I paused on the front step. “You sure you want to do this? It’s been a long time, and they might have mixed feelings about you turning up.”
Krystal nodded her response, and I opened the door. “Mom! I’m here. And I brought a friend!”
My concerns were apparently unfounded, because my parents had never been so thrilled to have someone show up unexpectedly. My mom wrapped Krystal in a huge hug and began talking a mile a minute about Hollywood and Faithmark.
“What was it like to work with that actor? He’s very handsome. I could hardly believe I was watching our very own Krystal Daughtry on the screen. Will you do more movies? You and that tall man had good chemistry. Were there real feelings? Will you act with him again?”
“Nancy, you’ve got to stop talking if you want her to answer one of your questions,” my dad said with amusement.
I chuckled to myself, waiting for Krystal to answer.
“It’s so good to see you, Mrs. Storm.”
Mom waved her hand. “Call me Nancy, dear. You’re practically family.”
I was glad there wasn’t any awkwardness bringing her back here. Maybe I’d done a better job hiding my broken heart than I remembered.
“Come in, come in. Can I get you some water?” Mom was already disappearing into the kitchen as she finished the question. She yelled from the other side of the wall, “And don’t think I forgot about those other questions. I want to hear everything.”
Krystal’s eyes met mine, and I shrugged. “Welcome back, big shot.”
She laughed. “Thanks for letting me come. This is already better than sitting at home while Mom’s book club ignores their book and dissects my personal life instead.”
“That was the terrible fate I rescued you from? I thought pineapple was a last resort!”
“Trust me, it may well have ended in serious injury or death.” She leaned in. “Let’s just say they watch a lot of Faithmark. Surprise! My real life doesn’t look like a movie. Listening to them gang up on me about my lack of dating life is not exactly on my to-do list.”
“Well, then it’s a good thing I called and scheduled thisworking dinner.”
She smiled sheepishly. “I really did bring my laptop,” she offered.
“Let’s eat dinner first, and then we can work, deal?”
“Deal.”
Mom felt like my weekly dinner at their house was the only time I ate a proper meal, despite my insistence that firehouse cooking was a serious business. Still, if it meant I got my favorite home-cooked dinners each week, I wasn’t going to complain. The table was set with mashed potatoes, meatloaf, green beans, and rolls with butter. My mouth started watering.
“This looks amazing, Nancy,” Krystal said.
Mom preened under the compliment. “Oh, well, if Bryce had told me you were going to be here, I would have made barbecue chicken for you.” She looked at me with irritation before looking back at Krystal. “That was always your favorite, right?”
Krystal grinned. “Good memory. Maybe I’ll come again while I’m in town so Bryce doesn’t stay in the doghouse for too long.”
Dad harrumphed from his seat. “She couldn’t stay angry at Bryce for longer than a minute anyway.”
“We’d love to have you back any time. It’s been too long, sweetie. Now, sit down and tell me all about that handsome James Lauer.”
I gave Mom a funny look. “You know the dude’s name, Mom? Isn’t that a bit weird?”
Krystal turned toward me and her eyes narrowed. “What’s the name of the guy who plays Iron Man?”
“Robert Downey Jr?”
“And Black Widow?”
“Scarlett Johansson,” I replied automatically. “What’s your point?”
“I’m just saying, it’s perfectly reasonable to know the name of an actor or actress whose work you enjoy. Right, Nancy?”