“Well…” I drew the word out, stalling for time, all the while praying that God would have mercy on my lying soul and get me out of this conversation. A bolt of lightning? A sudden hailstorm? A meteor crashing through my wall? Any of those options would be preferable to chatting with Grandmother about this book I hadn’t read.
I’d even be satisfied with an annoying neighbor knocking on my door and asking for a cup of sugar. If only it were still the 1950’s. But the fifties were long gone, and people didn’t ask for cups of sugar anymore. And I was pretty sure God wasn’t going to knock a building down for me today.
I was sunk, finished, D.O.A. It was a good thing I loved the smell of coffee because it looked like I’d be a caffeine slinging barista for many more years to come.
Goodbye dreams. Hello cold hard reality.
CHAPTERFIVE
Iwas still searching for an answer to Grandmother’s question when my front door opened.
“Change of plans.” A rich masculine voice rolled into the room as welcome as a thick bank of clouds on a sweltering summer day. “This big guy won’t let me leave him behind.” He patted the big, black behemoth at his side.
Cash! My hero, to the rescue.
I’d never been happier to hear any man’s voice in my life. I shoved the plate of hors d’oeuvres at my grandmother and rushed to the front door. I didn’t even care that he had that two-ton dog with him. The fear and trembling my grandmother’s question had just put in my heart overshadowed any hang-ups I had about sharp-toothed animals.
“So,” he said with a grin, “are we ready to—”
I reached out and latched onto his arm with a death grip that silenced him.
“Yes, you’re so right.” I bugged my eyes out and jerked my head in my grandmother’s direction, hoping Cash was sharp enough to catch on and play along. “Therehasbeen a change of plans. My grandmother arrived early. Isn’t that wonderful?” I said through a joker-smile of my own that was probably just as scary as Grandmother’s had been.
Cash’s expression was one of total confusion. “So are we still going to—”
“No.” I blurted before he could spill the beans about my oh-so-stupid idea of trading furniture. “You can take the dog home now.”
“But I thought you wanted me to come over right now?”
Oh, for heaven’s sake. This man was denser than a two-year-old Christmas fruit cake.
“Now, I understand.” Grandmother stood up. Her lips pulled thin as she eyed me with a severe expression. “Is this the ‘not important’ person you were expecting? It looks like you’re trying to hide the fact that you’re entangled with yetanotheryoung man, and that speaks volumes. It’s very disappointing.”
“No! I’m not hiding anything. Grandmother, this is Cash. Cash, this is Grandmother.” That was how proper introductions were supposed to be done, right?
Cash’s mouth hung open and he looked over at me. “Can we back up and start over? Because I’m lost.”
I couldn’t give him an answer, but Grandmother’s tongue was anything but tied. “You know, Willow, one day you’re going to have to be mature and have an adult relationship that lasts longer than three months.”
That stung. Yes, I had a history of short relationships that hadn’t ended well. But was I supposed to stay with the guy who cheated on me? Or maybe the one who only dated me for the employee discount at the coffee shop? And we can’t forget that one gem of a fella who ended up in front of a judge for his pink flamingo crime spree. Maybe she’d have been happy if I would’ve acceptedhismarriage proposal. We could have decorated the wedding hall with all the flamingos he’d stolen.
Tears pooled in my eyes above my red-hot cheeks. I wasn’t going to get anywhere with Grandmother, and now I’d been humiliated in front of Cash as well. Why had I expected anything different?
“Ma’am, I think you’ve gotten the wrong idea somehow.” Cash’s warm hand came to rest on my upper back. The touch was tender and felt very much like a friend comforting a… friend. “I’ve known Willow a lot longer than three months. She came into the picture two years ago. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t see her. That sounds pretty long-term to me, now doesn’t it?”
Cash was amazing!
No one had ever corrected my grandmother before, and he’d managed to do it with a smile and a heaping helping of Texas charm that smoothed down her hackles.
I blinked back my tears. Why was he being so nice to me? Guilt pricked my heart sharper than any cactus needles ever had. I certainly didn’t deserve his kindness.
Grandmother began tapping her temple and mumbling about being mellow again. She sighed and sat down. “I’m sorry. Old habits die hard, as they say. I apologize, Willow. Itwasshocking to see a young man waltz in through your front door without so much as a knock.” She gave Cash a pointed look. “But I was wrong to assume anything. I’m very impressed that you’ve maintained a relationship for that length of time. It shows real growth on your part.”
As much as I told myself that Ididn’tneed her approval for the choices I made in my life—today Ididneed it, and it sounded like she was coming back around to my side. I breathed the biggest sigh of relief imaginable. If I’d grown in her estimation, that was half the battle!
“So, how serious are you two? I would imagine that after two years of being a couple, a happy announcement might be on the horizon?”
Couple? We hadn’t said anything about being a couple. She was the one with the college education—she should have known that there were many different kinds of relationships besides romantic ones. But if a long-term romantic relationship was what said “character growth” to her, there would be no changing her mind.
