“Before I embarrass myself anymore, first let me ask if you’re still up for doing this, Ren. I totally understand if you’re not. Honestly, I’ve been waiting for Vicky to call me and yell at me in Italian.” I stood and walked around, too nervous to sit any longer.
“Wanna know a secret? She’s making you sweat it out,” she whispered.
Why does that sound so attractive? It’s got to be the Italian.
“I would expect nothing less. She’s quiet-ish most of the time, but I think she’s hiding a firecracker under all that sweetness.”
“You have no idea.” Her words made me even more nervous about game night. “And to answer your question, yes, I’m still willing to do this for you. Vicky and I went over all the pros and cons. The biggest thing was making sure your grandmother doesn’t get hurt.”
I stopped pacing, my breath caught in my throat. “That’s, ah, very kind of you to have her well-being in mind. Means a lot to me. And this is why I know it will be fine. Grammy will love the idea that I’m looking, or should I say, exploring the idea of finding someone. Meeting a woman like you will give her hope that I can do that.” My throat tightened, making it hard to finish. “Even after. You know.”
Ren was quiet, so I pulled the phone away from my face to be sure the call was still connected. She spoke just as I confirmed it was. “That’s so thoughtful of you to want to give her that peace. You, Mike Walker, are a very good man and incredibly sweet.”
“Ah, that’s very kind of you to say.” I cleared my throat, hoping to clear the emotions I was feeling. Those words had been said to me by a dozen women, but it was always just in flirting. They never took the time to get to know me past that. Ren saying it felt different.
“So, what’s the plan? And what details do we need to work out?”
“Well, I already explained what I told her about meeting you on the video call,” I said sheepishly. Basically just that we talk whenever we have time with the time zone thing and that you’re here on a long vacation to hang out with Vicky and, well, to see me.”
She was quiet for a few moments. “Ah, won’t she think it’s a bit serious if I came all the way here to meet you in person?”
“No. Maybe. But the vacation and seeing Vicky will tame that down, I hope.”
“Okay then. When should we go together to meet her?” she asked. It calmed my nervous heart to hear her sound not only calm, but willing. There was no hesitation in her voice.
“I see her almost every Saturday. I know Vicky probably has plans for you, so we can work around that. Sorry to ask for it to happen so soon, but it’s been days since I told her about you, and she’s broken her previous record for how many times she could call or text in a day,” I answered, hoping I didn’t sound desperate.
Ren laughed lightly. “Well, Vicky and I have seen each other every morning and evening since I arrived. Then we’re all doing game night together. Something tells me Miles would be just fine with having her all to himself for a few hours.”
My smile couldn’t get any bigger. Her kindness continued to shine through. Thinking of others seemed to be a part of her personality.
“Great. So, we navigate the madness that’s sure to come our way tomorrow with our crazy friends first, then Grammy won’t seem so daunting.”
“Nah, it’ll be fine. I overheard Vicky telling Miles it would be teams this time, and I’m claiming you. Got to see how good you really are up close and personal,” she said in a teasing tone.
If my erratic heartbeat at a simple phrase was what was in store for me, I had no idea what spending most of the weekend with her was going to do. Everything in me wanted to prepare to be the best and funniest partner she’d ever had. And yet, something inside me wanted more than anything to show her the real me, not just what everyone expected.
My grandfather’s words came back to me as we hung up.
Your heart will know it’s home, Mikey. It will just know.
I rubbed my chest and shook my head. I think Grandpa was right.
When I walkedinto Luke and Sofia’s house the next night, I greeted them with a hug. I knew Ren wasn’t there yet because Miles’ car wasn’t parked out front. That gave me a few more minutes to rein in my excitement at seeing her again. I waved my hands in the air and said to my friends, “Go on, get it out of your system before she gets here.”
Luke was suppressing his laughter behind his water bottle. “You do you, boo.”
I shook my head at my ridiculous friend. “Sof, anything you want to say?”
“Nope,” she answered, accentuating the “p”. “I’m just glad to be here for the entertainment. Besides, it could go one of two ways. Grammy could figure it out and hammer you with her huge purse, or you and Ren could fall in love.” She shrugged. “Eh, I’m good with either one, but I wouldn’t mind seeing Grammy knock you out for tricking her.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, friends,” I sneered, walking into the kitchen where Niko and Leyla were setting out trays of snacks.
When I hugged him, he pulled back quickly. “What’s that smell?” he asked, sniffing around me.
I checked my pits, a worried look on my face. “What do you mean? Do I stink? I showered.”
“No, but you’re strong. How much cologne did you put on?” His face was screwed up like I’d been nailed by a skunk.
