Page 86 of Succeeding Love

Her response made me think she assumed I meant something malicious originally. Maybe she was assuming I was asking if she had been visiting this neighborhood often with negative connotations.

“My bad!” Kate yelled, and I couldn’t help but to laugh.

“I’m sorry,” I told Arlene. “Kate is protective. I’m sure you understand how siblings can be.”

Arlene had a hard expression passing over her face, but her eyes looked sad.

“No. I have no siblings. Just a mother I no longer speak with. I’m afraid I don’t entirely understand that protective bond between family members.”

“Huh.” I wasn’t sure how to respond to that. “Well, I guess you didn’t have to worry about sharing clothes, toys and other things with others then,” I laughed awkwardly.

It wasn’t until I heard Kate snorting and snickering in the other room that I realized what I had just said and how passive-aggressive it must have sounded.

Arlene, lips pulled tight in a grim expression, so I hurried to clarify, “I didn’t mean- “

“I know,” Arlene cut me off. “I knew what you meant. No need to specify the irony in that statement.”

I sighed, feeling exhausted from the five minutes we’d already been sitting here in this weird tension. “You know what the opposite of irony is?”

Arlene raised her thin eyebrows.

“Wrinkly.”

She stared stoically at my poor joke, and then her face split into a reluctant grin. She laughed behind her hand, shaking her head.

“I was right,” she snickered, the tension draining from her features as she laughed. “Your daughter is far more like you than her father. Thank God.”

I cocked my head to the side, curious about what she meant, but before I could ask, another knock sounded at the front door.

We both looked over as the door swung open, my new guest needing no invitation to enter. He knew he was welcome.

I couldn’t stop the beaming grin from erupting on my face at seeing Vin, still looking official in his work clothes.

“Honey, I’m home-” Vin stopped short, seeing Arlene and I seated in the living room across from one another. “Oh, am I interrupting something?”

“Is that the action star?!” Kate poked her head out of the kitchen.

Vin smirked, giving me a side eye before coming over to the couch I was sitting on and leaning over me. “You call me that to other people, too?”

I giggled as he wrapped his arms around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. “Only to my sister. You have a problem with that?”

“Not at all,” he chuckled, kissing my cheek one more time before straightening up. “Hi Lynn’s sister,” he waved through the opening g to the kitchen.

“Hi Mr. Anaconda!” She sounded too enthusiastic, calling him that.

I sighed, wanting to knock her down to the ground and force-feed her green stuff until she puked.

“Mr. Anaconda? Haven’t heard that one yet.” Vin lifted an eyebrow at me.

“Ignore her,” I groaned.

He laughed, then looked at Arlene. His smile dropped quickly as he studied her. Arlene looked surprised to see him, wide-eyed, with her mouth gaping. I guess it would be weird and surprising meeting my boyfriend in this situation.

“Huh,” Vin mumbled, “Hello.”

He sounded so stiff compared to when he was speaking with Kate.

Arlene found the ability to close her mouth. It was hard to read her expression. She seemed a little sad as she shifted awkwardly, crossing her legs and fidgeting with the accent pillow. Her long red nails were pulling through the pillow’s fringe.

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