Shit.
“Nothing, Gran. Just that his house is a lot warmer and kinder than mine, so it’s unlikely he would get that attitude from his parents.”
“But he could get it from your parents?”
This old broad is more perceptive that she looks. She knows I’m hiding something, and I think she even has a pretty good guess at what it is. I blow out a breath and swivel my head around, making sure we’re alone.
“My mother has worked hard my whole life to make sure I never got hurt by trying to have a relationship with someone above my station.” I fold my hands in my lap and look down, suddenly unable to look Gran in the eye. “I know that someone like Johnny would never want to spend his life waking up next to someone who looks like me. I just forgot for a moment. When he told me that my mom was right, that we were on different levels, it was a wake up call. I needed it, but it still hurt.”
A tear falls into my lap. Gran touches my chin, lifting my face so I can see her. “You are perfect the way you are. You deserve love and happiness with someone who loves you wholeheartedly, and who you love the same way.” She wipes my cheeks with a papery-skinned hand. “And your mother sounds like a bitch.”
I choke out a laugh. “Yeah, she is. She is such a bitch.”
“And you know what they say about bitches, right?” she asks.
I shake my head.
A huge grin splits Gran’s face. “Bitches be trippin’”
We both burst into loud laughs.
‘What’s going on in here?” Alex says from the entrance to the hallway. “Are you two skipping dinner or will you be joining us in the dining room? We’ve saved seats for you.” She winks at me and turns around.
Fuck. That means I’m sitting by Johnny.
“Now listen here,” Gran says, grabbing both of my hands. “You are a talented, smart, funny, and incredibly beautiful woman. Johnny would be lucky to have your attention for even one minute, let alone every day for the rest of his life. This is his loss. Not yours.” She pulls me by my hands and squeezes me in her arms. She’s another good hugger, just like Johnny’s mom. “Now, let’s go get some food. It’s like they’re trying to let an old lady starve to death around here or something.”
I pull back from the hug and stand up. “Well, we can’t have that, can we?” I hold my hand out to her. “May I escort you to the dining room?”
Gran pretends to fan herself while she flutters her eyelashes. “Oh my, what a gentleman,” she says in a ridiculous falsetto. “I would love that.”
We walk into the dining room together and, just as I predicted, I am sitting next to Johnny. Just perfect.
“Can we please talk?” he leans over and whispers in my ear.
“Now’s not the time.”
“After?”
“Sure. But not for long.”
I haven’t told anyone yet, but I’m leaving town for a while. When I left Johnny’s place in the middle of the night on Friday, the first thing I did when I got home, besides bringing in the pile of rocks he left for me, was to book a place ticket to Las Vegas. It’s time I take Uncle Silas up on his offer of a place to stay for a visit.
And I’m leaving tonight.
