Page 65 of Grump and Grumpier

“I can come and get you! You two can come and stay with us.”

“Oh! Are you sure? I don’t want to be an inconvenience.”

“Friends aren’t inconveniences, Stella. Ever. I can be there in about four hours. Will you be okay until then?”

“We’ll be okay. We’ll probably leave and wait for you somewhere else. I’ll text you the location.”

“Sounds perfect. I’ll see you very soon!” I hate that this is happening to my friend, but I’m excited to see her and Jessie; it’s been too long.

As I throw together an overnight bag, my phonerings repeatedly. I check it each time, in case it’s Stella, but it’s Derek and Jansen. I don’t want to block them, but each ring makes me worry that something’s gone even more wrong for my friend.

The next time it rings, I take the call. “Derek? I don’t want to talk right now, but I need my phone for an emergency, so please stop calling.”

“An emergency? What’s going on?”

“My friend Stella is having a crisis. I’m going to go get her. Assuming you’re calling to apologize, we can talk when I’m back in town.”

“A crisis? What’s wrong? Stella’s the one with the young daughter, right?”

I’d forgotten I’d told them about Stella, and I’m surprised he remembers. “Yeah, I don’t know what’s going on, but her mother’s kicked them out of her house, so I’m going to bring them to live here.”

“We’ll go with you.”

I’d been half focused on selecting a shirt to pack, so it takes a moment for what he’s said to register. “What?”

“Jansen and I will go with you, in case there’s trouble.”

“There’s no reason for you to do that.”

“You told us her parents had a drinking problem. What if someone gets violent?”

“I probably won’t even see her parents. She said she’ll probably meet me somewhere else.”

“I’d rather not take that chance, Ana. Does your friend have her own car?”

“Yes…”

“Then we’ll drive you to her, and you can ride back with her and her daughter.”

I can tell he’s not going to let this go, and that’s irritating, but it would actually be nice to be able to ride back with Stella and Jessie. “I need to leave here immediately. She’s nearly four hours away.”

“Text me your address. We’ll be right there.”

As soon as I click off the call, I realize this arrangement means I’ll need to spend several hours in a small enclosed space with two men I don’t even want to see right now.

But I have more important things to worry about, so for the time being, I’m going to set everything else aside. I finish packing my things, and am shocked when the doorbell rings only a few minutes after I’m done.

Both Derek and Jansen are standing on my porch.

“Thanks for coming so quickly.” Rather than inviting them in, I step out, my bag slung over my shoulder.

“Are you staying overnight?” Derek asks.

“We didn’t make plans. I thought I’d come prepared, since it’s a long drive.”

Jansen slips the bag from my shoulder to carry ithimself, and even though I don’t need the help, I let him, because I’m tired of arguing with them today.

“I appreciate your offer to drive me upstate, but I don’t want to talk about anything we discussed earlier today. I’m worried about my friend, and that’s about all my brain can handle right now.”

---