Jo took my hand. “You’re only twenty-two, Hannah. Plenty of time to find ‘the one.’”
Forcing the pain away, I smiled at her. “I know that.”
The fragments of the past can become restless ghosts, relentless in their haunting, unless you decide to take a stand against them to exorcise them. I think I’d just needed to say Marco’s name out loud to someone, to admit that I’d been thinking about him. It probably would have meant so much more if Jo knew the entire truth, knew the whole story between me and Marco, but it was enough for me to realize that what she’d said was true. I was too young to be haunted. I couldn’t let this resurgence of a life better forgotten ruin the life I wanted to make for myself.
I determinedly exorcised those memories, leaving them behind in my old room and venturing back into the present as I walked downstairs to join everyone.
My parents’ dining room was filled with chatter despite the fact that not everyone had made it to Sunday lunch this week. Ellie and Adam were at home because William had had a fever the night before and the three of them were exhausted. Jo’s uncle Mick and his wife, Dee, were on holiday in Las Vegas, so they weren’t with us, but Jo, Cam, and Cole were, as were Liv, Nate, Lily, and January. Joss and Braden were with us, too, along with Beth and Luke.
Mum had set up a kiddie table at the end of the room where Lily, Beth, and Luke sat with Mum, who was this week’s kiddie table chaperone. She had January in her arms as she watched over the wee ones and tried to feed herself.
“So, I need a favor and it’s a bit late notice,” I said to Cole over the children’s noise. Thankfully he was sitting next to me.
“I’m intrigued.” He raised an eyebrow. “Proceed.”
I smiled, rolling my eyes. “Well, your majesty, I’ve had a last-minute invite to my colleague’s wedding reception and I need a date. It’s next Saturday.”
“What time?”
“It’s just the after-party, so I guess we don’t need to be there until about eightish.”
“No problem.”
“You’re a lifesaver.”
“Begging Cole for a date?” Declan grunted at me from across the table. The boy had supernatural powers of hearing. “That’s a little pathetic, Hannah.”
“Are we in a pissy mood because you had to surgically remove your hip from Penny’s?” I gibed in return. “Tell me, Dec, how does it feel to be whipped at eighteen?” What can I say? My little brother brought out my mature side.
He glowered at me. “She’s at her nana’s today.”
“With her whip?”
“Ha ha, you’re so funny.”
“And whiplash-free.”
I could hear Cole laughing beside me, which pissed my brother off even more.
“Seriously?” Dec smirked. “When was the last time anyone wanted to date you? If you need some pointers, I’m happy to help. Let’s start with your face. You might want to do something about that. Plastic surgery maybe?”
“Oh.” I flinched as if I’d tasted something sour. “If we’re going to mock one another let’s keep it smart. I refuse to go into a battle of wits with the witless. It’s too easy. And rather insulting.”
“Children,” Mum called over to us, tsking. “Don’t make me remind you that one of you is an eighteen-year-old and the other is a twenty-two-year-old high school English teacher.”
“Elodie, don’t spoil the fun,” Cam complained. “These two are my weekend entertainment.”
“I’m thinking about filming them and creating a weekly blog,” Joss agreed.
Before I could think up a clever retort, we heard my mother tsk again loudly. “Beth, eat your greens. They’re good for you. Come on, eat your peas.”
“I don’t want to,” she whined, and we turned to watch her push her plate back. “They’re little f**kers.”
The room stilled, my mother’s gasp the only sound.
The laughter built up inside me and promptly exploded as Cole gave a bark of laughter. I collapsed against him, my face in his shoulder, and laughed until my belly hurt.
I could hear everyone’s laughter, and looked across the table at Joss to see that she was the only one mortified.
Wiping tears from my eyes, I asked, “How?” hoping she understood the question.
“I said it once,” she lamented. “Now she won’t stop saying it.”
“Mummy?” Beth asked, confused by our reaction.
“I still don’t understand.” Mum pinched her mouth together in affront.
Joss sighed. “I dropped a jar of peas and I thought I got ’em all, but I found some renegades later on and forgot Beth was there when I did.”
“Little f**kers,” Beth said promptly, obviously remembering the moment when Joss encountered the renegade peas.
That set us off again.
I had tears streaming down my cheeks.
“Baby, I told you, you can’t say that word,” Joss told her softly, ignoring the rest of us. “It’s not a nice word and Mommy was wrong to use it.”
Beth gave Joss a hilariously sly look that suggested she was intrigued rather than cautioned.
We were off again, Braden’s laughter louder than anyone’s. “Christ, next she’ll be repeating it in school.” He rubbed his eyes, his expression smoothing out from hilarity. “If she does, I’m leaving you to explain it.”
“What happened to being in this together?” Joss grumbled.