Jenny looked from Charlie to Josh, and back again. “Do you think he’s ready to hear it?”
“He’ll never be more ready,” Charlie said. “Besides, you already know you’re going to tell him.”
At that Jenny and Charlie both laughed. “Right,” Jenny said, “I do already know that, don’t I? Among other things.”
Josh was turning red. “What’s going on here? Are you two, like, dating?”
“Oh no,” Jenny said, trying to stifle a giggle. “I could never date Charlie. He’s too, um, … old for me.”
“I’m older than I look,” Charlie added helpfully.
“The thing I wanted to tell you,” Jenny continued, before Josh had a chance to interrupt, “is about time.”
“Go on,” Josh said, trying not to sound as lost as he felt.
“In my family there is a gift, you could say it’s like a kind of talent. It gets passed down from mother to daughter, but it skips a generation.”
“OK, I get it. Your grandmother Amelia had it, whatever it is. And now you’ve got it. Is it about talking in dreams?”
“That’s part of it,” Jenny said thoughtfully, “but not the important part. I talk to my grandmother because she gets lonely sometimes. And besides, it’s really the only way she can teach me.”
“You’re talking about her as if she were alive,” Josh said. He looked from Jenny to Charlie suspiciously. “Wait a minute, is this some kind of practical joke?”
“No, no joke,” Jenny shook her head. “My grandmother isn’t either alive or dead. It’s complicated, but I’ll explain.”
“Well, it’s about time!” Josh said in exasperation.
Jenny smiled happily. “Yes, exactly!”