Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70546 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 353(@200wpm)___ 282(@250wpm)___ 235(@300wpm)
“What am I supposed to do? She knew she was leaving. She said multiple times that she knew she was leaving.” She told me that night in the kitchen when she undressed that it wasn’t a permanent thing. I’m not sure either of us knew what was happening except that we wanted each other, and at that moment, it was enough.
“What people say and what they truly mean are two different things.” Granny’s features finally soften, and she looks at me with sympathy.
“So what do I do? She’s probably halfway across the country by now, or at least she has a good start on getting there. Our lives are in two different places. Seven days with someone isn’t enough time to just give all that up and rearrange everything. It would be a big mess. A giant disaster. A terrible—”
“Nina drove across the entire USA to get to you, but you only have to drive twenty minutes to see her.”
I nearly stumble back into the fence, which will give me a barbed wire up my butt for my trouble. Behind me, Herman Merman lets out another big heeee-hawwww like he’s reacting to that bit of news. “What? What are you talking about?”
“She’s still here. Nina is still in town. But even if she wasn’t, she drove across the entire country for you, and she risked giving up everything just to make a point. You don’t think she’d be up to taking a step forward with you when she already trusts you? It might be different, convincing her that you want her to stay since she came all this way to tell you that she didn’t, but I’m sure she’d be open to it.”
Grandma looks sure. That’s the crazy part. She looks like she has a good old ace up her sleeve, and she’s waiting to let if fly. She clearly wants me to ask her. She’s also getting smug, trying to hold back her smile. I have to give in. I can’t take this right now.
“Why do you think that?” If there was ever a question asked damn cautiously, this is it.
Finally, that full granny smile comes barreling out of the gates. “Because last night she called her parents to tell them that she’d be leaving in a few days, heading back out. Then, they called me to confirm, and I didn’t know anything about it. I had to get her motel name from them. I went there first thing this morning and woke her up a second time. She was nice about it, even though I could tell she’d probably just fallen asleep after trying all night. Couldn’t shut off her mind, I bet. Or her feelings. I asked her why she was still in town and what she was waiting for, and she said she needed a few days before she left just in case you changed your mind. If you don’t go for her, she’ll head back tomorrow morning.”
I shouldn’t be surprised. That’s a very Nina thing to do—a wonderful sunshine and rainbows and farts of glitter and sparkles happy pants Nina thing to do.
Still, there’s me. I’m not sunshine and rainbows. I never wanted to be storm clouds or grouchy pants either, but here I am. I feel like I have to be the voice of reason here. I hate that, with my family, I always get shoved into that role, and it makes me feel like a huge douchebag.
“We’ve known each other for only a few days. We’re pretty much two strangers. Even if everything else changed, and there were no contracts, I’m not sure she wants to have anything to do with me past saying goodbye properly.”
Granny looks at me like I’ve just gone and said the silliest thing imaginable, and she’s waiting for how much worse it’s going to get before she tells me to stop being a ninny-head idiot. “Before they meet, every person on this earth is a stranger. I met Nina’s grandma decades ago, and we were strangers then. Look at what a beautiful friendship we’ve had ever since.”
I’m not going to comment on the marriage contract or how my mother and Nina’s mother never got along. I’m not going to. I can be the bigger person. “Mmmhmm.” I nod. “And mom and dad have a great marriage, and they were strangers at one point, but that doesn’t prove anything. Or disprove my point.”
I get a long-suffering sigh in response. “Thaddius.” She says my name like a warning bell blasting out three big toots. Three means business. Three means get the heck out of town while you still can. “I’m going to count to ten, and you are going to get in that rattly old truck you adore and drive to Upperhand. Then, either you are going to say a proper goodbye to that girl, or you’re going to help her figure out a way to stay. Maybe not here, but maybe in Upperhand. Or in town. I know it’s an hour away, and you hate the city and all that, but if she stayed, maybe the drive would be worth it. I’m not saying move in together and get married next week, although that would surely make all of us happy. I know, I know. But not getting married and just dating normally or being friends and seeing where things go would make you happy. Nina too.”