Marlowe
Nova laughed so hard at my recounting of Grant's exit that she nearly fell off the workbench, which felt like an overreaction right up until I remembered how close the whole thing had actually come to disaster.
"Wait." She wiped her eyes, still catching her breath. "Wait, wait. He looked right at you. Called you weird. And then said—" she dissolved into laughter again, "—said his cousin's *prettier* than you?"
"I'm aware of how funny it is. I lived it."
"I would have died. On the spot. Right there in the garage." She finally got herself under control, mostly, sagging back against the bench with a grin that hadn't fully faded. "Okay but seriously, that's the closest call yet, right? Like, actual blood family standing three feet away and drunk enough to say anything?"
"Closest s
