He didn’t want to do this with Junie, but the alternative was letting Leanne get ambushed, and that didn’t seem right either. He tapped his fingers briefly on the table while scanning for Leanne’s mother, then he decided to check the campaign socials. At least he could respond to comments and like some posts to amplify engagement while he waited.

As expected, Junie was twenty minutes late, and she ran into the café wearing what appeared to be a man’s overcoat and two different socks. Her hair looked like she had slept in the braid, and Trev pretended not to notice her disarray, standing up to greet her because he did have manners when he bothered to trot them out. Normally, he didn’t waste his energy, but however scattered Junie might be, she’d produced a treasure like Leanne. Looking at her mom, he seriously couldn’t imagine how Leanne had become so organized and ambitious.

Maybe it’s a form of rebellion?

Breathless, Junie plopped down at the table in a swirl of patchouli. “Sorry, I overslept.”

That made him smile because he’d done the same. People with a regular schedule didn’t stay up all night and go to sleep when the horizon got bright and the birds started singing, but before moving in with Leanne, he’d been quite a night owl. Not because of his circadian rhythm, but because it didn’t matter when or even if he went to bed.

“It’s fine. I feel awkward about doing this, but—”

“No, you’re right. It’s better if I do a test run with you. And if you think I should wait until after the election to tell her, I will. But…this is time sensitive, so…” She trailed off. “Well, let’s grab some food, then I’ll fill you in.”

“I’ll get it. What would you like to eat?”

“Oh, anything’s fine. A sandwich and a drink—why don’t you surprise me?”

With a nod, he got in line and waited his turn then ordered two turkey and Swiss, one green tea lime twist, and an iced latte for himself. To deal with this crisis, he felt like a fair amount of caffeine would be required. Soon, their food was ready, and he went back to the table.

“Hope this is okay,” he said, passing Junie’s meal to her.

“It looks great, thank you.” The older woman took a breath and flipped her unraveling braid over her shoulder. “So let’s get down to it. How much do you know about LeLe?”

“Uh.” That wasn’t how he imagined this would go.

Fortunately, Junie misunderstood his hesitation. “I guess she’s told you a lot if you’re worried about hurting my feelings. Whatever she said, I deserve it. But how surprising…she doesn’t ordinarily enjoy shining any light on the dark places.”