Charlie leaned down and kissed Nana on the cheek. “Hello, dear. You’re looking sprightly.”
Nana blushed as she giggled. “Oh, you old flirt. Stop it before Robert gets the wrong idea.”
“I wouldn’t blame him,” Robert said. “Geraldine, you are a vision.”
It took me a second to figure out who the fuck Geraldine was, until I remembered that Nana wasn’t actually her name.
“Oh, this old thing?” Nana said, and for some reason she curtsied, and quite ably. “It’s just something I had in the closet. I made it for the premiere of Rambo: First Blood Part II back in 1985. I was convinced that Sylvester would see me and decide he needed to hack his way through my jungle. Alas, it didn’t happen.”
“He didn’t like it?” Robert asked.
“Oh, I wouldn’t know,” Nana said. “His security team made it quite clear I wasn’t allowed anywhere near him. You know how it is. Did you know he made a soft-core porn film before he made it big? He played a character called Stud. But enough about me. How are you? I haven’t seen you since we were introduced at Paul and Vince’s wedding. I fear that must have been intentional by those in power.”
“This might have been a very bad idea,” I breathed.
“You say something, Kori?” Charlie asked me.
I shook my head. “Nope, just… realizing that my choices have ramifications I didn’t expect.”
“She’s having an existential crisis,” Nana confided to Robert. “I was giving her sound advice before your arrival.”
Robert looked over at me, frowning slightly. “I hope everything is all right.”
“Oh, I imagine it is,” Nana said. “Speaking of making things all right, where is that son of yours who I still haven’t met? I have a feeling that he’ll do wonders for the current situation.”
“He’s getting the—here he is. Jeremy, come here and meet Geraldine. She’s Paul’s grandmother?” The last was a question directed toward Nana, who nodded. “Paul’s grandmother.”
Jeremy stepped through the doorway. He was wearing a blue short-sleeved button-down over blue-and-white checkered dress shorts that were, if possible, tighter and smaller than Darren’s. And while his thighs weren’t as big as Darren’s, they were still a gift from god.
Which is totally something a friend could say, because that’s why Jeremy was here. To be friends.
“This is Jeremy?” Nana asked. She glanced back at me, and I would forever be haunted by the glint in her eyes. “Strange how things make much more sense all of a sudden.” She turned back toward Jeremy. He was holding a bottle of wine in one hand and reached out with his other to grasp Nana’s. He brought it to his lips and kissed the back of her hand. “Oh my. Yes. I approve. Of everything that’s happening.”
“Geraldine,” Jeremy said, smiling warmly. “It’s lovely to finally meet you. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel like I know you already.”
“Whatever you were told is most likely true,” Nana said. “Even the bad parts. And I do have to say, had I known we were going to be color-coordinating, I would have tried just a little harder. Unless that’s just a you-and-Kori thing. And you can call me Gigi.”
“Oh boy,” Charlie said as he looked back between Jeremy and me.
Embarrassingly, I didn’t get what was happening at first. It wasn’t until Jeremy looked at me and grinned that I understood.
The blue of his outfit matched the blue of mine almost perfectly.
God fucking dammit. This was Sandy’s doing. I didn’t know how he’d done it, but it was easier to blame him than think of some kind of cosmic interference. Which was just ridiculous.
I stood up, brushing the wrinkles from my dress, trying to stop myself from running in the opposite direction. It was a close thing.
“Would you look at that,” Jeremy said quietly. “Kori, you look wonderful.”
The bray of laughter that crawled out of my mouth was a sound I’d never made before. I didn’t know where it came from, but it sounded as if I’d been an evil circus clown in a past life. I slapped a hand over my mouth to stop it from shattering the windows.
“Whoa,” Nana said. “What was that?”
Thankfully, Robert decided to prove he was my favorite. “Such a lovely home,” he said smoothly. “And I know we were told not to bring anything, but when one receives an invitation, one must simply provide a gift for the hostess.” He took the bottle from Jeremy, who seemed to be distracted by me. “For you, Gigi.”
“Wow,” Nana said, looking down at the bottle. “That looks expensive. I hope you don’t think we’re fancy. We drink wine from a box most days. Did you know it even comes in little cans? What will they think of next?”
“Perhaps you could show me,” Robert said. “Charlie, be a dear and lead the way.”