"Oh, Harrison!"
Her words rang through the cafe. I watched in frozen shock as my mother strode swiftly down the aisle, her pretty face lighting up in a wide, inviting smile.
My mouth dropped open as I witnessed my petite mom enveloping my nemesis warmly.
My dad came up behind her; his weathered yet handsome face was also stretched in a wide grin. He followed suit with a firm handshake and a slap on the shoulder. Next, my brother, Teddy, proceeded to do some weird side hug fist bump thing.
What in the actual hell…?
"Oh, Gracie!" My mom exclaimed in surprise as if she had forgotten they were meeting me.
"Nice of you to notice me," I muttered sarcastically.
I watched in puzzlement while my dad and brother engaged in football talk with Harrison. What was I, chopped liver? And when did my family start becoming so friendly with Harrison?
My mom giggled as if I were joking before sliding in beside me. She clasped my cheeks in her hands and smooshed them together in affection.
"Mom!" I mumbled between my pursed mouth. I met Harrison's humorous grin over my mom's shoulder, and my cheeks flushed in embarrassment.
"I've missed you so much!" She exclaimed, tears welling her eyes.
Guilt lanced through me at her words. Even though I knew my mom was proud of me and actively encouraged me to pursue my goals—at the end of the day, I was still her baby, and she missed me something fierce.
My parents were busy running their general store, and Teddy had zero interest in traveling, so finding time beyond our weekly video calls to narrow a free block to meet in person was difficult. Coupled with the fact that I would rather walk through hot coals than visit Ashburton for pleasure, it was a wonder we saw each other at all.
But now that I was settled into the workforce, there was no excuse for me not to visit more often. Especially since there was no way my parents and brother would ever move away from Ashburton despite my sending them links to real estate near me.
But even if they did move, Amelia and Liam were still here. Pretty soon, they would be starting a family, and I did not want to miss my best friend's attempts to navigate the terror of parenthood.
Teddy also had a long-term girlfriend, and I knew they were talking about marriage. Soon, they, too, would start their own family, and I couldn't wait to play the role of fun Aunt Grace.
"Sweetheart." My dad leaned across the table to plant a kiss on my forehead. "I am so proud of you," he whispered.
Tears sprung, and I gave him a watery smile. He said those words to me whenever we spoke. "Love you, Daddy."
"Hey, sis." Teddy reached across to affectionately ruffle my dark locks.
"Hey!" I pretended to be outraged as I straightened my hair again. "Watch it, neanderthal," I teased.
Teddy was tall and solidly built with light brown hair. He took after dad in looks, whereas I was darker like mom. Ironically, Teddy had been Mr. Popularity in high school. Sociable, friendly, and sporty. Yet, even though there was a five-year age gap between us and we had zero in common apart from our genes, he and I were super close and texted daily, often communicating in meme wars.
"See, that's why you have no friends. You use words likeneanderthal." He chuckled as he chucked me under my chin.
My smile faltered, and I shifted awkwardly as the air changed. I could feel a dark blush rising on my smooth cheeks. Teddy often joked about my "Megamind," as he called it. His favorite, if not overused, comeback to me was always, "Sorry, I don't speak nerd." I usually rolled my eyes in mock indignation before cracking a comment about him being a knucklehead and dropped too many times as a kid.
However, with Harrison still hovering at our booth—what was he still doing here?—the comment hit a raw nerve. Memories of Harrison mocking me for being a loner and a loser with no friends rang through my mind.
It wasn't Teddy's fault. The timing of the joke just hit me differently with Harrison still standing there.
"Is there something else we can help you with, Harrison?" I bitingly asked.
"Grace Hannah Linwood!" My mother cried in surprise. Even my brother flicked me a questioning frown.
Harrison gave a strained laugh. "It's okay, Mrs Linwood. We were just in disagreement about the bachelor and bachelorette party," he swiftly covered.
"Strippers and beer, isn't it?" Teddy joked and held his hand up for a high five from dad. Hank Linwood stared back formidably at his older son, leaving him hanging.
Teddy lowered his hand and rolled his eyes. "Hey, Harry, you wanna join us—ouch!" Teddy jumped, glaring at me. "Why'd you kick me for?"
