Page 9 of Not So Very Sensible

“Hey, I know you’re stupidly busy, so no sweat. But once a week would be good. Just so the kids know we’re alive.”

“Once a week I can do,” he promised. Well, he would make sure he could do. Promises were meant to be kept, after all.

“Are you two done yet?” Lucinda whined. “I really need to talk to Ethan about something.”

“Fine, go, go.” Charlene held up her hands. “I don’t want to be accused of holding you up.”

“Finally,” Lucinda muttered, as she clutched his arm and virtually dragged him to the door.

He removed his arm. “Wait. You know I like to wait until Charlene has locked up and is safe in her car.”

“Oh my gosh. Why do you have to be such a gentleman all the time?” She rolled her eyes, but her lips turned up.

“Just lucky, I guess.”

Except it wasn’t luck. It was called having a conscience. Caring about others. Wanting to see people kept safe.

Charlene eventually locked up and got in her Mini Cooper, waving at Ethan as he waited with Lucinda. “Now can we go?”

“Go where?” They didn’t have a date planned, did they? He’d been so busy recently that he’d barely talked with her. But maybe she’d said something and he’d not really paid attention. Over the years, Lucinda had said a lot of things. Not all of it she meant.

“Look, I just wanted to speak to you. It feels like forever since we went out.”

“I’ve been busy, remember?”

“You’re always busy.” She pouted.

He restrained a sigh. “So, what do you want to talk about?”

“Not here. Not like this.”

“Then where?” He glanced at his watch. Winced. “I can’t stay too late ‘cause I’ve got another early start tomorrow.”

“Seriously? Tomorrow is Saturday. The weekend. Don’t you believe in having a day off?”

“That’s not always easy to do when a case needs my attention.”

“Fine. Forget it.” She folded her arms. “I don’t know why I bothered to come out here to try to talk to you when it’s obvious you don’t want to talk to me.”

“Lucinda, come on. We’ve been over this.” Why couldn’t the woman learn to say what she meant and mean what she said? Were all women like this? Well, Charlene wasn’t. But most others he knew sure were. His family included.

“Oh, why do you have to be reasonable all the time?”

“It’s a gift.”

She rolled her eyes, then shook her head. “Look, just give me fifteen minutes—”

Yeah, that’d be a solid thirty, at least.

“—so we can catch up.” Her bottom lip wobbled. “I need to tell you about the latest with Mum.”

His heart softened. Sometimes he wondered just how much he had in common with Lucinda. But mothers facing illness was one of them. “Sure.”

She wasn’t going to want to go to McDonald’s—he doubted she had eaten there since she was four years old—even though McDonald’s drive-through was about the only thing he was up for. French fries dipped in a caramel sundae for the win.

But Lucinda had more sophisticated tastes, so he soon found himself in a local late-night café, eating not-so-great cherry pie, wondering why he’d agreed to this.

Lucinda was rambling about her day, her family, her friends, and he found it hard to stay interested. She knew so many people, and some names kept popping up like a champagne cork in the sea. But he hadn’t met them. Or didn’t think he had. Maybe she’d introduced him to them at a party once upon a time.