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cousins and two second-cousins.
    Every one of them had enlightened Kent about Phae’s lack of womanliness. One of her aunts had even gone so far as to apologize to Kent for Phae’s rudeness, adding that even if Phae hadn’t been rude yet, she most certainly would be, and she hoped he’d accept a general Jones family apology in advance.
    It had been an embarrassing thirty minutes, but Phae raised her chin. Much of what had been said was true, and if it sent Kent running, then good riddance.
    Oh, but she’d miss him. Especially those strong, thick arms that she hadn’t gotten the opportunity to touch. And the silky, raven black hair. She wouldn’t mind running her fingers through it.
    “Was that all of them?” Kent asked. “Your whole family?”
    “Not even close. Today was a slow day. One of my cousins owns this cafe.”
    “So, have you ever added all of them up? And don’t include the far-fetched ones like second cousins twice removed.”
    “I’ve never counted,” Phae replied. “My grandpa had twelve brothers and sisters, and my dad has ten brothers and sisters. Some of the older ones have died, and not everyone stayed in Zeke’s Bend, though most did and had their own big families. Now their children have grown up and had children. Oh, I don’t know. A couple hundred probably, not counting all the connections through marriage.”
    Phae laughed at his aghast expression. “Calm down, Kent. Zeke’s Bend has around 5,000 people in it. I was only joking about us being half the population.”
    “Yeah, but when you start thinking about it, really thinking about how many people you’re related to by marriage, and other extensions like step-siblings and so on, the numbers get staggering. I didn’t know you came from such a long line of overactive breeders.”
    “Breeders.” Phae rolled her eyes. “What a word. Funny thing is though, I don’t have any brothers or sisters. And my parents moved to Boston when Dad retired from the Post Office.”
    “No siblings for me, either. Other than my parents, my only other relative is Aunt Eugenia. She’s my father’s sister.”
    “Were you lonely growing up?”
    “Not really. My parents traveled and were often away from home, but we had a lot of servants and I had a wonderful nanny.”
    “So you were a rich little boy. Sounds lonely, though, being without your parents.”
    Kent paused for a second. “It might sound strange, but it wasn’t that bad. And when my parents were home, they were really home. They spent time with me. Why did your parents move to Boston?”
    “Mom told Dad that she’d been putting up with his crazy relatives her entire adult life and she wanted to spend her dotage with her own crazy relatives in Boston.”
    Kent smiled. “I think I’d like your mother.”
    “Yeah, she’s great. They come back several times a year for visits.”
    “They sound like kind people.”
    Phae nodded.
    For the first time, the conversation stalled and they sat in awkward silence, the earlier carefree behavior crunched under the weight of too much family.
    Phae finally broke the silence. “I’ve got to get back to work. I can’t believe I cancelled an appointment for a crummy family reunion.”
    “Don’t go yet, Phae. I, um, well, I was hoping that we could get together some time. You know, a date. We’ll do anything you like. What do you like to do?”
    Phae’s heart leapt in her chest.
     
     

Chapter 5
     
    KENT WATCHED PHAE’S FACE CLOSELY, trying to judge her reaction. She didn’t reveal much, but that was true of her in general.
    “You mean my family hasn’t scared you off?” she asked, her big brown eyes sparkling magnificently.
    He shook his head. “I form my own opinions of people. So what do you think? A movie? Is there anywhere we can go that’s not overrun with your relatives?”
    “No. Not in this town, anyway. Besides, I don’t date. There’s all this pressure to be perfect. As you might have already guessed, I’m not very