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reached for Jayne’s hand and nodded toward the little popcorn cart down the street.
    “See what they have to drink, will you, dear?”
    Jayne bought them each a cup of lemonade and a popcorn to share. When the eleventh heat was announced, Mrs. G patted Jayne’s arm again.
    “Is that him?”
    “Who?”
    “The Scott boy, silly. Isn’t he the one you came to watch?”
    Jayne frowned up at her, but the old woman kept her gaze focused on the approaching racers.
    “God rest that sweet little thing he married.” Mrs. G raised her brow and nodded slightly. “But I always thought you two made a cuter couple.”
    “Nick and me?” Jayne chuckled and shook her head. “We were never a couple, Mrs. G. Just friends.”
    The old woman’s eyes locked on Jayne’s and held them, as though she’d misunderstood. “But Tilly said … and you were always together … I just assumed … Oh, look, here they come.”
    Nick and Carter’s team, decked out in fully loaded tool belts and hard hats, had built up the sides around their bed to look like a house, sans roof. Their opponents, the firefighters, ran infull turnout gear, hoses over their shoulders and a tongue-wagging Dalmatian sitting in the middle of the bed.
    The firemen not only won the heat, they finished the course in record time.
    “He’s a handsome one, that boy.”
    “Who?” Jayne craned her neck, trying to find the firemen again. She’d seen their last calendar; maybe Mr. October was among the racers.
    “The Scott boy.” Mrs. G’s sigh was nothing short of disgusted. “Who else?”
    “You mean Nick?”
    “Of course.” The sigh was louder this time, followed by a click of her tongue. “Don’t you think so?”
    “Well, yeah, I guess.” Nick wasn’t just good looking, he was smokin’ hot, but Jayne wasn’t about to say that out loud and give the old girl something else to assume.
    “There’s no guessing on that one, Jayne.” Mrs. G shifted in her chair so she looked straight at Jayne. A soft smile pulled at her mouth and a tiny glint shone in the woman’s pale eyes. “If I was fifty years younger …”
    Jayne laughed at the image of that. “Then I hate to be the bearer of bad news,” she said, “but he’s got a girlfriend.”
    “No! Who?”
    “Linda? Lindsay? Lisa maybe.” She shrugged. “Some sort of L-name.”
    “Is she local?”
    “I think Nick said she moved here about six months ago.” She tipped the popcorn bag toward Mrs. G. “She’s a party planner.”
    “
Pfft
. Have you met her?”
    “Not yet, but I expect it’ll happen soon.” After all these years, Jayne should have been used to making nice with the women in Nick’s life, but the thought of having to do it again sat like a weight in her chest.
    They polished off the last of the popcorn as the final two teams staggered over the finish line. Mrs. G patted Jayne’s arm and bobbed her head ever so slightly toward Nick as he made his way back through the crowd. The second he spotted them, his face broke out into a huge grin, which only made Mrs. G chuckle.
    “That’s a mighty big smile from someone who’s just a friend.”
    Jayne winked and patted the old girl’s shoulder. “Call me crazy,” she said. “But I’d bet dollars to doughnuts that smile’s for you.”
    “Edith.” Nick stepped up, took Mrs. G’s hand in his, then leaned down and kissed her cheek. “Still the prettiest girl in town.”
    “Oh, you.” Every wrinkle on her face flushed a deep pink. “Jayne and I have been having ourselves a little picnic while we watched, haven’t we, dear?”
    “Let me guess. Candy floss and popcorn?” Nick laughed. “Nice.”
    While they talked, a thirty-something man with a bit of a paunch walked up behind the chair and released the brake with his foot.
    “Sorry to interrupt, Grandma, but it’s time to go.”
    “Jeff?” Jayne frowned, squinted a little. It couldn’t be, and yet it was.
Jeff Goodsen
. No one else would make Nick’s expression go that