Both girls linked their arms through Annie’s as they hurried down the hall. It made walking into class a thousand times easier, Annie thought, grateful to both of them.
“Welcome back,” Mr. Grainger said when Annie had taken her seat.
That was it, and then he was handing out test questions, and Annie was officially back in school. It didn’t mean there wouldn’t be times the rest of the day when she was aware of stares and whispers, but the worst was behind her. Best of all, there was the chance she would run into Ty at lunch. And her dad was back in town for good. Life was better than she’d ever imagined it could be a couple of months ago.
* * *
Dana Sue stared at Ronnie across the kitchen table. “How do you think she’s doing at school?” she asked for what had to be the tenth time.
“Probably a whole lot better than she was when you were hovering over her an hour ago,” he said.
“Of course I was hovering,” she exclaimed. “Don’t try to convince me you didn’t want to keep her right here where we could keep an eye on her.”
“Never denied it,” he said. “But now that she’s gone, you and I could use this time to do something for ourselves.”
She studied him with a narrowed gaze. “Such as?” she asked warily. “If you’re thinking about sex at nine o’clock in the morning, there must be something wrong with you.”
“I think about sex whenever I look at you,” he said. “Doesn’t matter what time it is. But actually, I was thinking we could go down to the store and you could pick out some paint for the trim on the house.”
She stared at him blankly, vaguely disappointed. Despite her comment, sex was never far from her mind lately, either. “This house? You want to paint the trim on this house?”
“It needs it, in case you haven’t noticed.”
“But painting it is not your responsibility,” she said. “I just haven’t gotten around to hiring someone.”
“Why hire a painter when I’m here and willing, and I own a hardware store where I can get the paint wholesale?”
“That’s too much logic in one sentence coming from you,” she said. “It makes me nervous.”
“Me offering to paint the house makes you nervous? Why?”
“Because something tells me it’s like the camel getting his nose under the edge of the tent. Next thing I know you’ll decide the bedroom needs paint and right after that you’ll want to test the mattress.”
Ronnie laughed. “You haven’t let me anywhere near our bedroom since I got back to town. I have no idea if it needs painting or not.”
“It does, but you’re not going to do it,” she said stubbornly. “I’ll get around to it eventually.”
“Eventually might be soon enough for the bedroom, but it’s not for the exterior. Stop getting all weird over a few cans of paint and come with me to pick it out.”
“You’re determined to do this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am,” he said somberly. “Very determined.”
“You could pick it out yourself,” she suggested.
“And risk your wrath if I get it wrong? I don’t think so,” he countered. “Besides, maybe you should give this some thought. Be daring. Paint the trim shocking pink or something.”
Despite her reluctance to go forward with this project at all, a memory of the first time she and Ronnie had worked side by side to fix up the house came back to her and had her smiling. “As I recall, the first time you and I painted the trim, we got more paint on ourselves than we did on the house.”
“Which is why I’d paint it all by myself this time,” he teased. “You were too much of a distraction in your cute little shorts and tank top.”
Dana Sue rolled her eyes. “Okay, you can paint it, but I think shocking pink might be a little over-the-top.”
“Ah, you’re still in your stodgy, traditional phase,” he noted. “I thought you’d be past the stage when our house has to look like every other house on the block.”
“I am not stodgy,” Dana Sue said.
“Oh, please, who are you trying to kid? Annie had to plead with you before you agreed to paint the shutters bright blue instead of black.”
Dana Sue frowned. “I don’t remember that.”
“Then you’ve conveniently blocked it from your memory,” he said. “Come on, sugar, there’s a whole color palette down at the store with your name on it. Besides, you haven’t even been by to see the changes I’ve made. I want to know what you think.”
She was surprised by the hint of hurt in his voice. “Really? It’s the first time you’ve invited me.”
“Silly me,” he said. “I thought maybe you’d be interested enough to drop on by with Annie.”
“Maybe we both need to stop assuming things and just ask for what we want,” she said.
“I want you to stop dillydallying and to come with me,” he said plainly.
She grinned. “Okay, then, let’s go look at paint. And just so you know, I will try really, really hard not to tell you how to rearrange the displays once I’ve seen them.”
“Thank God,” he said with exaggerated relief. “Helen’s already offered her two cents. She would have had the whole place torn apart and reorganized, if Annie hadn’t hustled her out the door.”
“Helen’s seen it?” she asked, surprised.
“She brought by some papers the other day,” he said. “Didn’t I tell you she’s handling the legal work for the business?”
Dana Sue frowned. “You didn’t mention it and neither did she.”
“You don’t object, do you?”
“No, why would I?”
“You sound a little ticked off,” he commented.
“Because neither of you saw fit to tell me,” she said. “Is Maddie somehow involved in all of this, as well? Maybe you’re thinking of hiring her as manager?”
Ronnie leaned down and kissed her hard. “While Maddie would be
