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This literally can’t get any worse.
“We really need to keep you away from TV and magazines.” Annalise clicked on the app and her name and picture popped up on the screen. “No offense, Gram, but how did you figure out how to do this?”
Her grandma shrugged. “I had your brother help me.”
It just got worse.
“Grandma, no. Dalton knows that you signed me up for a one-night stand app?”
Grandma waved her hand. “Of course not. I told him it was for one of my friends from bridge club.”
“You told him one of the ladies you play cards with every week wanted to be on The Lit Clit app? There’s absolutely no way he believed that.”
Annalise’s grandma crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes. “And why not, young lady? We might be old, but we’re not dead.”
“Grandma, you used my picture and name.”
Her grandma’s features softened slightly. “Yes. That may have given it away.”
“Listen, Grandma, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I’m good.” Annalise forced a smile. “I promise.”
“You’re twenty-seven, dear. If you’re not getting married, you should at least let yourself have some fun.”
“I have fun. I don’t need to…” Annalise shook her head. She couldn’t even say the words out loud. Not in front of her grandma. Even if she was the one orchestrating all of this, it was still weird. “I can find other ways to have fun.”
“Just give it a try, please?” Her grandma gave her the most pathetic puppy dog eyes. “ I’m old. I’m going to die soon. My only wish is for my only granddaughter to experience something new. Is that really so much to ask?”
Shit.
“You’re really going to pull the death card right now? Seriously?”
“You bet your ass I am.” The old woman laughed much louder than the situation warranted.
Honestly, Annalise couldn’t find any reason to laugh right now, unless… “Grandma, are you drunk?”
Her grandma scoffed. “Of course not. I’ve had a few glasses of wine today, but nothing more than usual.”
“After this conversation, I think I’m going to need a few glasses as well .”
“That’s not a problem.” Her grandma slowly started to walk toward her wine cabinet and motioned for Annalise to follow. She stopped just short and pointed at the mirror she was now standing in front of. “I want you to do me a favor. Look in there for me.”
Annalise did as her grandma asked and let herself take in her blonde hair that fell down her back in loose curls and the blue eyes that always seemed to grab people’s attention.
“What do you see?”
Annalise tried her best not to roll her eyes at her grandma’s question. “I see myself.”
Her grandma stood beside her and wrapped an arm around Annalise’s back. “You know what I see? I see a cute little girl with curly pigtails who has grown into a beautiful young woman. You know what else I see?” Annalise shook her head and allowed her grandma to continue. “I see sadness. I don’t see that same sparkle that I did when you were little. I want to see that sparkle again.”
Annalise sighed. Her grandma wasn’t wrong exactly. Annalise couldn’t say she was happy. Content, maybe, but she didn’t have the same zest for life that she used to, and honestly, she had no idea why. She had a good job as an assistant manager at the apartment complex she currently lived in, which was only a few minutes from her parents’ house and within walking distance of her grandma. She was also only about forty-five minutes from her older brother who owned a townhouse with his girlfriend in Philadelphia.
Since she was living in the same small New Jersey town where she grew up, she had a good group of friends. Unfortunately, they were also friends with her ex since they had reconnected after both moving back to their hometown post college, but that wasn’t a big deal. She had meant what she said to her grandma. Grant was nice, and they had ended things very amicably, which was good since they still ran into each other now and then. And if she was being completely honest, the lack of spark her grandma was talking about had been there even before Grant dumped her. If anything, the breakup might have actually brought a bit of that spark back. She had gotten too comfortable with Grant. It was good, but it wasn’t great.
Her grandma was also unfortunately right about the sex. The last year of their relationship, the times they actually did have sex, which wasn’t much, it left a lot to be desired. It was… fine… just like every other part of her life.
“Okay, I’ll do it.” Shit. Why did I just say that? Annalise held a finger in the air. “One girl. If it’s extremely uncomfortable or I don’t enjoy it, I’m done.”
Much to Annalise’s surprise, her grandma held up her hand. “I need you to give me five.”
