AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Have a seat,” Bea said, herding me toward the table and ordering Jonah to sit beside me. “We have assigned seats,” she explained.
“We do?” Jonah countered with a grin.
Dennis appeared, smiling amongst the group, and replied to Jonah’s comment with, “You know your Gram. She likes things the way she likes things.”
“Do you need any help with dinner?” I asked.
“Absolutely not,” Bea said firmly.
A few minutes later, a large bowl of tossed salad was in the center of the table with two casserole pans, one of them Bea’s salmon pie that she assured me had been one of my favorites when I was little, and another with scalloped potatoes with leeks, mushrooms, and chicken.
“Oh, now I remember the salmon pie!” I exclaimed after taking the first bite. “I’d love to have the recipe.”
Bea looked over at Jonah’s mother. “Can you please email it to her?” Her gaze shifted to me. “I don’t email much, but Debbie has all my recipes.”
“I’ll make sure to jot down my email address before I go tonight,” I offered with a smile.
I was acutely aware of Jonah’s presence beside me—because my body was still reverberating with sensations from our encounter. That said, my manners kept me focused.
Dinner was relaxed, and I was glad we were there. It was hard not to think about why we were all there. Bea’s energy was flagging, but she could still laugh and enjoy dinner.
I thought perhaps Jonah and I would skate through the evening without her putting us on the spot about anything. I should’ve known better. She waited until we let down our guard. Dennis insisted on cleaning up, shooing everyone else away, as he picked up the plates and began tidying up.
It was then Bea glanced over, commenting as she looked from Jonah to me and over to his parents, “Well, I’m sure you’ve heard.”
John looked at her, his gaze was skeptical. “Heard what, Mom?”
She swung her hand airily toward Jonah and me. “Alice and Jonah.” She leaned forward as I felt the blush burning up my cheeks. “They have a thing.”
“We do not—” I began to sputter.
I felt Jonah’s hands slide onto my knee under the table. He squeezed gently. “Don’t give her any ammunition,” he said lightly.
Jonah’s father was unperturbed and simply shrugged while his mother eyed me with speculation in her gaze. “Mom loves to put people on the spot,” John offered.
Bea grinned at this, offering, “I do.” She looked at Jonah, waggling her eyebrows. “You should get things all settled before I go.”
Jonah’s head fell forward, his shoulders shaking as he laughed. When he lifted his head, he simply shrugged. “Gram, I love you.”
Later that night, after we were back at my house with Honey curled up on the couch beside me and Jonah on my other side, I peered up at him. “We should’ve known she was going to do that.”
He chuckled. “I knew she would say something. I just didn’t know what or when. She never lets an opportunity pass.”
I laughed softly. “I suppose you’re right. I was worried, but when we got toward the end, I thought we might be in the clear.”
“What will you tell your parents?” I couldn’t help but ask.
ChapterThirty-Two
Jonah
As I lay in bed beside Alice a week later, I pondered her question. I had answered her, but I hadn’treallyanswered. I’d simply shrugged and assured her my parents weren’t too nosy.
Alice’s question got me thinking. I’d played it off like it was no big deal. Yet inside, my panic was building. She was starting to matter. Even though she knew about the shooting and my injuries, I didn’t think anyone could understand how it had broken something in me.
Oh, I could go through the motions of life. I loved my parents, and I loved my grandmother. Still, the idea of falling in love with someone elicited trepidation and near terror if I allowed myself to dwell. Obviously, as a teacher, we attended plenty of meetings and trainings on how to respond in a potential shooter situation, which was fucking insane. Shootings werethatcommon in our country. It was hard not to realize we simply didn’t care enough to change anything. There was no sense in glossing it over.
But still, when that was your job, you could only do it if you somehow tricked your brain into thinking it probably wouldn’t happen to you. It wasn’t me that I was worried about. It was the kids who died in front of me. It was Tina who got shot before the guy made it to the hallways. It was anyone who life could steal away in mere seconds of brutal, shocking violence.
