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“What is this about candy? And what the hell are you two doing here?” Dad ambled into the kitchen, eyeing us suspiciously as he pulled the lid off of Thea’s salad bowl. He grabbed a black olive from the top.
“I added extra just for you,” Thea said, sipping her wine. “Help yourself.”
“Does that mean we’re having dinner on time?” he asked between olives.
Mom shook her head. “Go get a nap in, you old coot. Lasagna won’t be ready for a while yet and I plan to open a second bottle of wine.”
Without waiting for another invitation, Dad hurried upstairs.
“When did he get so ancient?” Mom sighed, shaking her head. “Well, Thea, that’s one piece of gossip cleared up. Now it’s Ben’s turn.”
I blanched. “Me too?”
“I ran into Whitney at the diner the other night. Apparently, she came back to town to interview her replacement?”
Well, in the giant pot of Franklin Notch rumors that might have been swirling around about me, that was the easiest to address.
“Is that what Whitney said? Interviewing?”
“She said that this new vet, Dana, was a cutie.”
I rolled my eyes. “I don’t think Whitney ever said the words ‘cutie.’”
“It was implied. And she said this new vet met you at speed dating.” Mom lifted an eyebrow, her lips pursing as her gaze slid over to Thea conspiratorially.
“And you know who dragged me to speed dating, right?” I asked, bumping Thea’s shoulder with my arm.
“So, how did it go?” Mom prodded.
“The interview or the dating?”
She pulled the pan off the stovetop, setting it off to the side. “Both.”
“The interview went very well, which means the speed dating was a bust.”
Mom’s face fell. “Really? But it’s not like there’s a rule? Whitney wasn’t really your employee. More like a contractor.”
I gave my mom a hard look and shook my head.
She sat back in her chair with a pout. “What about a wedding? I’d settle for that.”
“Better talk to Thea about that.”
Thea’s eyes nearly came out of her head, her jaw dropping. Her heel connected with the back of my leg, and I held back a yelp as a smile came back to Mom’s face.
“Oh! You’re looking for someone, Thea? Someone serious? Is that what the speed dating was about?”
“I was just with someone seriously,” she murmured.
“Well, not exactly serious,” I said with a lopsided grin. “All things considered.”
“I attempted to make it serious. I can’t help that he moved to New Jersey,” she argued. “And yes, maybe I’m looking for something serious. I’m not getting any younger.”
Mom waved her hand. “You’re a baby. In fact, when I was your age…”
Her voice faltered as her eyes dropped to the now-empty glass of wine.
An awkward silence enveloped the room. When Mom was Thea’s age, she was taking care of two kids in diapers while her best friend fought cancer.
