3
Evrard
I sit across from Tricia, twirling my linguine with my fork, lost in thought. This is our third date, and if things were different, I would say this was going nowhere. And I wouldn't be surprised if she agreed.
But Tanner's wedding is in two weeks, and I am officially desperate.
"Hey. Listen, Trish," I say, and she looks up at me with her doe eyes.
"My grandmother is pretty insistent that I bring a date to my brother's wedding. Uh, it's this month and..." Tricia wrinkles her nose, but I soldier through, "And she's hoping whoever I bring is someone I'm serious about. Uh, listen, I know we don't know each other all that well yet, but I was wondering if you wouldn't mind playing the part of my girlfriend on the spring equinox. That's the day they're getting married. The wedding is going to be at the Sacred Plate."
Before I can continue, she sits up with a delighted gasp.
"Oh, I love that place! It's wicked good," she coos.
"Yeah, um, it is. Well, would you be willing to be my wedding date and just pretend you're my girlfriend with my grandmother?"
"Yeah. Sure," Tricia says with a shrug. "What are they serving?"
"Uh, I'll have to ask," I say, shoving a forkful of linguini in my mouth, relieved that I found a solution to my grandmother-dilemma.
An hour later, I pull up in front of Tricia's apartment building. We say goodnight and briefly kiss before she jumps out of the car and makes her way inside. Driving away, I shake my head, feeling like a bit of an ass. It's obvious neither of us has feelings for each other, and I should have just ended it tonight. But I was honest about what I needed, at least. So Tricia's going in wide-eyed.
And my priority is to make my grandmother happy.
Plus, with her ninetieth birthday in less than two months, I do worry that my time with her is fleeting.
The waiter placesGrandma's western omelet in front of her, grinning at us.
"Enjoy," he says, walking away.
Tanner and I take a bite of our hamburgers as Grandma Blanche dives into the massive breakfast in front of her.
"You know, Grandma, we could've taken you to a higher-end place than this for dinner," my brother says, chuckling as she destroys the omelet.
Swallowing, Grandma furrows her brow at him.
"There's nothing finer than breakfast for dinner, Tanner. Haven't I taught you that?" she quips, and the two of us laugh.
We chat as we eat, Grandma filling us in with all the gossip from her retirement home. When my brother pushes his empty plate away, he elbows me and says, "Did you tell Grandma that you have a date for the wedding?"
She looks over at me with surprise.
"No, he has not! Evrard Boyd, why are you keeping such things from me?" she scolds.
"I wasn't keeping it from you, Grandma, but yes, I have a date for Tanner's wedding."
"Tell me all about this date," she says, placing her elbows on the table and resting her head on her hands.
Tanner snorts, giving me a knowing look. He's well aware that I am bringing someone who I'm totally not into.
"Oh, Grandma, how about we save that for the actual wedding so you can talk to her and get to know all about her," I say, sipping my soda.
Her eyes narrow as she studies me, but then she appears to accept my suggestion and returns to her meal.
An hour later, Tanner and I are walking out of the retirement home after helping Grandma back to her room.
"Hey. I need you to pick up the flowers the day of the wedding," he says as we walk to our cars.
