Holiday Quartet Box Set by Pat Henshaw

Author:Pat Henshaw [Henshaw, Pat]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2021-12-04T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 6

Jimmy came to get me for lunch at the end of the week. I’d spent a happy morning pounding on iron, making a buncha rings, bracelets, and trivets.

He still thought I was seeing somebody I wasn’t telling him about and was still upset I’d locked him out.

“Give it up,” I told him as we walked to the pub.

“I know who it is.” He mumbled it so low I almost missed what he said.

After we sat down and ordered, I asked, “Well, who is it?”

“The guy.” He hung his head and sighed. “It’s that Jason guy, right?”

“What? Who?” I was yelling like last time. But here in the pub nobody looked over at us. Unless you threw something while you was screaming, the noise level was so high, nobody knew you was fighting.

“That kid’s uncle. The handsome one with the dimples.”

“Uncle Jason has dimples? Huh.” I’d totally missed that. But how did Jimmy know? “When did you see him?”

“Oh, he came into my shop to buy a present for the kid’s grandmother. He thinks you’re more than handsome. He went on and on about you.” He sighed again. “I can see why you’re attracted to him.”

I was getting lost quick.

“Wait a minute. First, I didn’t know he has dimples. Second, I’m not attracted, for Pete’s sake. I only met him the once. And then I only talked to him for a few minutes.” I shook my head.

Jimmy was jealous of Leonard’s uncle Jason? What the hell?

Wait. Jimmy was jealous? That was good, right?

I know I was stupid, but it made me real happy. I mean, I shouldn’t be happy because Jimmy was miserable. But I was.

Hot damn. Maybe I was wrong. Maybe I had a chance with him. Hard to believe. I hadn’t gotten any smarter than the last time I thought about us. Naw, it couldn’t be true. Not really. I’d already worked this out.

* * * *

Then Hazel asked me out to lunch.

“First, I want to tell you that I understand love at first sight. That’s how James’s father and I felt when we met.”

We was sitting in the pub next to the window where tourists whizzed by. She’d started in on what she wanted to say the second after handing the waitress her menu. I’d hardly thanked the woman and gave her my menu when Hazel was off and running.

“But I never thought you were that kind of man, Elwood. So this has surprised me.”

She sat back, which I thought was a sign I could start talking. I was wrong. She snapped her fingers together when I opened my mouth.

“Who is this Jason person, anyway? Do you know anything solid about him? Or is this a gut reaction to the way he looks and sounds and smells?” She had sat up now and was attacking me with a pointer finger in the face.

Guess it was my turn to speak.

“Jason? What the hell has Jason got to do with anything?” I both sounded and felt like a moron.

“That’s what I want to know!” Her hands flew up, a fingernail clipping me on the cheek.

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