I stepped outside to find Sam and Elise screaming over whether they should take whole wheat or white hot dog buns to the bonfire. I ignored them and jumped into my car.
The passenger door opened. Nate climbed in. “What? You weren’t going to give me a call before we left for the bonfire?”
I poked his arm. “The bonfire is here in the trailer park. I’m just going to pick up Wren. She went to a movie with some friends.”
“Hmm, she talk about any boyfriends?”
“Yes, I haven’t met the current one yet. That’s who she’s supposed to be at the movie with.”
“You sound like you don’t like him.”
“Any time she’s reluctant to introduce me, it worries me.”
Nate nodded. “You’re a great big sister. I hope you know that.”
“I don’t know about that. Obviously not that great since I can’t seem to get through to her about boys.”
Nate shrugged. “I remember someone else who didn’t like to take advice about boys.”
I nodded. “Nola really was the worst, wasn’t she?”
He leaned over and squeezed my knee. “We’re not talking about Nola.” He laughed. “But you’re right. She was the worst.”
I tapped the steering wheel with my thumbs as I backed out of my driveway. “She really was, wasn’t she? Remember Carlton?”
Nate groaned and stretched a hand out behind me on my headrest. “Carlton was so bad.”
“Nola’s so sweet to everyone.”
“Nola thinks she needs to help everyone,” Nate said in an annoyed tone. “Bless her annoying heart, I’m worried that someday she’ll show up and be married with twelve kids on the way.”
“And that the husband will be the biggest loser in the world, taking advantage of her.”
Nate hummed in agreement. “She’s a bleeding heart. She’ll find someone—probably a criminal—decide he needs her help, and then she’ll marry him. We’ll have to have Christmas dinners at the prison.”
I flicked my turn signal on, moving over a lane. “No fruit cake. That could be considered a weapon.”
“True, but it always drove me crazy that Mom made us eat it just to keep Grandma happy.”
“How is your grandma?”
“Going on every senior cruise available. Man, that woman can go.”
I pulled to a stop outside the theater. “And you wonder why you didn’t like sitting in class at college. You. Are. Your. Grandma.”
He propped an elbow against the car door. “I’m not sure how to feel about that statement. It could be the best compliment I’ve ever gotten. That woman can wield a knitting needle.”
My shoulders shook as I laughed. I turned into the theater parking lot.
“Uh oh, something must be wrong.”
I looked where he was pointing, and sure enough, here came Wren, marching out of the theater, looking like she was about to kill someone. Hopefully, it wasn’t me. I didn’t want it to be me.
“I think she’s going to come kill us where we sit,” Nate commented, giving voice to my thoughts.
“She was on a date...”
Nate frowned. Wren wrenched the door open to the front seat. Her anger abated for a moment as she looked at Nate in surprise. “Oh, sorry. I wasn’t paying attention.”
She slammed the door, almost catching his hand in it, before she climbed into the back seat. She slammed that door as well.
“All right.” Nate turned around so he could face her in the back seat. “Who do I need to kill?”
“What?” For the second time in twenty seconds, the angry look was wiped off her face. Nate was good at that.
I glanced at her in the rearview mirror as I pulled out of the parking lot. “Go ahead and tell him. Nate is great at killing bad dates.”
“What?” Now Wren was looking at us like we were both crazy.
“She keeps saying that,” Nate stage-whispered.
“Sometimes she doesn’t understand grown-up words,” I whispered back.
“The only people who are going to get killed tonight are you two. You’re disgusting.”
“I take offense at that remark,” Nate said. Then he took a sniff at his armpit. “Okay, so I should have showered before I jumped in the car, but that’s no reason to call someone disgusting.”
I glanced in the rearview mirror and saw a hint of a smile on Wren’s face.
If Nate wasn’t careful, I’d be climbing all over him when we got back to the trailer. There was nothing sexier than a kind man. He might as well have had a tattoo across his forehead that read Marriage Material.
“It’s a shame you’ll have to hang out with us tonight,” Nate continued. “I mean, look at Riley. Who would actually want to spend time with her? Ugh.”
I slammed the brakes on, Nate’s forehead slamming into the windshield.
“Jokes! I was joking!”
Wren smiled fully in the back seat. “You’re weird. It’s a miracle you still stand a chance with her.”
He turned around to face her, still rubbing his forehead as I turned into the trailer park. “You’ll help me keep her, won’t you?”
“She’s all yours, buddy.”
Nate turned to me. “Ha! She called me buddy. She likes me, and she said I can keep you, so I like her, too.”
Now, Wren was doubled over, laughing at Nate’s antics.
I parked the car in front of our trailer. “Well, guess what? If you want to keep me, you’re going to have to put on some swim trunks.”
Nate furrowed his brow as he looked at me. “But I thought you said it’s bonfire night...”
“Technically, it’s Weiner Night.”
“Should I put on a Speedo instead?” He waggled his eyebrows up and down.
I smacked him in the chest, and he began wheezing, causing Wren to laugh again.
“Hey, Wren, have I ever told you about Nate’s full name?”
A large hand clamped over my mouth.
“No—tell me! I need something funny.” Wren grinned.
I bit Nate’s hand. He pulled back with a yelp. “His name is Louis Nathaniel Mercier. You know his sister's name is Nola, right? Sebastian and June are obsessed with all things New Orleans. That’s where Nola came from. As well as Louis, after the St. Louis cathedral. They even got married there!”
“What? That’s awesome! I
