you should get in bed and let me get busy cleaning up this mess.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” Cami rose to her tiptoes and brushed a kiss on Jonah’s cheek. “’Night.”
“’Night.” Jonah purposely left the word “good” out. From where he was standing, good had nothing to do with anything in this moment.
Chapter Nine
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Tisha glanced up from the remains of her very unappealing lunch into Nance’s sympathetic eyes. The kind way her friend was staring at her was as alluring as the food she was toying with. She wasn’t in the frame of mind for either. That was why she’d chosen to eat her lunch in the small room in the back of the shop instead of at her station, as she normally did. Everyone seemed to get the implication of her action. Everyone that is but Nance. “I’m not in the mood to talk about anything.”
“Well, here’s the problem with that.” Nance pulled out the chair across from Tisha and sat down. “I don’t care.”
“About?”
“Whether you’re in the mood to talk. I’m ready to listen. So spill.”
Tisha rolled her eyes but kept right along playing soccer with her fork and cold, hard rice. “Nothing to spill.”
“Liar.”
“Big butt.” Tisha looked up and frowned.
“Hey.” The size of her derrière was another sore point for Nance. Just another reason why it wasn’t always the brightest choice to get into a sparring matching with a best friend. They always knew the good stuff.
“If you’re going to call me names, then…”
“Whatever happened to sticks and stones?”
“They got left outside with all the other childish games.”
“Speaking of childish—”
“I don’t want to talk about childish.” Tisha laid her fork down and sat back in her chair, sullenly crossing her arms over her breasts. “I don’t want to talk about anything at all. I just want to sulk and pout and eat massive amounts of chocolate.”
“And as your friend, it’s my job to prevent that from happening.”
“Why?”
“Because when your ass won’t fit into your jeans, it will be me you’ll be dragging to the gym. So, save us both the trouble and tell me what he did.”
“He who?”
“The man whose phone calls you refuse to accept and whose flowers you keep throwing in the
“She went home.”
“Already?”
“Yes.” Jonah wanted to keep this as simple and straight to the point as possible. “We had a disagreement.” He looked up at Cami and smiled. “But it’s nothing for you to worry about. Everything is going to be okay.”
“Then why is all this stuff on the floor?”
“You may not believe this, but your uncle has a tendency to be a big baby from time to time.”
“I believe it, all right.”
“Hey.” He frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“It means you act like you’re my age.”
“I do not.”
“Sorry, Uncle J, but you do.” She cocked her head to the side and shook it as if somehow their roles had reserved and he was the clueless child and she was the responsible adult. “Do I need to bring up the whole garage blowup? Not your finest moment.”
Snorting, Jonah rose to his feet. “Please don’t. In fact, please don’t ever mention it again.”
“No can-do, Uncle J. I’m your kid. It’s my job and pleasure to remind you when you screw up.”
“Thanks,” he said dryly as he pulled her into his arms. “What would I do without you?”
“I have no idea.”
“Me either.” Sighing, he shook his head and wondered how in the world he’d screwed up so badly. “Think flowers will do the trick?”
“Flowers, candy, jewelry and possibly money.”
“Wow.” He pulled back and looked down at a grinning Cami. “You’re assuming I messed up bad.”
“Well, she’s not here, and you’re throwing things around. I’m thinking this isn’t a Hoops and YoYo e-card kind of thing.”
“I was afraid you might say that.”
“Want me to get your wallet?”
“No, you should get in bed and let me get busy cleaning up this mess.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” Cami rose to her tiptoes and brushed a kiss on Jonah’s cheek. “’Night.”
“’Night.” Jonah purposely left the word “good” out. From where he was standing, good had nothing to do with anything in this moment.
Chapter Nine
“Do you want to talk about it?”
Tisha glanced up from the remains of her very unappealing lunch into Nance’s sympathetic eyes. The kind way her friend was staring at her was as alluring as the food she was toying with. She wasn’t in the frame of mind for either. That was why she’d chosen to eat her lunch in the small room in the back of the shop instead of at her station, as she normally did. Everyone seemed to get the implication of her action. Everyone that is but Nance. “I’m not in the mood to talk about anything.”
“Well, here’s the problem with that.” Nance pulled out the chair across from Tisha and sat down. “I don’t care.”
“About?”
“Whether you’re in the mood to talk. I’m ready to listen. So spill.”
Tisha rolled her eyes but kept right along playing soccer with her fork and cold, hard rice. “Nothing to spill.”
“Liar.”
“Big butt.” Tisha looked up and frowned.
“Hey.” The size of her derrière was another sore point for Nance. Just another reason why it wasn’t always the brightest choice to get into a sparring matching with a best friend. They always knew the good stuff.
“If you’re going to call me names, then…”
“Whatever happened to sticks and stones?”
“They got left outside with all the other childish games.”
“Speaking of childish—”
“I don’t want to talk about childish.” Tisha laid her fork down and sat back in her chair, sullenly crossing her arms over her breasts. “I don’t want to talk about anything at all. I just want to sulk and pout and eat massive amounts of chocolate.”
“And as your friend, it’s my job to prevent that from happening.”
“Why?”
“Because when your ass won’t fit into your jeans, it will be me you’ll be dragging to the gym. So, save us both the trouble and tell me what he did.”
“He who?”
“The man whose phone calls you refuse to accept and whose flowers you keep throwing in the
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