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Chanel sighed, “Yeah, I guess so. Do you think your grandmother will like me?” Chanel peered in the review mirror as she spoke to Aubree.
“You have nothing to worry about. My grandma loves little girls, especially those that love to bake.” Aubree smiled, and her words put Chanel at ease about the dinner. Grant opened their doors and helped them exit the SUV. Grant grabbed Chanel and Aubree’s hands as they made their way up the walkway to the front porch. Aubree decided to make introductions before she was accused of acting like she didn’t have home training.
“Hi, Grandma and Mr. Cyrus. I would like for you to meet Grant Hollings and his daughter Chanel. Grant and Chanel, this is my grandma, Margrett Rogers and her friend, Mr. Cyrus Myers.”
Grant and Chanel stepped up to shake Margrett and Cyrus’ hands. “Thank you for inviting us to dinner.”
“You are welcome. Come on in and have a seat.”
Cyrus directed Grant and Chanel in the house, leaving Margrett and Aubree on the porch. Aubree reached for the door to follow Grant when a hand on her arm stopped her.
“So, you just gon’ walk by me, little girl, and not say nothing? You were raised better than that, so act like it. Just cause that man and his child here don’t give you no right to act like you high flutin’ now!” With arms crossed over her chest, Margrett stood eying Aubree with a mean glare.
“Grandma, we wouldn’t be having this dinner if it wasn’t for Grant. He wanted to talk with you, remember? Not me. You haven’t wanted to talk to me since you slapped the taste out of my mouth. I don’t understand why you require so much of me, but you can continue to behave any way with me. I love you, but you will not continue to punish me for your choices nor my mother’s choices. Yes, you can prepare and warn of all the things that could happen in life, but when you love someone, you love them in spite of what has occurred.”
Aubree held the door open and entered the house as Margrett trailed behind her. Margrett headed to the kitchen to finish dinner without another word to anyone. Grant and Cyrus talked in the living room while Aubree took the time to show Chanel her childhood bedroom. Her whole childhood was on display; trophies, certificates, plaques, ribbons, dance shoes, and pictures of Nova, Ivy and her. Every item in the room had a story and Aubree didn’t mind telling each one. As Grant peeped in on them, a smiled graced his face. It made him happy knowing that Aubree and Chanel had the mother-daughter connection his mother desired. If Katherine would open her eyes, she would see there was no need to continue searching for him a wife. The perfect candidate was with him and Chanel now.
Margrett saw Grant standing at Aubree’s door. Clearing her throat, she got his attention.
“When you get finished stalking them, come to the kitchen ‘cause I want to talk to you.”
Margrett walked back to the front of the house leaving Grant in the hallway. He sighed thinking about this conversation. This was the reason he set up the dinner in the first place, so now was the best time to see where he stood. When he entered, he saw Cyrus sitting at the table and Margrett working at the stove. The aroma from the Sunday meal permeated through the whole house. As soon as they walked in the amazing fragrances of a traditional southern homecooked meal had his stomach rumbling and his mouth watering. He hadn’t had a soul food feast since Mrs. Anderson stopped working for his family.
Before Grant could take a seat, Margrett started interrogating Grant. “What do you want from Aubree? Why her? Out of all the women you probably have in your pocket why Aubree? I know it’s not her proper upbringing that has you so memorized, nor is it because she went to the right schools and has a shit load of money to inherit. Why are you playing with her?” Margrett inquired.
Grant couldn’t understand where the anger was coming from and why it was directed at him. He felt like she was taking her past experiences out on him.
“Let’s get one thing straight; I’m not a player pimp out here running game on women. I am always up front about my intentions in relationships to avoid any miscommunication on the back end. Most importantly, I’m not playing with Aubree nor stringing her along. Aubree has brought love and laughter to my daughter which is something she hasn’t had in a long time. I love Aubree. She is the woman that I have been searching for, for a long time. Her dreams are important to me; I want to see her build the performing arts center with her friend Davis. Our relationship is not a short-term agreement, I plan to have Aubree in our lives as long as she plans to be there.”
“She told you about that…” Margrett stared at Grant as if he had grown two heads before her eyes.
Margrett knew Aubree wasn’t quick to share her dreams or goals with people. Ever since Laquita Jones stole her dance routine for the talent show in 7thgrade, Aubree didn’t share those things she held dear to her heart.
“Yes, she did. One thing you fail to realize is Aubree isn’t the only person who could be hurt in this relationship. Chanel and I would be hurt too if Aubree and I didn’t work out. I’m not sure what has happened in your life, but give Aubree a chance to live and experience her own,” Grant finished, thinking dinner was a bad idea.
Cyrus laughed. “Well, I guess he told you. Ha! May, let these young people live their lives and stop meddling. Aubree is not her mother nor you. She will be fine with this young man and his daughter. Come on with your stubborn ass so we can eat.” Cyrus continued to laugh as he walked out of the kitchen. Grant knew he liked Cyrus for some reason.
Margrett sucked her teeth. “If you hurt my Aubree, you will have hell to pay.” Grant watched her and knew there was more to her story than Aubree knew.
“I hope she has hell to pay if she hurts Chanel and me.”
Grant walked out of the kitchen ready to start dinner so they could return home. During dinner Chanel eased the tension at the table just by being her joyful self. She went on about how she wanted to redecorate her room like Chanel’s room. She shared with Margrett and Cyrus about dance classes, school, and the girls that kept being mean to her. Margrett gave her some unsolicited advice to knock the hell out of one of them one good time and they would leave her alone. Aubree interrupted by telling Chanel there were different ways to handle things, and Margrett reminded her of the time she fought in school. Margrett started revealing tales about Aubree as a child and how much she loved her dad. Grant could tell that was a painful topic of conversation for Aubree because she remained quiet the rest of the meal.
Tired of hearing about her childhood, Aubree started collecting the dishes from the table to bring their time together to an end. It didn’t matter how much she loved her father and awaited his return when he was on the roads, he didn’t love her enough to stay. The same with her mother and Gerald; they hadn’t loved her enough to stay. Grant had to be different from the others. She didn’t want to hear her grandma say ‘I told you so’. Aubree let her mind wander as she put away the food and began to wash the dishes. As she finished up cleaning the kitchen, she noticed Mario and Tone were standing in the driveway. Mario blew her a kiss while grabbing his crotch, and he tapped his watch to signal reckoning time. Clutching the dish in her hand, Aubree began to shake, and her breathing became labored. They were too close to her. Mario didn’t care who saw him now, he just wanted what was due to him. A sudden crash sent Grant, Margrett, and Cyrus running to the kitchen to determine what caused the clamor. Aubree heard someone call her name, but she stood frozen and gripped by fear of what Mario and Tone were about to do.
Grant entered the kitchen first to find Aubree frozen in place staring out the window with shards of the ceramic dish on the floor. Her brown skin had turned ashen pale, and she looked visibly ill.
“Aubree, what are you doing in here tearing up my kitchen?!” Margrett called out to Aubree to get her attention while Grant started picking up the broken pieces of the serving dish. Aubree turned to face them then turned back to the window. Mario and Tone were gone like they disappeared as quickly as they appeared. Aubree ran out of the kitchen to the hall bathroom and Grant followed her. The way Aubree looked when she ran out the kitchen Margrett hoped she was not pregnant. Aubree looked spooked like she had seen a ghost. Grant knew something was up but hoped Aubree would confide in him; trust him enough to help her. Later in bed, Aubree tossed and turned all night, jumping in her sleep. Grant tried his best to soothe her by holding her in his arms until she dozed off again. Neither Grant nor Aubree got much sleep as the presence of the evil got closer to her and the weight of holding a secret that could destroy her world.
Chapter 22
Dawson Falls’ art community buzzed with preparations had begun for the Annual Dawson Falls Arts Festival. Practices for the festival had increased so Aubree and Chanel were spending most evenings at the dance studio for rehearsals. Aubree pushed the dancers to their limits because their performance would be viewed by potential donors for the studio expansion project. Mrs. Dubois kept quite about the expansion plans and didn’t have any plans to share with the teachers until she has secured funding. The expansion project made Aubree think about chasing her own dream. Grant said he was looking into some other funding sources and would let her know the process for securing the funds. He offered to help with funding, but she didn’t want to be dependent upon Grant for her dream. She needed to accomplish this herself and hoped that she could start her performing arts center soon. She was happy for Mrs. Dubois but was ready for her own dreams to come true.
Since the Sunday dinner, Aubree had changed up her regular schedule and routine to ensure Chanel and Grant’s safety. She asked Grant if she could start using the car service since rehearsal schedule would increase, and she still had her other cheer and dance teams she worked with to prepare them for national competitions. Grant agreed since she was gone from early morning to late in the evening. Before, Aubree would wait up for Grant to come home from work to discuss his day. Now, the roles were reversed with Grant waiting up for Aubree to get home. Most nights she was so exhausted she crashed after her shower. They hadn’t had sex in a couple of weeks which was wearing on them both.
Grant waited for Aubree downstairs as she prepared for the day. Mrs. B left the house to take Chanel to school, so he and Aubree had the house to themselves this morning. Aubree strolled in the kitchen gazing at Grant as he finished his breakfast. She thought how blessed she was to have him and Chanel in her life and how she didn’t want to lose them.
“Are you going to just stand there and stare at me, or are you going to come over here and give me a proper greeting?” Grant hadn’t turned around, but he sensed her presence behind him. Aubree walked up behind him, wrapped her arms around his waist, and kissed his neck.
