Page 134 of Just One More Thing

At Lazy Larry’s, Meredith rings the bell over the counter the instant she sees us. “Larry is so lazy—“ The crowd outside shouts back, “HOW LAZY IS HE?”

Meredith points directly at me. “He’s so lazy, he heard Jake finally got lucky and didn’t even light his cigarette.” The crowd erupts.

Mo stops dead in the middle of the shell path and covers her face with both hands.

I start laughing because honestly what else are you supposed to do at that point?

A man near the window yells, “Worth it, Wheeler?”

I don’t even break stride. “Yes.” That gets an even louder reaction.

Mo peeks at me through her fingers. “You are enjoying this entirely too much.”

I glance over at her. Sunlight in her hair. Still wearing my tee shirt.

I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and kiss the side of her head. “I’m enjoying you being here entirely too much.”

Before she can say anything, Mrs. Kravitz appears out of nowhere.

And circles us.

I stop walking. “Mrs. Kravitz.”

She holds up one finger. “I’m assessing.”

“For what?” Mo asks cautiously.

“Afterglow,” she says matter-of-factly.

Mo looks at me with an expression that very clearly translates to please kill me now.

Mrs. Kravitz narrows her eyes at both of us, takes a picture, then scribbles something in her notebook.

“What did you write?” I ask.

“Confidential.”

“You’re going to post it in the chat anyway.”

“That doesn’t make my methods any less proprietary.”

Then she looks at Mo. “You look happy, honey.”

She turns to me next. “So do you.”

Then she gives us a cheerful “toot toot” and marches off toward Tall Tales like she’s completed official civic business.

Mo watches her go. “That was unsettling.”

“Mm-hmm.”

“And weirdly sweet.”

“Also mm-hmm.”

We’re almost to Holey Moley when Charlie appears in uniform holding coffee and wearing a Cheshire Cat grin he’s trying very badly not to wear. “Morning,” he says.

“Charlie.”