The soft scent of her perfume wafts through the air as she nears me.
“Those are beautiful flowers,” she says as she steps in place beside me. “Your date will love those.”
Jumping out onto a limb, I turn to look at her. “Our date.”
Her eyebrows perk. “What?”
“We’re having dinner with Mrs. Sweeney tonight, Champ.” I motion for her to board the elevator when the doors slide open. “Get ready to have the best tuna casserole you’ve ever had.”
Her nose scrunches. “Tuna casserole?”
“It’s a hell of a lot better than it sounds.”
Chapter Eleven
Callie
I’munsure how I was roped into attending this dinner party, but I’m glad I’m here.
When Sean knocked on Mrs. Sweeney’s door, she swung it open with a flourish.
She didn’t seem the least bit surprised to find me standing next to him. She gathered me into her arms and welcomed me into her home without any hesitation.
Her apartment is a carbon copy of my brother’s in terms of its layout, but that’s where the similarities end.
The sofa and chair in her living room are a dusty blue color. The lamps have white shades with gold trim. There’s a record player in the corner, and a silver tray with an elegant tea set on the coffee table.
As soon as I was inside, I felt as though I had been transported back in time to when I was nine. I spent two weeks with my grandma during the summer at her home in Vermont. It had the same feel as this apartment. The same coziness engulfed me there.
“I’ve invited the Durkmans from the eleventh floor to join us tonight,” Mrs. Sweeney says to Sean. “I know how much you enjoy their company.”
He shoots me a look and mouths the words, “I don’t,” before he smiles at her. “The more the merrier, right?”
“That’s what I always say.” She pats his forearm. “I’m going to mix us some drinks. Why don’t you entertain Calliope while I do that?”
With one last lingering look at the bouquet of flowers in the vase in the middle of the dining room table, she starts toward the kitchen.
Sean turns to look at me. “Your brother seems nice.”
I’m still surprised that he hasn’t met Zeke before. “He is nice. My other brother, Grady, is nice too.”
Dropping his gaze to my bare legs, he nods. “Maybe I’ll meet himsomeday.”
“You met him already.”
He shakes his head. “I can’t say that I have.”
“He’s your next-door neighbor,” I point out.
“You’re my next-door neighbor,” he counters with a smile.
“I’m staying in Grady’s apartment while he’s working out of state,” I explain. “He’s lived in that apartment for almost a year. You must have met him at some point.”
His chin lifts. “Tall guy? Brown hair? Looks nothing like you?”
All of that is true, so I nod. “That’s him.”
“I’ve seen him, but we’ve never met.”