“Nope.” Jude’s smile is knowing as his eyes dart down the street.

Jude’s gonna win this game of chicken, and he knows it.

“Where’s Reese’s car?” I make one last-ditch attempt.

“Parked outside the Spellman Science Center,” she says.

Which is like a mile away.

“Fine,” I relent, getting in on the driver’s side and angling awkwardly, half off and half on Beast’s lap.

My head is hitting the roof of the small car and my knees are jammed up against the seat, but I don’t care.

“Sorry, big guy,” I tell Beast.

He, of course, says nothing.

Once everyone is situated, Reese slides into the front seat and Annabel starts the car.

“Well look if it isn’t Tramparella,” Annabel says as we pass Abby on the road. “No wonder you wanted to hightail it out of there.”

“How far is your house?” I ask Reese, changing the subject.

“About ten minutes.”

We drive down Main Street, passing the Frostee Freeze where I took Abby for our first date, then ol’ Roy, who waves and laughs at our packed clown car.

It’s a long ten minutes until we’re pulling down a dusty gravel drive.

When Annabel parks, I don’t see much until I’ve maneuvered myself out of the back seat. I stretch my stiff legs and glance around.

It’s a ranch-style home with a large wooden porch, all done up in random colors that should look odd on a house but somehow work. It looks exactly like somewhere I would picture Reese living, slightly bizarre and yet somehow perfectly put together.

The property is large, its tree line stretching as far as the eye can see. There are no other homes in sight. A small garden sits off to the side, surrounded by a low fence. A lone sprinkler spits water in a rhythmic circle, the sound reminiscent of hot August days and late-night cookouts.

“Why aren’t you living here?” Annabel asks.

I scuff a bit of gravel with a foot. “Yeah. That would solve a lot of problems.”

We follow Reese up the drive to the porch. “Granny wouldn’t let me.”

“Why not?” I ask.

She bites her bottom lip. “When I tried to come back, she pulled a shotgun on me.”

Jude rubs his hands together. “I have a good feeling about this dinner.”

I frown at the colorful structure, pushing my brows together. “She’s not gonna try and shoot us, is she?”

“Just don’t do anything to piss her off.”

“What kinda stuff pisses her off?”

“Rabbits eating her vegetable garden, liars and cheats, people who don’t like her cooking, and Californians.”

Jude nods once. “Duly noted.”

“Are your parents home?” Annabel asks as we file up to the front door.

“No. They’re off traveling somewhere in Europe. It’s only Granny right now.”

Reese opens the door and calls out. “Granny? I brought some friends over for dinner.”

Granny calls from the rear of the house, “I’m out back.”

The smell of charcoal and meat wafts in the air as we walk through an open entry with high ceilings and dark wooden floors. Reese leads us through a doorway into a living area. The walls are covered with a variety of paintings and murals in vibrant colors, every available surface featuring statues and odd little artifacts and trinkets.