Next Time by Robin Alexander Read Free Book Online Page A

too.”
    Grace was thoughtful for a moment. “You may have a point. Hey, you’re looking puny. I’m going to teach Sophie how to make a casserole for dinner. I’ll have her run you a plate over.”
    “Don’t go to any extra trouble for me. Jana’s supposed to come by this evening, and we’ll probably go get a pizza.”
    “Then eat the casserole for lunch tomorrow.”
    Payton nodded as her stomach turned. Grace was a horrible cook. She paired things that didn’t belong together like her chicken asparagus pot pie or her okra berry cobbler. Payton felt guilty about throwing out Grace’s creations, then lying about eating them because her neighbor treated her like gold.
    If not for Grace, her yard would’ve been a barren landscape of grass and cement driveway. Grace constantly rooted things and planted them in Payton’s yard. In the spring and summer, her place looked like something out of a gardening magazine. When Jana wasn’t available and Payton needed to talk, she’d join Grace in the shade for a cup of coffee and grandmotherly advice.
    “You know…if you don’t want to go to the trouble of making dinner tonight, I could pick up a pizza for you and Sophie. That’s gourmet fare for a teen.”
    Grace waved her off. “That child eats too much of that crap at home. At Grandma’s house, she gets her vegetables. How’re your bowel movements? Are they regular?”
    “Grace, you know I love you, but let’s not talk crap.”
    “Speaking of, how’s your love life?” Grace batted her lashes when Payton frowned at her.
    “That’s a coffee chat. I’ll come see you when Sophie goes back home.”
    “Will you cry in your coffee or make me blush?”
    “Neither. I need to get my mail and get back to work.” Payton started to back away from the fence.
    “Hey, I rooted a crepe myrtle for you. I think it would look great next to the birdbath over there. I have some herbs for you, too. They’ll keep you regular, especially if you’re eating pizza all the time, and I know you are. I’ve seen the boxes in your trash can. You need to stop drinking so much soda,” Grace shouted as Payton jogged to her mailbox.
    *******
    “Why is it when people cross the threshold of seventy, they become obsessed with shitting?”
    Jana regarded her slice of pizza with a frown. “Grace got after you again?”
    “Yes, she’s apparently growing herbs now. What I find even more alarming is how at length she wants to discuss consistency and—”
    “No.” Jana shook her head. “Just…no.”
    “Sorry.”
    Jana regarded Payton for a moment. “What’s up with you? You’re kinda sullen.”
    “Distracted with work, I suppose.”
    “No, I know distracted. Your eyes glaze over, and you kind of nod and mouth the words of a song you hear in your head. This,” Jana waved her hand in front of Payton’s face, “is glum.”
    Payton shrugged. “I dunno.”
    “Are you constipated?” Jana asked with a grin.
    “None of your business, Grace Junior.” Payton toyed with the crust of her pizza. “Be honest with me. Melanie doesn’t like me, does she?”
    “Of course, she does.” Jana smiled. “I don’t think she likes sharing me very much. Isn’t that cute?”
    Payton frowned. “No, it’s not. Right now, you’re in that goofy new love stage where everything she does is adorable. You don’t even realize that she’s slowly lowering a cage down on you. I’ll bet she cut a backflip when you asked her to move in with you. By the way, you haven’t said anything about that.”
    “She said no. Well…not exactly. She’s got a while left on her lease. We talked about it a long time, and she basically stays at my place anyway, so we’re doing this trial thing. If we continue to cohabitate peacefully, she’ll move in with me when the lease is up. Besides, she paid a big deposit, and she wants it back. Now let’s get back to you. Something’s up, I can tell. I know you better than anyone on this earth. I know you in the