Elin was grinning down at her squeamish sister, proud of knocking her down a peg. “I just came to say be careful.”
Nena nodded. Her eyes were on Elin’s car, whose inside light had suddenly come on. The passenger-side door opened.
Elin continued, “Stay the course, right?”
Right. Nena already knew. No more detours until she knew what play Paul would make. She thought of her conversation with Witt, of how she might have poked the bear.
“Your man’s joining us,” Nena warned in hushed tones, her pulse quickening. She didn’t like this. Didn’t want Oliver here, much less these two sides of her life colliding.
A sly smile slid across Elin’s face as she gazed past Nena’s shoulder in the dimming light. “So is yours. And the kid.” She sounded much too gleeful.
Sure enough, there they were, Cort following a now-glowing Georgia down the walk. Nena faced a smirking Elin, warily watching Oliver make his own approach.
“Look what you’ve done,” she growled.
Elin was loving it. “Aww, sis, are you ashamed of your family? Don’t you think it’s time I met this illustrious man who”—she lowered her voice, leaning in as both sides were nearly upon them—“made you disobey orders for the first fucking time? I rather enjoy seeing you flustered. Another first.”
Elin straightened, brandishing a huge smile as the Baxters stopped before her and Oliver came from the rear. “So you’re Georgia.” She held out her hand, which Georgia took and pumped energetically, surprising Elin.
“You’re Nena’s fancy sister.”
Elin’s eyebrows rose. “Is that what Nena called me?”
Georgia shrugged. “Kinda hard to miss,” she answered, indicating Elin’s attire and her car.
Oliver laughed as he moved beside Elin, his eyes sweeping Georgia, then lingering on Cort, then Nena, then back to Cort. “It’s true,” he said. “She’s very fancy. You’re pretty astute, er . . .”
“Georgia,” she answered. “And I know.”
“Peach,” Cort warned, shaking hands with Oliver and introducing himself.
Elin looked down at Georgia, her nose flaring in distaste. “So you’re the reason my little sister had to run off and wasn’t answering my calls.”
Georgia pursed her lips and, without missing a beat, replied gravely, “You’ve had her all to yourself for a long time. Time to share Nena with the world.”
Elin’s mouth dropped open in a most unbeautiful manner as she was struck speechless, despite Oliver laughing as if he were at a comedy show and Cort placing a firm hand on his daughter’s shoulder while trying to mask his amusement.
“She’s a regular spitfire, yeah?” Elin said, bemused. Elin wasn’t used to someone having faster quips than she did. She quickly regained her ultracool. “You may borrow her for a little, but you must return her every so often, because I rather like her.”
Georgia nodded. “Deal,” she said.
“Okay, enough of that,” Nena said, feeling warm inside and anxious to get Oliver, who was chatting it up with Cort, out of here. “You two should be off now. I’m also about to head out. Have to sort some things out.”
Elin raised her eyebrows as the men said their goodbyes. “Stay the course, little sister.”
“I appreciate your concern, Elin.” Nena tried to be as cool as she could manage.
She watched Elin and Oliver return to the car, and then Elin sped off far too fast for the neighborhood. She begged off an offer of dinner from Cort and asked for a rain check. She got in her Audi, waved at the Baxters, and drove away wondering what the hell had just happened.
Later that night, when she was back home alone eating takeaway lemon-pepper wings and blue cheese, which Keigel had graciously brought her, and watching Pet Sematary, her phone chimed.
CORT: Ty 4 what U did 4 Georgia. She’s going thru her mom’s stuff looking for a keepsake.
NENA （after wiping her fingers）： Good.
CORT: UR something else, NK.
If only he knew. Heat rushed Nena’s cheeks. She didn’t know how to respond to that. All she could do was reply with: TY. Not so bad yourself, CB.
He ended with good night, but as Nena continued to watch the movie, she wondered why the husband buried his wife in a cursed cemetery knowing what it would do to her. Maybe the message was that it was better to have those you loved in any capacity—even if they came back murderously evil—than to not have them at all.
She shifted in her seat. If she were honest with him, could Cort decide to be with her, in any capacity? Like that husband? Nena couldn’t answer that, but how would she ever know what they could be, if she didn’t at least try?