Page 46 of The Grump

I looked up at her and stammered, “N-No.”

“Why not? It’s awesome. Daddy’s so much happier since Scarlett is with us. He smiles a lot more. You could use some smiling. You really don’t smile a lot.”

If she was going to call me a Grinch, too, or a grump, like some sexy candymaker I knew...

Bella pushed her plate away, looking at me with that serious expression again. She truly reminded me of Isabeau a bit. “Uncle Xander, you’ve never lived with a lady friend?”

“No.” I was amazed that I was having this conversation with my niece.

“Then how can you know you don’t like it?”

“Kiddo, sometimes you don’t have to try out a thing to know you wouldn’t like it.”

“But that makes no sense! I always used to say, ‘I don’t like broccoli,’ but I tasted it once, and it was awesome! But it was green and butt-ugly, and I always thought, ‘I won’t like it.’”

“It’s not really the same thing.”

“How so?”

I had to choose my words carefully. I didn’t want to shut down the conversation and tell her it was none of her business or that it was adult stuff. It wasn’t my style. I always took her questions seriously and tried to break them down into responses she could understand. But this time, it was more difficult than usual.

“Sometimes you have an inkling of the things you like. After you’ve spent a lot of time living by yourself like me, you get used to life being that way.”

“Just because you get used to something doesn’t mean something else can’t be good,” Bella said, and for a second, I almost forgot that she wasn’t a teenager but still a kid.Where did she get this wisdom?

“That’s true. But when some things involve a big change, you have to consider it very carefully before making said change.”

“But you’ve considered it forever. You’re old.”

I winked at her. “And proud of it. The older I get, the more I know what I like.”

“You always say that you don’t like the Christmas season because everyone goes gaga. But you were happy at the openhouse with the eggnog and with Bailey. She’s so awesome, don’t you think? And her pralines are the best. The. Best! Scarlett says we can make some, but they won’t be as good as hers. But we’re going to try anyway.”

I sure as shit couldn’t give myself away in front of my niece. I couldn’t lie to her, but she didn’t need to know everything that was going on in my life. She wouldn’t be able to wrap her mind around it. Hell,Icould barely do that. So I did the next best thing, and changed the topic. I asked her about her favorite Harry Potter book, and she lit up, immediately talking about book 3.

After finishing the beignets, I took her home. I spotted Chad’s car in front of the house, which meant he and Scarlett were back from their date already. If not, I would’ve spent the time with Bella until they returned.

“Great timing,” my brother said as we stepped inside. He was carrying Simone on his shoulder. Apparently, she was such a great sleeper that they even took her on their dates.

Scarlett was right next to him, smiling at Bella. “You still have some powdered sugar here and here.” She pointed to the corners of her mouth.

“I’m going to clean up upstairs,” Bella replied.

“Sure. And then it’s time for you to go to bed,” Chad said.

I always wondered how that was even possible after a rush of sugar, but it was none of my business. As I’d told Bella, I was single and planned to stay that way.

But for the first time in my life, it sounded hollow to me.

After Bella went upstairs, Chad put his arm around Scarlett’s waist. “Was she okay?”

“Of course. My niece is always okay,” I said with a wink. I debated telling him about our conversation, but even though she hadn’t specifically told me, I knew it was in confidence. She wouldn’t want me to blab about it. “We had a good catch-up.”

“What exactly did you have to catch up about?” Chad asked.

“Yeah, you two just caught up with things at the open house,” Scarlett added.

“Bella and I never run out of things to talk about,” I said in a conclusive tone. “And I am not spilling the beans. Everything I talk about with Bella stays between the two of us.”

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