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“Of course, I know Piper.” I did not like the conspiratorial smile she gave Piper. “How are you, dear?”
Piper smiled back at her. “Fine. Thanks, Carmen. How about you?”
Mum looked exhausted but hiding it as best she could. “Still going. Could you tell your mum that I will definitely bring that chicken recipe to book club this week? She’s been on me for months about it.” Then she looked down to Maddy. “How about we wash up and get dinner on?”
“I’ll help!” Maddy said enthusiastically then led the way into the house.
“Hands first!” Mum called after her, then turned back to Piper. “Thanks for that, Piper. You don’t have to indulge her.”
Piper’s cheeks heated. “Oh… For…? No, that’s fine. I wasn’t doing anything anyway. I had a good day.”
For some reason, Mum’s gaze darted between Piper and me. I shuffled a little under her gaze; I knew what she wanted to ask or imply. It was just fifty-fifty if she actually did it.
“Are you home tonight, Roman?” she asked slowly.
“For dinner,” I answered as I kept my eyes on the ground.
“After that?” Mum pressed and I wanted the ground to swallow me up.
“I don’t know yet.”
“Oh, don’t worry about me,” Piper said, giving an awkward chuckle.
I looked up at her, wondering what she meant by that. And, more importantly, what Mum thought she meant by that.
“Oh,” Piper chuckled again. “I mean, Roman’s been… We…” She cleared her throat and seemed to find some words, “That is, he was teaching me how to skip stones the last couple of nights and I’m terrible at it…”
I felt my eyebrow rise and I felt a smirk trying to go with it. I didn’t quite know what she was playing at, but there was something actually a little adorable about the fact that she was trying to…what? Give me a decent alibi for my whereabouts the last couple of nights?
Mum looked confused, but I saw the smug humour underneath it.
“He’s been with you?” she asked Piper.
Piper nodded quickly. “Well, I mean… We didn’t plan it. Just, we hung out at the lake the last couple of nights. Just chatting you know, and uh–”
“Skipping stones, listening to music,” I finished, still fighting the humour.
“Oh,” Mum smiled like she’d worked something juicy out and I internally rolled my eyes. “Well, no. If you have plans, by all means…”
“I mean,” Piper shrugged, “they’re not set or anything.”
“Whatever you want to do. Just let me know what you’re up to,” Mum said for quite possibly the first time ever.
“Grandma!” Maddy yelled impatiently from inside.
“Good to see you, Piper. Say hi to your parents for me.”
“You too, Carmen! Will do,” Piper answered as Mum finally went inside and left us to it.
“You know, she’s going to think we’re dating now,” I told her.
She scoffed like the notion was ridiculous. “Yeah, because Roman Lombardi dates.”
Something made me say, “I could date.”
“Eh, could you though?”
“Okay. What counts as a date? I’ll meet you down here at, what? Nine? We’ll go down to the lake and I’ll teach you how to skip stones if you really want?” It was like, if I said it fast enough, then maybe I wouldn’t have actually said it.
