I frowned. "She's already here. She's doesn't go home until next week. When her concert tour starts."
"Very posh."
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I grunted in agreement, and then turned as movement caught my eye: Granna getting out of her car. She immediately caught sight of me and smiled. Then she dove back into her car.
Luke looked puzzled. "Purse?"
"Granna doesn't carry a purse. She's not that sort of grandmother. Probably presents."
Sure enough, Granna emerged holding an impossibly small, wrapped package in one hand and a gigantic one in the other. "Could you take one of these, Deirdre?"
I jumped out of the car and hurried to take the larger one from her. Hanging back at my elbow, Luke moved restlessly, like a wolf.
"This is Luke, Granna." I stepped to the side. "He played in the competition yesterday."
Luke stilled and held out a hand, formally. "How do you do."
Granna let him take her right hand, and he kissed it--a gesture, oddly enough, that seemed both natural and appropriate.
"Do you see this, young man?" Granna held up her left hand, where a dull, silver-colored ring and a gold wedding band sat together on her still-strong ring finger.
Luke smiled wanly. "I do, ma'am."
I frowned at them.
Granna thrust the small package into Luke's face, her voice lowered as if I weren't standing right beside him. "What do you think she's getting from me for her birthday present, eh? And what are you doing here again?"
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I looked to Luke for his answer, hoping for some clue as to what this conversation was about, but he stayed silent, just looking at Granna.
"Don't you even think of it." Granna took a step closer to him. I had the sense of a small dog barking at a sleeping lion.
"Hey," I started, not even sure what I ought to say to diffuse this weirdly combative situation.
Luke spoke as if I hadn't, sounding humble. "I'm just here for a little while, ma'am."
Granna's voice was sharp. "Good. Then go back where you belong."
"I'm not one of Them," he said plaintively.
"I can smell Them on you. You reek of it."
Luke turned from Granna to me, his expression flat. "I don't think I'll be staying for cake."
Furiously, I turned my shoulder toward Granna and crossed my arms. "You don't have to go."
Just because Granna had to stick her nose into it. Ruin everything. I was so angry with her I was afraid I would say something I'd regret. I could feel her eyes boring into my back.
Luke glanced at Granna again. "I think it's better this way. Thanks for the ice cream."
"Luke. " I couldn't even think of what to say. All that was in my head was damn it, why does everyone else control my life? "Don't go."
He looked at me with a weird expression I couldn't read, then retreated to his car. In a moment, all evidence that he
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existed was gone, and I didn't even have his phone number. I also didn't even have a clue why he was gone.
Well, I had some clue. I turned back to Granna, caught between anger and loss. "Granna. Why?"
She glared at the road as if Luke's presence lingered, and then she handed me the small present.
"You should open this one."
"I don't want to open any presents right now."
She smiled firmly--a humorless smile that was ironically like Luke's--and held the package out.
"Open it, please."
Sighing, I set down the large present and took the little one from her. Tearing off the patterned blue paper, I found a little jewelry box, but when I opened it, its white satin center was empty. I looked up at Granna, quizzical.
She slid the dull ring, the one she'd shown Luke, from her finger and laid it in the box. "It was my mother's, and her grandmother's before. And now it's yours. I suspected you were old enough to need it, and now I'm sure."
No, what I needed was Luke back in the driveway and Granna to be normal for once. I looked at the ring. I didn't like jewelry anyway, but even if I did, this ring was pretty darn ugly.
I said, my voice icy, "Uh, thanks."
"Put it on," Granna said. "You'll thank me later."
I put it on my right-hand ring finger, and Granna's smile became genuine. "Thank you. Now, I'm going to get out of the heat and go see my frantic daughter and my scheming daughter." She took the large package and headed indoors.
I stayed outside, staring down at the ring on my finger.
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I was curiously close to tears, which is how James found me five minutes later when he pulled into the driveway. Where Luke's car had just been.
He came to me and took my arms. "What are you doing?"
"Being pushed around."
"Let's go inside and talk about it."
With Delia and Mom and Granna? "Let's not."
As if to illustrate my point, Delia's voice rose from the kitchen window. James glanced at the window and then back to me. "Okay. Into the shade, at least?"
I agreed and we walked into the back yard. Knees pulled up, I sat against one of the massive oaks, its broad trunk shielding me from the view of the house. James sat down in front of me, his knees nearly touching mine. For a long moment he just looked at me, serious. I was so taken aback by this side of him that I almost blurted out everything that had just happened.
But James spoke first. "I have a confession to make."
My heart lurched. I had a horrible idea of what he was going to say, and I wanted to cover my ears. Don't, James. You're my best friend.
He didn't say it. Instead, he said, "I'm a little psychic." He paused. "You may laugh now. But only a little bit. Fifteen seconds is probably appropriate, without being rudely disbelieving."
I didn't laugh. "I believe you."
"Oh. Well, that makes it easier, doesn't it?" James glanced toward
