Page 27 of Again, In Autumn

“We don’t know the neighbors,” Grayson argues.

“I’m not here during the summer.” Adam clears his throat. “We, uh, we spent a summer together. Years ago.”

“Oh.” Grayson asks, “Was Auntie Vee here?”

My head moves involuntarily toward Adam. He’s nodding slowly, focused on Grayson.

“Sure.” He shrugs. “She was around somewhere.”

Drip.

There’s a blankness in the way he answers, and I beg his eyes to care about mine, but his demeanor is one of ease. He keeps his gaze squarely on my nephew.

It leads me to wonder if I exaggerated all of it, if he never cared that much, if we were just lustful, hormone-impaired kids.

“Because she doesn’t come here in the summer with us,” Grayson says. He casts his eyes to the side. “I usually sleep in her room.”

I say, “So sorry for the inconvenience.”

“We are glad Auntie Vee is here,” Francesca begins. “I just hope she didn’t stay away from this place because she knows something we don’t. Like where the bodies are buried.”

“Alice snores,” Grayson pouts.

David stands and says, “Anyway, Gray, Adam’s a singer. Your mom listens to him all the time.

“It’s true.” Francesca nods proudly. “I really, really do. If I’m in public and a song comes on, I always say to the stranger who thinks I’m crazy, I know him!”

Damn that smile of his, even under a layer of facial hair.

Adam jokingly waves them away saying, “Thanks, guys. It takes a village to make me a successful, rich, and famous person – I’ll remember you in my will. Plus, I wrote every song about you, you know.”

“Those were the best three months of our lives,” David commiserates.

“I’ve never recovered,” Adam breathes.

“You ruined everyone else for me.”

“I’ll never love again.”

Grayson squints through their ridiculous exchange, his lips moving, mouthing something, and then his face lights up. “Oh! I remember seeing your name on my mom’s phone.”

David narrows his gray eyes. “You can read?”

Francesca, Grayson, and I answer in unison: “Yes.”

“Vee taught him to read. He’s actually pretty advanced and a little insufferable about it,” Francesca adds under breath to Adam.

“And I read his name on mom’s phone.” Grayson pauses. “Auntie Vee hates your songs.”

“Grayson!” I snap.

Adam looks at the floor and laughs. “Well, I’m not everyone’s cup of tea.”

Grayson’s hands start moving around wildly. “Every time we’re at the grocery store or in the car or she’s on TikTok, she’s like, ‘No – no! Turn this off! I hate this song –”

“Okay!” I interrupt, plastering my hand over his mouth. “We’re going to find Alice.”

Francesca jumps in, “Why don’t you put some actual clothes on, Vienna.”

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