Some people were exceptionally good at keeping secrets but Polly’s Aunt Mary was not among them. She was just sliding across the cracked vinyl seat in the diner when Aunt Mary started talking.

“Okay, so don’t tell him that I told you this but your cousin David says that Ken is going to ask you to marry him on Saturday!” Mary’s face was shining and she had her hands clasped under her chin in a way that suggested that she was just barely holding herself together.

Polly didn’t know what to say. She did a mental scroll through all possible reactions, wondering which one Aunt Mary expected, and then decided to just go with the truth.

“Oh, shit.”

Mary’s smile dropped into a frown. “This isn’t good news, honey?”

“Not exactly, no. Ken is okay boyfriend material but he’s not husband material.” She braced herself, knowing that Mary was going to have a lot to say about how Polly was getting too old to be choosy, and how she was going to end up alone if she kept expecting men to be perfect. It was the kind of thing that her mother said all the time, why would Aunt Mary be any different.

“Oh. That’s different then. Can’t have you settling for just any guy! You can do better than that loser.” Mary took a breath and sat back in her chair. “Pass me the menu so we can order our lunch. Then, we’ll figure out how you can let him down easy.”

Polly shook her head a little and handed over the menu.