Author’s Note: Unfortunately, what Mackenna says in the beginning is true, and I still feel that I didn’t spend enough time with my grandma before she died. She looked forward to seeing us so much…
“He really didn’t want you to go.”
Mackenna nodded. “I know. You know most of them are just lonely. Their wives have died, their children moved on, some have died, and their grandkids are scattered and busy… They’re just alone. Myers is alone. He would love to have company. Maybe we can get him over to the Legion sometimes, since I think that would help him a lot.”
“Yeah, maybe. Some kind of club. Anything.”
She smiled, reaching into her pocket for her keys. “I wasn’t kidding about the need to be back before sunset, though. I shouldn’t have kept Mac’s car for this long. I wouldn’t if the truck was working. That’s what I’m supposed to drive. We need to get the Airstream back before we’re in real trouble.”
Carson grimaced. “We do have time to go back to my apartment, get your stuff, and change, right? Because I hate my suit, you hate my suit, and you probably shouldn’t wear my shirt home.”
She frowned, tugging on it. “I didn’t think it looked that bad. Myers seemed to like it, at least. If I spilled on it or something, you could have said something earlier. Maybe when we were laughing over our coffee—”
“Okay, for the record, I’m not saying that I think this because first of all, I know better, and second of all, I don’t make those kinds of assumptions, but let me just say that if my brothers saw you in my shirt, they’d never believe we weren’t sleeping together. It wouldn’t matter how many times we told them it was about you puking on your shirt and needing something professional for this visit. I don’t think we should give your grandfather the impression that we kept his car too long so we could… um… fool around.”
She rolled her eyes. “You are way too worried about what other people think. Or should I be worried that is on your mind, Carson?”
“No. Look, I need you, and I don’t want anything to screw up our friendship. That’s all. I’m trying not to cause problems. Your grandfather being upset by the whole car thing is bad enough, but then if he got the wrong idea about us… It just could be unpleasant, and I don’t want to go there, okay?”
She put a hand on his arm. “Relax. My grandfather doesn’t make those kinds of assumptions about me—about anyone. It’s not who he is.”
Carson let out a breath. “Maybe not, but we just went through that with my brothers and then here, and I don’t know. People are always going to have the wrong idea about us.”
She shrugged. “So we ignore it. That’s their problem, not ours. We’re friends. Sort of siblings. We don’t need any more than that. Unless one of us isn’t being honest about that.”
“Quit assuming I am. I’m not good with relationships, and I don’t want to screw this up. That’s all.”
“Is it?”
“Well, if what we suspect is true, then I may have some subconscious need to sabotage all my relationships out of a fear of intimacy, but since you and I don’t intend to go there, that’s not an issue, is it? I mean, we can just… be friends.”
She smiled. “Yes. Although some crazy part of me was going to say we could just get married to avoid all those rumors and complications, but it wouldn’t solve anything.”
He coughed. “Um, no, it wouldn’t. It would just complicate it in a different way. Besides, you’re not the marrying kind.”
“No, I’m not.”
“You are the one with the keys, though.”