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I didn’t have much I could tell her about me And I needed to clarify ot it anyin mind she’d repeat this conversation to Krit I tucked sorew up in a small town in South Carolina Extrehts in town, if that tells you just how s childbirth There were co family She was an orphan and was raised in the systeest church in town" I paused, because honestly I didn’t knohy Pastor Williams and Mrs Williams had taken me in They hadn’t wantedeven re as what Trisha had said about her kids And they also never had kids of their own I wasn’t sure if that was because they couldn’t or because Mrs Williams wasn’t the motherly type

"Um, and well, I don’t knohy exactly, but the pastor at the church my mother attended and his wife took , but they kept ive her any more details about that part ofit was io soe and be close to the water I hadn’t grown up near water Pastor Williams is friends with Pastor Keenan, so he lined up a job for e So that’s it," I said, happy withinto it anymore

The waitress set drinks and small round deep-fried slices of pickles down in front of us I had never had deep-fried pickles before, and I wasn’t sure if I liked the idea of the

"Do y’all knohat you wanna eat?" the waitress asked

I glanced down at the ood?" I asked Trisha

"Do you eat tuna?" she asked

I nodded I had eaten a lot of canned tuna growing up, and I wasn’t a fan, exactly, but I didn’t want to tell her that I liked it well enough I’d just had toosmile and turned back to the waitress "Two seared tuna paninis please With the chips," she said, then turned back to me "Trust me" She winked

I had no idea what seared tuna was because they didn’t have that in a can I nodded and returned Trisha’s smile She was hard not to smile at "Okay," I replied

Once the waitress walked away, Trisha turned her eyes back on s that see ht now I respect that, so I’ Now, tell me about you and Krit"

She was seriously blunt It was as scary as it was refreshing You didn’t have to wonder what she was thinking, that was for sure She would just tell you

"Krit is htful froh, and he always seeine there are uys like him out there I don’t have uys, but from what I can see, Krit isn’t likeheart, and he doesn’t seem to realize how special he is Which , and froood job of hiding s for her brother

"Special," she repeated slowly, as if she needed to let that word sink in My face grew hot, and I knewit, I sucked at this

"I don’t think I can remember a time in my life when anyone ever called my brother special and meant it the way you just did" The pleased look on her face et what I had been trying to say He was a good friend

"I needed a friend when I moved here, and he noticed that and filled the void I don’t iuys, especially ones who look like hi like that for soirls on his arm all the time They throw themselves at him Yet he took the ti myself on the back

Trisha stared atmentally to dissect me I decided I would take one of those pickles now, because I needed so too o tell hi?" she finally said, breaking the aard silence

I nodded, and chewed the fried pickle, which was surprisingly tasty

"Do you really mean what you said?"

I sed and stared at her Did I look like I wasit up? "Uh, yeah, I ain I sounded like an idiot I needed more adjectives in my vocabulary Well, I had more where Krit was concerned, but they weren’t safe to use around his very perceptive sister "Krit’s wonderful But then, you’re his sister You know that"

A slow smile stretched across her face "Yeah I do," she replied

Before things could get any er idiot ofa party for Daisy May at Amanda Hardy’s mother’s house She has a pool, and Amanda wanted Daisy to have a pool party It will be friends and faht, so he will only be stopping by to give Daisy a gift and, knowing hirab a piece of cake But I want you to meet everyone My friends A people who are a part of this toould be nice"