“He’s on his way over.”
“This should be interesting, Petunia. You get to meet your uncle Scott.”
“They’ve met.” I set a pot of water on the stove to boil. “He came the night of the fire to make sure I was okay. But she was pretty upset, so she probably doesn’t remember him.”
Tanner just laughs and laughs, and finally, I throw a piece of hard pasta at his head.
“Stop laughing at me.”
“You’re the most adorable woman I’ve ever met in my life.”
“I’m about to maim you.”
That doesn’t stop him from laughing, and then the doorbell rings.
“I’ll get it,” Tanner says.
I love bantering with him. I enjoy his sense of humor so much. Iknowthat this meal doesn’t thrill him. Tanner’s an excellent cook, and this is definitely not something he’d make for himself.
But since I saw Scott earlier today, I’ve been craving it.
I hear the two men talking at the door, and when Scott walks into the kitchen, I grin over at him. “Hey.”
“Thanks for the invite,” he says and watches me dump the macaroni into boiling water. “You reallyaremaking that.”
“Well, yeah. It’s the only thing I know how to cook.”
He smirks. “Seriously?”
“If you’re going to mock me, you can leave.”
But he just laughs and shakes his head. “Hey, it’s food, and I’m hungry.”
“Isit food, though?” Tanner asks.
“Don’t youdaregang up on me,” I warn them both, pointing the business end of my paring knife at them.
“What are you using that for?” Tanner wants to know.
“I have to cut up the hotdogs, of course.”
He stares at me, then at Scott. “Are we going to die?”
“As long as you chew it, it’s not a choking hazard,” Scott says and pats Tanner on the back. “But I know the Heimlich, just in case.”
August 19,2002
Dear Diary,
I freaking hate my life so much. Mom stole all the money I had hidden. It was only $27, but it was mine, and she took it. Said I had to pay for rent.
Why was I born if this is what I have to live with?
TTYL,
Sarah
ChapterTwelve