“So it is,” her mother said. “Jayce. I’ve heard about you.”
I wasn’t sure whether a hug or even a handshake would be appropriate, but I took my chance and held out my hand to her anyway, not keen on getting smacked if I tried to hug her and she wasn’t interested. After an awkward moment that went on for far too long, Theresa finally took my hand and shook it.
“We’re happy to be here,” I said. “It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Theresa said nothing to this, just stepped back into the house and opened the door wider for us so we could step in and look around.
The house was cute, if not slightly cluttered and cramped, and bits and pieces of Macey were strewn throughout the house, though a little less than I had expected. Most of the framed photos on the wall were of Macey and another girl, who I could only assume was her twin sister Melanie. God, they looked alike. So similar, in fact, that a shiver ran up my arm as I looked at the photos of the two identical women.
In the living room a man was kicked back snoring in a recliner. He was middle-aged and going bald, with a beer belly that seemed to stretch to his groin. He didn’t stir when we entered, and nobody offered to wake him. I could only assume this was Macey’s father.
“So, how was the hotel?” Theresa asked, walking away from us and straight to the kitchen as she spoke, giving us no choice but to follow her. She was in the middle of baking cupcakes, ones for the wedding, probably, and while the house smelled good, the vibe in general was weird. I felt out of place here, and it was probably because even Macey looked out of place here.
“Please don’t start, Mom,” said Macey, sliding into an empty dining room chair. “Can we just have a nice day?”
“Is it not?” Theresa asked as I sat down next to Macey. She took my hand again, holding it in hers like a lifeline, and I squeezed it back. Theresa puttered around the kitchen, her plump but somehow still intimidating frame taking up the small space of the room.
“How’s Bernice?” Macey asked, trying to change the subject. Theresa shrugged, not looking at us. “She’s sad that Melanie isn’t here. They were close as kids, you know.”
“Yeah, Mom,” said Macey softly. “I know.”
“But she’s good. The man she’s marrying seems like a terrific guy. A lawyer.” Theresa turned on her heel, hands on her hips, to smile at us, but there was something behind that smile that almost made me cringe. “Jayce,” she said sweetly. “What do you do?”
“Jayce is going to school for engineering,” Macey said before I could speak. “Chemical engineering, actually, and he’s on a full ride baseball scholarship.”
“Baseball,” Theresa mused. “Will you be playing sports after college, too, Jayce?”
“I don’t plan on playing sports after college,” I said, surprised that my tone sounded fiercer than I’d meant. “I intend to get into an engineering career that will help support my future family.”
Theresa smiled tightly, her eyes narrowing into tiny slits as she stared at me. After a long moment she looked away from me and at Macey again.
“How’s school?”
“It’s great, Mom.”
“Are you focusing on classes or is your head too consumed with certain men to study?”
“Jesus, Mom.”
“I’m just asking.”
“You know what? I’m going to go upstairs and get ready for the wedding,” Macey said, getting to her feet with a scowl. She pulled me after her, which was a relief because I had no intention in any universe whatsoever to stay in the kitchen and make unpleasant conversation with her mother.
Macey was right. Maybe this would be the true test.
Without saying a word more to her mother, Macey and I headed down the cramped little hallway and up the narrow staircase. In the living-room, I could still hear her dad snoring in his chair, but I didn’t bother asking if we should wake him. In the Britton household, everyone seemed to live like they were in another universe, or something.
“I’m so sorry,” Macey moaned, shoving open a bedroom door to pull me inside. She closed it behind her, and I looked around at what might have once been a teen girls’ bedroom, but that now looked like a bedroom slash storage area.
“Melanie and I shared rooms,” Macey said, crossing the floor to sit down on the bunk bed that sat against the wall. “Most kids hate sharing a room with siblings, but we loved it.” She looked around, reaching for a ragged old bear that had been sitting on the lower bunk, running her fingers over its fur. “Mr. Bear belonged to Mel. She loved this stupid thing.” Throwing the bear aside, Macey got to her feet again and grabbed our bags, tossing them onto the bunk to dig into them for our wedding clothes.
“This is a cute room,” I said, taking her arms between my hands to get her to face me. I forced her to look me in the eye, even though she didn’t want to, and at once I knew why. She was crying.
“I hate it here,” she said, molding into me. She pressed her forehead against my chest and closed her eyes with a sniffle. “This house hasn’t been the same since Melanie. My parents haven’t been the same, and not even I have been the same.”
I lifted my hand to wipe a tear from her face, then kissed her forehead, allowing my lips to linger on her skin for longer than necessary. Macey stayed where she was, against me, taking a deep breath to compose herself.
“I need to get dressed,” she said finally, pulling away. “And so do you. If you want to get through this weekend, the sooner we can get to the wedding and out of my parent’s house, the better.”
