Page 157 of Lost Trust

“Harleigh,” Momma continues.

“And …”

I hold up a hand. “Damn. So, it’s a whole nest full of birdies.”

They laugh.

Momma sets her coffee down. “Is it true?”

I open my mouth, but nothing comes out because the second I actually think about it, I realize it is.

Fuck.

It is. I don’t know what I thought I was chasing the past few weeks, but I didn’t think it was that.

I drag a hand over the back of my neck. “I mean …” I glance toward the window. “We’ve only spent a little time together, and most of it hasn’t really been alone. Or even enjoyable, now that I think about it.”

Momma gives me the look. The one she’s perfected over the years. “You don’t have to spend a lifetime with somebody to know how you feel about them.”

I look down at the floor. “Okay,” I admit. “Say I am …”

Grandma raises an eyebrow. “Say you are?”

“Falling in love.”

She smiles like she already knew the answer.

“How do I tell Marina?”

Grandma reaches for her scissors, snipping a thread before setting them aside. “You take her on a nice date and spill your heart.”

I blink. “A date?”

“Yes, Royce. A date.”

“I mean, we haven’t exactly done that.”

Momma gasps. “What have you done?”

I close my eyes and shake my head. She does not want to know what all we have done.

“We’ve been to The Soused Cow, but that was with everybody. I drove her to some sketchy guy’s trailer in Moran, but that was to look at a truck.”

They glance at one another.

“Oh, I did cook dinner for her last night. She wasn’t home yet and was exhausted when she did make it home. And I’d already eaten.”

Grandma Evelyn lets out an exasperated breath. “That’s the problem with you boys. Always trying to polish the buckle before the ride even starts.”

I can’t help but grin. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means you’re so busy trying to get to the finish line that you forget there’s supposed to be a ride.”

I lean against the doorframe, listening.

“You’d be amazed, but there’s a reason so many of those old-fashioned romantic things have stood the test of time.”

“Like what?”