mother’s bossiness.
“Where’s Bobby?” he asked now, noticing he hadn’t heard or seen his seven-year-old nephew.
“Oh, he’s next door at the Schmidts’,” Laurie said, folding towels. “He’s totally hooked on that Pong game they have on their TV. I don’t get it”—she shrugged—“just bouncing a dot back and forth on the screen, but he loves it. Who cares, though? If the Wicked Witch of the West stays out of here, I may actually get some work done.”
Intent on disconnecting the old dishwasher, Ed chuckled, his back to Laurie.
“What’s up with you today?” she asked. “No offense, but you look like crap, as though you didn’t get any sleep at all, but you’re in an awfully good mood.”
“Is that a crime?”
“No. But it wasn’t that long ago we lived in the same house. I don’t recall you being so sunny when you’re short on sleep.”
Ed sighed. Here it comes.
“You have a big night last night?” she asked.
“Oh, I was hanging out with a friend,” he mumbled, head under the counter.
They’d never talked about it, but he wondered if Laurie knew the score with him. She’d been friends with some gay guys in business school, and she’d dropped a few subtle hints over the years.
“Aha!” Laurie crowed, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “That explains it. All bleary eyed, but afterglowing all over the place. Is it someone from town?”
“Geez, Laurie,” he protested, glad she couldn’t see his face.
“Oh, come on,” she said impatiently. “I may be a mom, and Norma Stephens’s daughter, but I know afterglow when I see it. Heck, I could tell the minute you walked in here. So who is he?”
“Um . . . ”
“Oh, Ed, get over it! I had you figured out the minute you broke poor Cathy Carroll’s heart. I don’t care if it’s another guy. Come on! I’m your one and only sister. Details!”
Ed pulled himself from under the counter, sighing. “First of all, I did not break Cathy Carroll’s heart. She’d pretty much written me off when I told her I was going into Marsden with Dad instead of going to college. The only reason she hung on to me was for a date to the senior prom. Secondly, I just met this guy, and I don’t want to jinx anything. So don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
Which, unfortunately, piqued her interest even more. “Wow! You mean this is someone special?” she asked, eyes bright.
Ed sat on the floor, resigned to telling her the whole story, which he did, ending with Rick’s reasons for living in Porterfield.
“Wow,” she repeated, impressed. “I didn’t know they made men like that. We go to Dr. Wells, you know. I think his sister has cleaned my teeth. Awfully nice, as I recall. And good at her job. I had no idea she was married to Hank Romanowski. Well, for her sake I’m glad her brother’s here for her. And even gladder her brother is here for my brother.”
“Aw, crud, Laurie, we barely know each other. Don’t go picking out wedding presents yet.”
“Still,” she said, looking at him wisely over her coffee cup. “If the look on your face when you say his name means anything, I have a feeling he’ll be around for a while.”
Ed’s usual blush spread over his face. He returned to his dishwasher chore. “If we’re going to be all open and honest here,” he said, inspecting the hoses on the new dishwasher, his back to her, “I’m glad you’re okay with all this, but what do you think Mom thinks about it?”
She didn’t say anything, so Ed turned around to face her. “Well?”
Laurie shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it. Your guess is as good as mine. But I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Ed stared at her in disbelief.
“Oh, I know Mom’s loud, opinionated, and whatever else you want to call her,” she said with a sigh. “In spite of it, though, all she really wants, like Dad did, is for us to be happy. You know she’s not any Bible-banger. Heck, she hasn’t set foot in church since
“Where’s Bobby?” he asked now, noticing he hadn’t heard or seen his seven-year-old nephew.
“Oh, he’s next door at the Schmidts’,” Laurie said, folding towels. “He’s totally hooked on that Pong game they have on their TV. I don’t get it”—she shrugged—“just bouncing a dot back and forth on the screen, but he loves it. Who cares, though? If the Wicked Witch of the West stays out of here, I may actually get some work done.”
Intent on disconnecting the old dishwasher, Ed chuckled, his back to Laurie.
“What’s up with you today?” she asked. “No offense, but you look like crap, as though you didn’t get any sleep at all, but you’re in an awfully good mood.”
“Is that a crime?”
“No. But it wasn’t that long ago we lived in the same house. I don’t recall you being so sunny when you’re short on sleep.”
Ed sighed. Here it comes.
“You have a big night last night?” she asked.
“Oh, I was hanging out with a friend,” he mumbled, head under the counter.
They’d never talked about it, but he wondered if Laurie knew the score with him. She’d been friends with some gay guys in business school, and she’d dropped a few subtle hints over the years.
“Aha!” Laurie crowed, pouring herself a cup of coffee. “That explains it. All bleary eyed, but afterglowing all over the place. Is it someone from town?”
“Geez, Laurie,” he protested, glad she couldn’t see his face.
“Oh, come on,” she said impatiently. “I may be a mom, and Norma Stephens’s daughter, but I know afterglow when I see it. Heck, I could tell the minute you walked in here. So who is he?”
“Um . . . ”
“Oh, Ed, get over it! I had you figured out the minute you broke poor Cathy Carroll’s heart. I don’t care if it’s another guy. Come on! I’m your one and only sister. Details!”
Ed pulled himself from under the counter, sighing. “First of all, I did not break Cathy Carroll’s heart. She’d pretty much written me off when I told her I was going into Marsden with Dad instead of going to college. The only reason she hung on to me was for a date to the senior prom. Secondly, I just met this guy, and I don’t want to jinx anything. So don’t make a big deal out of it, okay?”
Which, unfortunately, piqued her interest even more. “Wow! You mean this is someone special?” she asked, eyes bright.
Ed sat on the floor, resigned to telling her the whole story, which he did, ending with Rick’s reasons for living in Porterfield.
“Wow,” she repeated, impressed. “I didn’t know they made men like that. We go to Dr. Wells, you know. I think his sister has cleaned my teeth. Awfully nice, as I recall. And good at her job. I had no idea she was married to Hank Romanowski. Well, for her sake I’m glad her brother’s here for her. And even gladder her brother is here for my brother.”
“Aw, crud, Laurie, we barely know each other. Don’t go picking out wedding presents yet.”
“Still,” she said, looking at him wisely over her coffee cup. “If the look on your face when you say his name means anything, I have a feeling he’ll be around for a while.”
Ed’s usual blush spread over his face. He returned to his dishwasher chore. “If we’re going to be all open and honest here,” he said, inspecting the hoses on the new dishwasher, his back to her, “I’m glad you’re okay with all this, but what do you think Mom thinks about it?”
She didn’t say anything, so Ed turned around to face her. “Well?”
Laurie shrugged. “I don’t know. We’ve never talked about it. Your guess is as good as mine. But I wouldn’t worry about it.”
Ed stared at her in disbelief.
“Oh, I know Mom’s loud, opinionated, and whatever else you want to call her,” she said with a sigh. “In spite of it, though, all she really wants, like Dad did, is for us to be happy. You know she’s not any Bible-banger. Heck, she hasn’t set foot in church since
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