AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Nana, I stopped growing in the ninth grade.”
“You’re parting your hair differently.”
“Nope. It’s the same.”
She taps her fingertips to her lips, then snaps her fingers. “You’re gay and coming out of the closet.”
“Ha-ha, Nana. I never had to come out of the closet because you already knew.”
She squeezes my biceps and giggles. “I knew the moment you begged me to crochet you a yellow vest with the white daisies and big purple buttons like the one I had.”
“I loved that vest.”
“All right, well, I can’t figure out what’s different, so let’s get inside before this horrid sunshine burns you to a crisp with your red hair and delicate skin. You certainly don’t want to add more freckles to that collection.”
I roll my eyes when she turns to walk up her front path. “I barely have any freckles because you used to put zinc oxide on my face and a big bucket hat on my head whenever we went out. No wonder I was such a dorky kid.”
“You were adorable. Remember when you begged me to perm your hair when you had the mullet in eighth grade?”
“Nana, we don’t talk about those dark days. I’m still mad you gave Kiki a picture.”
She peers at me over her shoulder and pauses. Her smile falters as she waits for me. “I know what’s changed, Thomas Jean. You’re sad. Oh, my heart.” She rubs her hand in a comforting circle on my back. “I’ve got the margarita machine out for Margarita Mondays. How about I whip us up a batch and you can tell me all about it?”
“But Nana, it’s eleven thirty.”
“So?”
“And it’s Saturday, not Monday.”
“Who made you the margarita police? My house, my rules. If you don’t like it, you can go stay at the hotel down the road.”
I smile at the memory of her saying that phrase when I first went to live with her. “Okay, if you insist.” I drop my bag in her guest room and gaze longingly at the bed. I’d give anything to crawl under the cool cotton sheets and sleep for days.
The sound of ice crunching and Nana humming from the kitchen snaps my attention.
Walking over to the sliding-glass doors in her kitchen, I push on the handle and take a deep breath of the salty air. The ocean breeze gently blows on my skin and ruffles my hair. “You’re so lucky to be living in your dream house, Nana.”
Nana was a dance instructor in Albuquerque when my grandfather passed away from a heart attack, leaving her with a sizable inheritance. Grandpa was the love of her life and left a big hole in her heart that I helped fill when I came to live with her a year later. Losing her husband and then her only child a year later had to be painful for Nana, but she never let me see it.
“I am very fortunate and count my blessings every day. Now come over here, have a seat, and tell me what happened. You said you and Connor are fine. Did you and Kiki get into a spat?”
“No.” I sip the tart, icy liquid. The salt-rimmed glass cuts the tang of the tequila. “Ooh, this is delish. You always make the best lime margaritas, Nana.”
“I’ll make mango ones while you’re here. Jerry loves them.”
“Who is Jerry?” I raise an eyebrow. “I thought you said his name was Henry?”
“Now, Thomas, don’t change the subject.” She sets out a bowl of chips and salsa. “Continue.”
“Well, you know how Connor and I agreed to start the baby process?”
“Yes,” she says cautiously, taking the seat across from me at the table.
“We agreed to hire a surrogate because adoption could take ages. We found the most amazing woman named Penny. She loved rollerblading in her bikini, she loved sparkles and life…”
“She sounds wonderful.” Nana’s eyes glitter with interest.
“She bailed on us, Nana. I paid for her to move to Nashville, bought her a plane ticket, and she never showed up. Said she was suddenly pregnant with her boyfriend’s baby.”
