“Who’s Brooks?” she asked.
“I told you about her. Sometimes I help—”
She waved her hand in the air. “Never mind. I don’t care. And you both have to go?” Joey pouted in her cutest fashion toward Harrison.
“I’m committed, I’m afraid,” Harrison said.
“Oh boo.”
“And actually the timing is fortuitous indeed. George can’t be home too long alone. So you and Collette can stay here and have a lot of quality time,” he added.
“Mommy-daughter day!” Collette called.
“Why can’t George be alone?” Joey asked.
Harrison realized his mistake too late. We weren’t sharing the details of George’s health. The man in question was now snoring in the chair he had just been freed from.
“He had a fall recently, and we don’t like to leave him too long in case there is another accident,” I said, not exactly lying.
Harrison nodded.
“Doesn’t he have one of those life alert necklaces or something? Cell phones are also a thing.”
“Joey, he misses you,” I said with a hard edge to my voice. It was one thing to aim her anger at me. But not George. Not after all that he and William did for her. “Spend time with him.”
She glanced away. “Yeah, okay. Jeez.” Her cheeks flushed, and she turned away from Harrison.
“It’s important you and Collette have uninterrupted time together anyway, don’t you think?” I said. “The three of you can catch up.”
Collette grinned up at her mom. “I’ll share all my toys, Mama. Don’t worry.”
“It’ll be great,” she said. “I’m going to go change, and then I’m starved. What’s for dinner, Frankie?” She stepped over her bag to leave.
“Shrimp scampi,” I said.
“You know I’m allergic, Frankie.” She scoffed.
“Oh. That’s right,” I mumbled.
As she passed Harrison, she said, “You better be free in the evening. I would love to pick your brain more about your last movie.”
Harrison ignored Joey’s comment and aimed a soft smile in my direction. It felt like a small victory for me, but then, when had it happened that Joey and I weren’t on the same side anymore?
