Whatever the emotion was that he couldn’t – or wouldn’t – express, I gathered it wasn’t anything too deep or depressing, for he eventually grinned. I found myself smiling back at him, unable to resist his charm.
“Are you ready to go?” I asked.
“That depends. Did I pass the mom test?”
“I have a feeling that you’ve won her over, yes.”
“Well, good,” he replied as he threaded his fingers through mine, “because I’m hopelessly in love with her daughter and she’s stuck with me forever.”
The way he made it sound, forever wouldn’t be long enough.
Chapter Thirty
We made a quick detour at a shopping mall on the way to my dad’s house so that I could repair the makeup job I’d done this morning. Actually, it was more like I was starting over from scratch. On Matthew’s advice, I’d washed my face clean before we’d left and I was thanking him now for that little bit of insight. I’d stashed the necessities into my conveniently oversized purse for later.
Now the tools of the trade were scattered across a relatively clean looking sink in a food court women’s restroom. I worked as fast as possible, afraid that someone would come around the corner and get the wrong idea. I knew where my mind wandered when I saw people tending to hygiene in the middle of public facilities; I immediately felt sorry for them and wondered if they had a place to live. I’d already encountered the woman in the pancake place who assumed that when I told Gracie I was homeless that I was staying under an overpass or something. No sense in perpetuating that myth by doing full makeup by where people bought their milkshakes and tacos. At least my hair was virtually impeccable.
My eyes were still slightly red-rimmed and puffy from my crying jag at the cemetery. I did the best that I could with my concealer and eyeliner to draw attention away from that. Time would do the rest and we had about twenty minutes of driving before we’d be at our destination. That should be almost enough time for me to get back to normal.
I prided myself on my decision to leave Blake’s present at home. The scrapbook could wait to be shown off for another day. I loved her gift and was eager to put it on display but I wasn’t about to dissolve into tears yet again today if I could help matters. Besides, with my dad and Gracie taking part in the making of it, they might have even seen the finished product before I had.
Matthew was lounging at one of the tables nearest the bathrooms when I spotted him. He wasn’t looking in my direction and I seized the opportunity to admire him from afar. While doing so, I also noticed other shoppers taking in the sights as well. I really couldn’t blame them, his was the type of beauty that turned heads, including mine. And he paid everyone else no attention, but his eyes practically lit up when they finally met mine.
Feeling like I was on a movie set with the drop dead gorgeous hunk scripted to fall in love with me, I crossed the space between us as if I was floating on air. It would never get old to know that look was reserved for me. I would never tire of the electricity that flowed between us when we touched. It had been there from the very beginning and didn’t show signs of ever stopping.
He was my beginning and end as well.
He stood as I drew closer, then wrapped his arm around my shoulder protectively and escorted me out to the parking lot. Maybe I was imagining things, but I swore that I got more than a couple jealous stares from other girls. So what if it was juvenile? I wanted to shout to the world that I was in love and I didn’t care who knew it.
Funny how I’d never felt that way when I was with Eric.
I navigated him towards my childhood home, my brain automatically calculating the best route to take. As much as I’d been shocked that Gracie had an acute sense of direction and had been able to drive to both Blake and Matthew’s homes without as much as a hint, I was just as talented in Indianapolis. Maybe all roads did lead to home.
Approximately twenty minutes later, just like I’d estimated, we pulled up in Dad’s driveway. The house was a modest brick ranch, excellently maintained. It was what some would have referred to as a starter home, a three bedroom with just enough room for the beginnings of a family. The goal had always been for my parents to move into something bigger when they’d paid off their student loans and gotten better jobs, but it had been perfect for a husband, wife and a baby. When the wife had been erased from the equation, it was all the husband and baby had ever needed. Now was probably too large for just him, but I knew he’d never sell it.
One morning my mother had walked out the door, never thinking she wouldn’t come back that night. Never imagining that she only had a few short hours to live. My father had told me many times that he could still see her gathering up her purse and kissing us goodbye, laughter and smiles all around. This was the last place we’d all been together, the last place we’d been a family. Memories here were overwhelmingly happy and there was no price that would convince him to sign that away.
“So this is it,” I said as he parked the Mustang in front of the garage, “my humble upbringing exposed.”
“I like it,” he said with a shrug, “it looks nice.”
I couldn’t fathom what his parents’ home looked like. I figured it would probably swallow this house whole a couple times over. I supposed I’d never see for myself. The curious part of me wondered if I could find it on my own and maybe convince Gracie to come up and drive past it with me. From the way the siblings spoke, it had to be spectacular.
Gracie had yet to arrive, which wasn’t a big surprise. Even with the trip to the graveyard and the subsequent stop at the mall, we’d still arrived about forty-five minutes ahead of schedule. This meant that Gracie would likely be over in an hour or so. Who was keeping track?
Since I’d moved out, my dad had kept an open door policy. I never had to knock or ring the doorbell and this now also applied to his surrogate daughter as well. Both Gracie and I were accustomed to walking right in and he wouldn’t have it any other way. With his house firmly in the suburbs, he often kept the door unlocked anyway, at least during the daytime. This was a peaceful neighborhood and old habits died hard.
“Hi, Dad!” I called out as I swung open the front door.
I ushered Matthew inside the living room and closed the door behind us prior to receiving a response.
“Gracie,” he called back from what sounded like the kitchen, “you’re early.”
“Very funny,” I deadpanned, knowing he was pulling my leg.
He emerged from the hallway, wiping his hands on a kitchen towel. “Oh,” he said with a smile, still keeping up the joke, “I was wrong. It’s my real daughter. And her real boyfriend.”
“As opposed to my fake boyfriend?” I laughed as Dad engulfed me in a hug.
“Happy birthday, Lauren,” he said seriously.
“Thanks. It has been so far.”
Dad pulled away from me after a moment and addressed Matthew. “Matthew, it’s nice to see you again.”
“You too, Doug.”
My dad extended his hand and Matthew shook it for a split second before it turned into a full on hug as well. I bit the inside of my lip as tears burned my eyes. It warmed my heart to see my dad accept Matthew so openly. I knew that Dad would do his best to make up for my boyfriend’s lack of parental involvement for the past several years. That’s just the kind of guy that he was. He’d done the same for Gracie and I was sure that if Blake would allow it, he would take her under his wing as well.
“Need any help with anything?” I asked as Matthew returned to my side.
Dad shook his head. “Not on your birthday, hon. I’ve got it under control.”
The oven timer dinged and he excused himself to go tend to whatever was inside. I decided to take Matthew on a quick tour; as with my own home, it wouldn’t last more than a couple of minutes. There simply wasn’t that much square footage to go around.
We started where we stood in the living room. The kitchen was off to the right; the bedrooms to the left. We paused briefly at th
e door to my father’s room, then went into what was once mine. It looked just as it had when I’d left home, as if I could come back at any moment and take up residency again. It reminded me of Blake’s room in Matthew’s house, and maybe even my room in hers. Little shrines to the past, as if changing things would take away the memories of what was once there.
“How would your dad feel if he knew you had a boy in your room?” Matthew cracked.
“He’d be fine with it as long as the door stayed open,” I smiled.
He flopped down onto my old bed with a grin. For a split second, his eyes clouded over and I wondered if he was considering what had happened in here with Eric. I didn’t have a whole lot to report on that subject and it shouldn’t have mattered anyway. After all, I’d kept mum on the topic of his experiences since he’d shared the sketchy details on our way to Chris’s that night. But maybe my comparative lack of such cut deeper because it had been more meaningful than the majority of his encounters and he could put a name and face with the culprit.
Impulsively, I shut the door.
“And what would he say now?”
“I don’t know,” I said as I walked over to him, “this has never happened before. But what is he going to do? Ground me?”
I giggled as I slipped out of my sandals and left them by the foot of the bed. The soft carpeting scrunched between my toes as I made my final steps before lying down beside him.
“Something tells me you were never a bad girl,” Matthew mused. He folded his arms over his chest and stared up at the ceiling. I followed suit.
“Why would you say that?” I asked innocently.
He snorted. “Exactly. Let me guess. You were a straight A student. You graduated with honors and probably got – and kept – a college scholarship. For academics, not sports.”
“You’re right so far,” I confirmed, “go on.”
“You were the apple of your dad’s eye. He trusted you immensely. You were probably more responsible than people twice your age. I bet if you and Eric had spent time in here behind closed doors you would have been studying.”
I blushed, knowing he had hit the nail right on the head. “So?”
“I either admire his restraint or laugh in his general direction because he totally missed out on a wonderful opportunity.”
“My money’s on the laughter part.”
“You know me too well.”
In a quick movement he positioned himself so he hovered over me. His legs straddled me, his hands on either side of my head. His arms bore most of his weight so that he didn’t crush me. Something in his eyes led me to believe that his last comment was deeper than it appeared on the surface. His nose brushed mine; I felt his breath against my face.
As he leaned in for the kiss, I found myself wondering if I should take off his glasses. My hands reached up to grab the frames and remove them. I was surprised that they hadn’t fallen off by now.
And then the door opened.
“Hey, lovebirds!” Gracie trilled as she burst in unannounced. “Don’t stop on my account.”
Matthew stood up as quickly as humanly possible and I rose to a seated position. Like two busted teenagers, we both smoothed our rumpled clothing and tried to look innocent. The sad thing was that we really were. If she’d come in five minutes later, that might not have been the case.
“Aren’t you early?” I asked, feeling my face redden.
“Nice to see you, too,” she quipped good naturedly. “So I can’t be anxious to see my bestie? I’m going through a little Lauren withdrawal here. I think this guy over here’s to blame for that.”
She looked pointedly over at Matthew and flashed him one of her signature grins.
“Hi, Gracie,” he said.
She bounced across the room on her impossibly high heels to give him a hug. He looked taken aback by the gesture at first, then decided to just go with it.
“What took you so long?” she asked him as they pulled apart. When he didn’t answer her, she punched him in the arm. He pretended that she’d hurt him, making a big show out of rubbing his bicep.
“Before you injure yourself, why don’t we go see if the food is ready? Or at least if Dad needs help?”
“Fine,” Gracie pouted, “excuse me for beating up your boyfriend.” She squeaked and rubbed her hands together in excitement, her disappointment forgotten in seconds. “It’s just so awesome to be able to say that. And you do remember what that means, dear Matthew?”
He nodded as we filed out of my old bedroom and headed to the kitchen.
“How could I forget?” he responded.
Gracie was in the lead and she spun around without warning. I about ran into her. She giggled and held out her hand towards him, palm upward. I stared at her, having the distinct feeling that I’d missed something.
“Not now, Gracie. After we eat. And don’t think I’m handing over the keys. I’m driving until we get somewhere suitable.”
I cleared my throat to remind them that I was there and had no idea what was going on.
“We had a friendly wager,” Matthew explained.
“Which he lost,” Gracie not-so-tactfully reminded him.
“Which I lost,” he confirmed, “and so I owe her a driving lesson.”
“Can I ask what the bet was?”
“No,” they said in unison.
“Let’s just say that he’s happy that he was wrong. And I’m happier that I was right.”
I shrugged and let it drop.
By the time we made it into the kitchen, Dad had set a multitude of dishes on the counter so that we could serve ourselves buffet style. There was way more food than was necessary for four people and I found myself sorry that I hadn’t insisted that Blake come with us, too. Sure she would have been a little uncomfortable riding down in the backseat of the Mustang, but at least she wouldn’t have been alone all day. I wondered if her excuse about being busy with the shop was just that, said to make me not worry about her.
Dad hadn’t yet gotten out the plates, so Gracie headed over to the cabinet and retrieved them for us. It was obvious that she felt just as at home here as I did. I had a feeling that she and my dad met for dinner often, especially now that I was no longer around to cook for either one of them. Of course, she behaved as if she owned the world, so her acting like she lived here wasn’t out of the ordinary anyway.
Our late lunch slash early dinner consisted of lasagna, a salad and garlic bread. This was one of the first dishes my father had taught me to cook and was a emotional favorite. It almost, but not quite, rated right up there with steak.
Once we had filled our plates high with food, we sat at the small table over in the corner. The home didn’t have a formal dining room and the kitchen had just enough room for a table that seated four. The majority of the time that seating arrangement was adequate; on the rare occasions when we’d had more guests we’d simply pulled folding chairs up to the table and made it work. Dad and Gracie took one side while Matthew and I sat on the other.
Conversation while we ate was polite and pleasant. Dad and Gracie took great care to include Matthew in the discussion, asking him about Blake and work. I was grateful that they didn’t put more emphasis on the fact that this was our introductory outing as a couple. I supposed that it helped immensely that everyone was already familiar with one another, but I wouldn’t have blamed Matthew if he’d been the slightest bit nervous. I snuck glances over at him as he spoke, grateful that he appeared at ease.
We lingered at the table after we’d finished eating, still talking about life in general. Gracie entertained us with a hilarious story about her new neighbors, then the topic switched to my new place. Thankfully no one brought up the last few months; it’s as if they’d never happened. Like life had ceased to exist during that dark period, then started right back up once Matthew and I reconciled. I felt in a way that it had done exactly that.
When we reached a lull in the dialogue, Gracie cleared her throat. I could tell that she was cho
mping at the bit to hold Matthew to his end of the deal. I felt kind of sorry for him. He didn’t know what he was in for, did he?
“Ready?” she asked simply, batting her eyelashes.
“As I’ll ever be,” he replied.
She practically sprang from her chair, leaving her empty plate on the table. As she started to head for the living room to grab her purse, she thought better of it and circled back to clean up after herself.
I waved her off. “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of it.”
“You’re a peach, Lauren,” she gushed.
I shook my head at her. “You two go have fun.”
Matthew snorted as he rose from his own seat. “If we can call it that.”
“And be safe!” I called out after them as they headed out the front door.
“Yes, mother!” Gracie retorted with a laugh.
I laughed, too, as I collected everyone’s plates and took them to the sink. The one thing my childhood home lacked was a dishwasher. When I had lived there, it was my task as soon as I was old enough to be trusted. Considering it was usually just the two of us, the chore hadn’t taken long most nights. I instinctively plugged one side of the sink and started filling it with hot, soapy water, ready to assume my duty. I didn’t mind; I’d always found there to be something therapeutic about hand washing the dishes.
“What’s that all about?” Dad asked, motioning to the front door.
“Beats me,” I said with a shrug, “something about a bet. I’m sure it involves me somehow. But they’re not telling. She’s a good negotiator, though, if she got him to agree to let her drive that car.”
“You’ve driven it, right?”
“Yes, but that’s different.”
Dad grabbed a towel and stood beside me. As I handed him a clean dish to dry, I contemplated the discussion Blake and I had had so long ago. The night that he’d let me take the Mustang out on the interstate, she’d made a huge deal about it. I’d fired back that I was sure that she’d driven it before, and she had said the exact same thing to me.
Shattered Page 29