Page 17 of Safe With Me

“Terry, hi. Is everything okay?”

“Oh fine. I didn’t mean to scare you, but I thought maybe you’d want to have some wine on the porch with us. I saw your car in front.”

Terry was, I assumed, in her late sixties or seventies. Like her sister Kathy, she was divorced with grown kids who had moved out of town. Both sisters had inherited the house from their parents and were Kelly Lakes lifers, according to Claudia. They’d each lived in one of the apartments until their kids left, and then they’d moved in together to earn income from renting the one downstairs.

Terry had told me they’d both gone back to their maiden names after their divorces because they’d rather be known as spinsters than connected to assholes.

She hadn’t gone deeper into how or why their ex-husbands were assholes, but her comment was enough to make me love them both instantly.

“Sure,” I said, grabbing my keys and taking a quick look at myself in the mirror hanging by the door. The sisters loved decorating with mirrors. One hung above the couch, in addition to the one next to the door. They’d told me it “opened the place up,” but it was odd seeing myself from all angles everywhere I looked.

The loose knot on top of my head wasn’t terrible. I wore a tank top and cutoff jean shorts, perfect for the warm and humid night. I looked decent enough to sit outside, and I locked the door behind me as Terry made her way to the front.

“Have a seat,” Kathy said, setting a plastic wineglass on their side table. Her hair was as white as her sister’s was bright red. “White okay?”

“White is great, thank you.” I settled into one of their lounge chairs, smiling at the unspoken dynamic between them. Terry plopped in two cubes of ice just as Kathy poured.

“Thanks for joining us,” Kathy said, lifting her plastic glass. “We figured you’d like some air since we’ve only seen you go to work and come home.”

“She’s only been here a few days. Forgive my nosy sister,” Terry told me as she narrowed her eyes at Kathy.

“I’m not being nosy. I just thought she’d like to get out,” Kathy grumbled as she shook her head.

“No, this is great. I appreciate the company,” I said and was surprised how much I meant it. Talking to Ally made me realize how lonely I’d been. I’d just been too terrified to notice.

“How’s working for Jake so far? He’s easy on the eyes, right?” Terry said, raising a brow over the lip of her glass as she took a long sip.

“He’s a good boss. We’ve been busy organizing everything,” I said, taking a sip and avoiding the question. Yes, Jake was attractive, but he was my boss and happily married. The ladies were nice, but something told me to choose my words carefully.

“His son lives over there,” Kathy said, tipping her chin up the street. “It’s nice to have a cop around here. Not that we see much trouble, but you never know.”

“Yes, I met Mike too. And that’s true,” I agreed as I took another long sip.

Before I could help myself, I craned my neck to see if I could make out the truck he’d mentioned he had when he’d taken me to the mechanic shop. Maybe he was on shift, or maybe he was on a date with someone.

And maybe I shouldn’t be so interested.

“Mike sometimes comes over and fixes things for us. Handy like his father. Such a good kid.”

“He’s not a kid anymore,” Terry said. “That boy isallman and wears the hell out of that cop’s uniform.”

“That boy is Rose Russo’s grandson. What is wrong with you?”

Terry shrugged at her sister.

“He’s notmygrandson. I think he’s just about your age, Lila. And, as far as I know, is single. I haven’t seen him with any girls in a while.”

I nodded, biting my lip to stifle a laugh.

So this was small-town life.

Not that I hadn’t had nosy neighbors back in Philly, but they’d seemed more subdued about it. We’d had our older ladies who loved to watch the action on the street from their stoops or windows, but I couldn’t recall any of them being this…forward.

If I ever did decide to date anyone, which was so far beyond the foreseeable future, I couldn’t even imagine it, everyone around here would know about it.

That was both good and bad.

More eyes on me might mean it wouldn’t be as easy for someone to hide in the shadows. It was an extra layer of protection I hadn’t considered as I let the ice-cold wine slide down my throat, almost relaxing me.

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