I crack up, despite the sentiment making me throw up in my mouth a little.
If I were watching this from the outside, that would be hilarious. And so, I’m happy to let every other woman in this place think that my cousin is a catch.
I’m not the only person in the family with zero intentions of settling down.
He lounges back in his seat with a broad grin, threading his fingers together as he rests his hands over his Don’t piss off the writer or he might kill you in a book long-sleeve T-shirt. “Jack and Lucky are gonna be so jealous that I got a crack at you first.”
The fact that I’m not laughing right now speaks volumes to how worried I am about whatever Grey will have to say when he finally corners me. “You are ridiculous.”
“And you’re stressed.”
“Never.” I am so stressed.
“Where’s Jitter?”
“Mom came and got him. Too many people tonight.”
“First timer has started,” Iris calls. “You have three minutes.”
I glance around the room and spot my other two cousins.
Jack was apparently a slowpoke. He has a look of these three minutes might kill me on his face as he leans back and Addison Hunter leans forward, drawing something on the table with her finger.
Probably explaining to him that since she’s in finance and he’s an engineer, they’d make smart, competent, beautiful children.
“Ew,” Decker mutters.
Lucky, on the other hand, is on the opposite side of the room, actively engaged in an animated conversation with Viola Hammerbach. She’s twenty-five years older than he is.
And she was his kindergarten teacher.
“Are they catching up, or is he flirting with her?” I ask Decker.
“I asked him yesterday who his favorite teacher of all time was, and he named her, so it’s anyone’s guess. Shame about her husband. Good for her for getting back out there though.”
I look back to where Grandpa was headed to sit along the wall.
Not there.
Grey’s noticed too.
He’s two tables down, apparently pulled in to make numbers even, which I’m attempting to actively ignore. And speaking of ignoring, he’s completely ignoring whatever Kayla is saying to him at their table.
“So who is she?” Decker asks.
“Oh my god, did you sit with me because you want to hit on an old lady and think I’ll just give up the scoop? I’m off gossip, remember.”
He cracks up.
Fair.
I was totally giving him shit. “I hear she’s Mr. Cartwright’s grandmother,” I murmur.
“You hear?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“With what degree of certainty?”
“Given what we all know about genetics…”
“She was in his life as his grandmother, correct?” Decker clarifies.
“Correct.”
“And you’re sure?”
“Yes.”
“As in, she was the woman in that picture in Grandpa’s yearbook that I found?”
“Mm. I assume so.”
“Why’s she here?”
“She got on a plane and flew here from wherever she’s from?”
“Sabrina.”
“Time!” Iris calls. “Everyone move. No, this way. Lucky. Other way. There you go. Mrs. Hammerbach has you all flustered, doesn’t she? Talk as soon as you sit. We’re not giving time for moving tables from here on out.”
“Did you do that?” Decker asks while he rises.
“Introduce Lucky to his kindergarten teacher? No. Also no to setting the rules for tonight.”
“We’re talking later about why Grandpa disappeared after making I’m seeing a ghost eyes at the new old hottie in town and why you didn’t tell me you called her. Don’t deny it. I know you did.”
“Get moving, Decker, or people will think you’re asking for my phone number.”
He makes a face and dives for the table in the next row, settling in across from Devi.
Walter Blunderman, whom I’ve known since he used to yell at Laney, Emma, and me anytime we got too loud in our treehouse, since his property bumped up against Grandma and Grandpa’s yard, eases his way into the seat Decker’s just abandoned.
Grey is taking the seat at the table beside me.
Dammit. I was hoping they’d move the other way.
“Hi, Mr. Blunderman,” I say with fake cheer. “Bad arthritis night?”
“Getting better. That herbal tea Fiona whipped up for me made it a lot worse, so I’m doing better since I’m off it. You still know too much about everybody and their brother?”