When Jane and Neville got back from school, Mrs. Birtch revealed that she and Tracey were regularly going to the park with their new friends Mr. Roberts, and his daughter Alison.
Jane started going with them. Apparently, when the girls went to play the younger girls often ended up leaving Jane out, and then Jane would just go and swing by herself. Jane did not really mind too much, but her mother did so she invited Neville to come with them.
Neville and Jane took turns skipping rocks, on the pond. Jane was better at it than he was, but they weren't making it a competition.
"Kids, lunchtime," Mr. Roberts called.
Neville and Jane started heading back. They approached the adults while they were setting the food out on the picnic table, but that wasn't all. They were smiling, and Mrs. Birtch was even giggling, and they were both looking at each other a certain way. Neville glanced at Jane, but Jane had not seemed to notice anything odd about that.
Tracey and Alison showed up. "What food do we have today?" Tracey asked.
Neville walked inside the house. "How was it?" Mrs. Longbottom asked.
"It was alright," Neville said.
"What's wrong?"
"Mrs. Birtch claims that Mr. Roberts is her friend, but he's clearly a boyfriend, but Jane somehow doesn't seem to notice that."
"Well, she's probably better off not noticing that. Why is it weird that she wouldn't notice?"
"Well, it's not so much weird as it is disappointing."
"Oh. Your feelings about Jane have changed over the years haven't they?"
Neville nodded."I fear this may be evidence that her feelings about me have not." She had told him that she loved him, but that might have meant that she loved him like a sibling.
"Maybe in a few years or so, her feelings about you will change too. You never know. Even if not, that doesn't mean there's nothing special about your relationship."
It was not until later that Neville realized that his grandmother had been strangely unsurprised.