Page 94 of The Perfect Distraction

Beth followed Judy into the kitchen, which felt exceptionally crowded with the two of them in it. There was literally nowhere to hide.

Judy bent her head into the refrigerator and began pulling out covered dishes, which she handed to Beth.

“Just set them on the counter for now,” she said with her back turned.

Calling up some advice she’d read about using a compliment as an ice-breaker, Beth said, “Joey always brags about how wonderful your cooking is. He said nobody cooks as good as you, not even his dad.”

Judy closed the refrigerator door and slowly turned to face her. “Are you trying to butter me up?”

Taken aback, Beth stuttered, “Uh…no…I…”

“Because it’s not necessary. I prefer straight talk.”

“Okay?”

Leaning back against the kitchen counter, Judy crossed her arms over her chest and eyeballed her. “Colton’s a grown man, and I can understand him wanting some…company. But Joey still needs someone to look out for him. Lord knows his mom doesn’t do enough of that.”

She’d said the last sentence under her breath, but Beth had heard it loud and clear.

“I agree.”

Her comment seemed to have taken Judy off guard, and Beth decided to press her advantage.

“I’m not sure if you know this, but I’ve been helping Joey with his reading this summer. He’s made a lot of strides in the past few weeks.”

“I might have heard something about that.”

“I actually met Joey first. He and I formed a friendship that had nothing to do with Colton.”

“Colton’s been hurt too.”

“I know that, and I can relate. The reason I came to Harbor Springs was to recover from a bad breakup.”

“And your solution was to get involved with someone else? Someone who has a young son?”

“No. That wasn’t my intention at all,” Beth said, shaking her head vehemently.

“Joey mentioned that you’re only here for the summer.”

“That’s right. I’m a teacher, and I have a job to return to in August.”

“What’s going to happen after that?”

“Honestly, I don’t know. But I do know that I want to keep seeing Colton and Joey even after I leave.”

“Sounds impossible,” Judy scoffed.

“Colton doesn’t think so.” Maybe it was a bold move, but she had to convince Judy that she wasn’t the only one invested in this relationship.

“Maybe not right now, but…”

“Look, Mrs. Woodward. I understand your skepticism because, to you, I’m just a stranger. But what about your son and grandson? Don’t you trust their judgment?”

Judy stared at her for a few beats before looking away. “We should get back outside,” she said gruffly. And with that, she cradled a bowl in each arm and walked around Beth, leaving her to follow behind.

Joey had been right. The food was delicious, and Beth tried her best to enjoy it. She noticed that Judy had sat at the opposite end of the table from her, and she speculated it had been on purpose. Deciding there was nothing more she could do about it, she turned her attention to Mason, who was sitting across from her and regaling them with stories about one of their wealthy customers.

“No matter what we do, it’s never good enough for her,” Mason complained in between bites of potato salad. “You don’t know how many times I’ve had to go back to her house to fix some little scratch that she found.”