“Oh man,” Courtnie groaned. “Now you sound like Mom.”
“Hey, don’t be disrespecting Mom.”
“I’m not. She was a great mother, but by the time you came along she was old and tired and leaving everything in the universe’s hands.”
“Did make it pretty nice for me.”
“Yeah, I never got away with anything.” Courtnie slugged him in the shoulder. “It’s like we had completely different parents.”
“Thanks for breaking them in for me.”
“That was not my pleasure, I might add. Which, by the way, I heard from Mom last night. She’s already planning Thanksgiving and Christmas.”
“Of course she is.”
“She wants us to host Thanksgiving,” Courtnie said. “Would you fry the turkey if I do it at my place?”
“Sure. I can do that. At least dinner will be on time if you host it.”
“Right? You’d think as many Thanksgiving dinners as that woman has cooked she’d have it down to a science by now. Hey, maybe this year you can bring your new girlfriend and get some of the focus off of me.”
“We’re back on that again?”
“Never left it. What’s her name, by the way?”
“We’re doing this?”
“Yes.”
“Natalie. Her name is Natalie.”
“And you met this Natalie where?”
“Work.”
“Cop or criminal?”
“Real funny. She was conned. Jerk took her for everything she had. Took her on this expensive vacation. He went home early, supposedly a business emergency. When she got home, everything was gone.”
“No way.”
“True story.” It still griped him that something so bad happened to someone so nice.
“You better catch that guy.”
“Doing my best.”
“To catch the guy or the girl?”
“Both, if I’m lucky, but the timing is off for her. She’s still sort of reeling from it all.”
“You like her.” It wasn’t a question, but more like an accusation. Courtnie’s eyebrow arched high.
“Fine. I’m interested. Yes.”Can’t deny it. She always could read me better than anyone.
“I can see that.”
“She’s nice. Different.”
