CHAPTER 17

Joe would always be special to me. I had expected the realisation that he was moving on with his life – without me, would hurt. It hadn't so much hurt as it tickled. A funny little feeling that left me sad but content, and a little relieved. I loved Joe.

I just loved Joe the wrong way.

But I did love Joe enough to leave him.

(a few weeks later)

Trenton was still as hot as hell.

Ranger was still out of town.

My luck with my skips was still holding.

I was still keeping up my new exercise regime and going to the gun range.

Valerie and I were still single.

Our mother was still playing host on the dating game

I was feeling good with myself. That was until I arrived at my mothers for dinner. She was acting strange, well stranger than usual. She avoided eye contact, and would change the subject when either Val or I asked her if anyone was joining us for dinner tonight.

We were all sitting down to dinner when she cracked

"No one!'

'No one what' Grandma asked

'No one is coming to dinner.'

'Oh, is that all' I think Valerie and I both breathed a sigh of relief.

'Really Helen I thought it was something important'

Mom broke down in tears then. It had been a long time since any of us had seen my mother cry. I think the last time was the burnt pot roast of 1989.

'it's okay mom, Val and I can find our own dates you don't need to…'

She cut my off 'no. You can't. Do you know how hard it is to find a nice normal man in this town? Impossible! Look at the freaks that have come to dinner the last few weeks freaks all of them. And they were the best I could find.'

'Get your panties out of a bunch. I invited someone' we all turned to stare at Grandma. We all knew her taste in men.

That was when the doorbell rang.

It was Joe.

Joe Morelli stood on the porch of my parents house, like he had a hundred times before. Except this time he wasn't here for me.

He was here for my sister.

Or that's what Grandma said as she dragged a very confused Joe into the house and sat him beside my sister at the table.