“I agree,” I said. “She should be standing up for you.”
Ben looked up and stared at me. “Another major breakthrough on the program, folks. Mark down this date in your history books. Lori agrees with me. Can you say that again slowly?”
I stifled a laugh. “I. Agree. With. You.”
“Ahh. Music to my ears. So, lovely Lori, what should Jeremy do about this?”
Lovely Lori?
Ben thought that I was lovely?
Since when?
Since yesterday?
It was obvious something shifted in our relationship during our lunch together, and the walk to La Jolla Cove afterward. I could see it in Ben’s eyes, in his body language, no doubt about it.
He was attracted to me.
I knew that look.
And I would be lying if I said I hadn’t felt something as well. Surprisingly, out of nowhere I was attracted to him, although I would take that information to the grave with me before telling that to Ben or Grandma Joyce.
“Earth to Lori? Come in.” Ben laughed. “Maybe I should start calling you the Queen of Dead Air.”
“Sorry!” I said a little too loudly.
“No worries. Give Jeremy your two cents on his situation.”
“Right . . . Jeremy, you definitely need to chat with your wife about this and ask her why she doesn’t defend you when her family criticizes you. Something is definitely going on there. In my mind, there are only two possible reasons for her behavior. One, she values her family more than she values you. Or number two, she agrees with everything they’re saying.”
Ben winced. “Ouch. Looks like no matter how you slice it, you’ve got some serious relationship problems that need to be addressed. Thanks for the call and good luck.” Ben disconnected the call and answered the next one. “Charlotte is on line two. Welcome to the program.”
“Hello, Dr. Tough Love! I love you so much! I listen to you every single morning.”
Ben laughed. “I love you, too. How can we help you, Charlotte?”
I sat up, thinking Charlotte sounded exactly like my—
“You can call me Grandma Joyce, actually. Lori is my granddaughter.”
I couldn’t believe this was happening.
What was my grandma up to?
I didn’t trust her.
I loved her, of course, but that didn’t mean she wasn’t capable of being up to no good.
“TheGrandma Joyce?” Ben said.
“In the flesh! Well, in your ear, at least.”
Ben chuckled. “What a pleasure to have you on the show. I’ve heard so much about you.”
“Well, if it came from my granddaughter’s mouth, you know it’s true! Speaking of that, I’m sorry I lied to your producer about my name, but I wanted to surprise Lori.”
“That’s quite all right, Joyce. You did it with the best of intentions. Are you pleasantly surprised, Lori?”
