Page 23 of Damaged Protector
Mallori reached for the remote and paused the movie before giving me a hundred percent of her attention. “I’m sorry. How is she doing?”
“She’s in remission now. It got pretty sticky a few years back, but she pulled through.”
“Thank god,” she said on a long sigh. “Will you tell me about her?”
Biting into a corn fritter, I savored the crispy outside and the sweetness of the corn inside before speaking again. “Jen was always protective of me when we were little. Until I turned ten and outgrew her. Then the roles kinda changed, and I acted like the big bro.”
“Ahh, the protective big, little brother.”
“That was me. She’s an avid reader, but she’s not an introvert like a lot of people who are into books. Jen is a very vibrant person, kinda loud, if I’m being honest.”
Mallori smiled but didn’t say anything, just nodded encouragingly. So I continued, still uncertain as to why I was telling this stranger about my sister, other than the fact that she seemed genuinely interested.
“She’s a dancer too. All styles, but tap is her favorite, and she has her own studio and teaches now.”
“Tap is so much fun. I love the rhythms, though I wasn’t allowed to do much of it.”
“Why?”
Mallori dragged her eyes from mine and stared at the box of chicken. “You gonna eat that wing?”
“Help yourself,” I said, waiting for her to answer my question. She didn’t.
“Have you ever seen the movie Tap It? That’s one of my favorites.” I had the feeling she was deflecting, but I wasn’t going to push and make her feel uncomfortable.
“My sister was in that movie.”
She paused with the chicken wing an inch from her lips before lowering it. “Wait. Wait, wait, wait, wait.” Her face lit up with realization. “Jennifer Gentry! Jennifer freaking Gentry is your sister?”
“That’s her.”
Her mouth formed a little O, and she shook her head back and forth. “Oh my hell! She was fantastic in that film. She really should have been the lead.”
“Agreed. She auditioned for it, but since it was her first movie, and she was only seventeen, they gave it to the other girl. And Jen was cast as Rita.”
“I still can’t believe that’s your sister,” Mallori said in awe, biting into her chicken.
“I’ll let her know she still has a fan.”
“Why wasn’t she ever in any other movies?”
I froze. Now it was my turn to clam up and change the subject. “Why don’t we finish up McQuade? I know you’re probably tired from the long drive.”
My new houseguest eyed me, speculation and curiosity shining in her eyes, but she didn’t press me any further. And I appreciated that.
Mallori’s eyes were drooping by the time we finished the movie, and I nudged her as the final credits scrolled up the screen.
“Go get some rest. Do you need anything before you turn in?”
She stood, placing her hands on her lower back and stretching, the arch forming a perfect curve. I consciously pulled my eyes from things I most assuredly should not be looking at.
“Nope. All good,” she replied and gestured to the remnants of our meal. “I’ll just clean this up.”
“I can do that.”
Her head shook vehemently. “No, you bought; I clean.”
I helped her anyway, and five minutes later, we were standing in my kitchen. Mallori rubbed her toe along one calf and blinked up at me, seeming awkward for the first time since her initial chattering when she arrived.