Now & Grim: A Grimlock Family Short

by Amanda M. Lee

  Maya was so excited over the prospect of a double date that I convinced myself it wouldn’t be awful. I dutifully changed into khaki shorts and a polo shirt – ignoring the derisive looks Braden and Redmond tossed me when I exited my bedroom – and grinned when I saw the dress Maya wore as she twirled in front of the antique hallway mirror. It had spaghetti straps, which showed off her sculpted shoulders, and the skirt twirled and fluttered just below her knees.

  She looked happy. That made me happy … mostly. I still would’ve preferred a quiet night alone, but she rarely gave me grief for the wild life I lived so I refused to be a downer.

  “They’re supposed to meet us at the front of the park,” Maya noted as I parked my car and pocketed the keys. “I hope we manage to find them.”

  To my utter surprise, the park was packed with people. Most of them were markedly older than us, but I assured myself that wouldn’t be an issue because … well, because Maya was looking forward to the evening. I simply wouldn’t let it be an issue.

  “We can always text them,” I reminded her, linking my fingers with hers as we started across the parking lot. “Aisling will have her phone with her.”

  “Yeah, but you saw her phone earlier. She had like fifty text messages she hadn’t answered. I don’t even know how she can do that. The second I get a text message I answer it.”

  Maya is an easygoing soul, for the most part. She has a few Type A personality quirks that occasionally throw me for a loop, though. She’s also big on politeness, which makes it baffling when she gets along with my family. We idle at rude … and mean … and sometimes downright nasty. She accepts all of it without offering up a word of derision. Sometimes I think she must be an angel or something, because I’m not sure I’d put up with my family if genetics didn’t force it upon me.

  “Aisling has theatrical people in her life,” I pointed out. “If you had to deal with Jerry on a daily basis, you’d start ignoring text messages, too.”

  Maya balked. “I love Jerry. He’s wonderful.”

  “He is wonderful,” I agreed. In addition to being Aisling’s lifelong best friend, Jerry was also involved with my brother Aidan. When the relationship first started, I had my doubts about the intelligence associated with the pairing. Aidan is more low-key than Jerry, after all. But they seem happy, so we’ve settled into something of a comfortable family routine. Very little is different about Jerry’s constant presence other than the fact that he and Aidan hold hands at dinner and Aisling makes constant noises about Aidan trying to steal her best friend. Of course, Jerry makes those same noises about Griffin, so it’s something of a vicious circle.

  “I would never say Jerry is anything other than wonderful,” I added. “He’s just a lot of work.”

  “Aisling seems to like that work,” Maya pointed out. “They’re very close.”

  “Yes, but they live and play together, which makes for very little down time. I can understand why Aisling would ignore the occasional text message.”

  Instead of agreeing, Maya narrowed her eyes. “All those times you don’t respond to my texts right away and claim you’re working, are you ignoring them?”

  Uh-oh. Maya was pretty much the only serious relationship I’d ever embarked upon – making me a newbie of sorts when it came to gauging her mood – but I wasn’t a total idiot when it came to women. “Of course not.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive. I’m always excited when you text. When I’m finished with a job and open my phone I’m always excited to see something from you waiting for me.”

  Maya relaxed and smiled. “Good. I’m excited when you text, too.”

  “Now when Aisling texts, on the other hand, I always ignore her.”

  Maya chuckled, the sound low and inviting. “Yes, well, she usually texts because she’s in trouble. I can see why you’d want to ignore that.”

  That was true. Aisling did text when in trouble. What wasn’t true was that I ignored her texts. I often tended to return Aisling’s texts before Maya’s simply because my sister collects trouble like most women do earrings. I knew better than admitting that to Maya, though.

  “That’s what happens when you date a reaper.” Maya was in on the big family secret – that we were grim reapers and collected souls – and she’d adjusted to the news rather quickly. I wasn’t sure she would, and was nervous about opening up, but the ease with which she absorbed the life-changing admission made me adore her even more than I already did. “Trouble often comes calling … especially when Aisling is around.”

  “Well, I hope we don’t have any trouble tonight.” The look Maya shot me was pointed. “This is supposed to be a relaxing double date.”

  “When do I ever cause trouble?”

  “You rarely do,” Maya conceded. “Aisling, on the other hand, can’t seem to help herself. I want Griffin to have a good time tonight because he had a long week at work. That means you’re in charge of making sure Aisling doesn’t find trouble.”

  Oh, well, that wasn’t impossible or anything. “I’m not Aisling’s keeper.”

  “No, but Griffin spends all his time at work and helping Aisling. I want him to relax tonight.”

  Griffin was my sister’s first serious boyfriend. She’d had dalliances over the years, but most chose to flee because of her attitude. Okay, technically Dad’s attitude – and well, her brothers’ attitudes, too (yes, including me) – didn’t help the situation. Griffin chose to stay despite the overbearing Grimlock genes. It made me like and admire him.

  “I don’t think you have to worry about Griffin,” I noted. “He’s not the shrinking violet type. If he’s agitated and wants to do something specific, he’ll tell Aisling.”

  “She’s not much of a compromiser.”

  I stared Maya down for a long beat. “Wait … do you not like my sister?”

  Maya was horrified by the question. “I like your sister a great deal. I happen to love my brother, though, and he sounded beat when I talked to him earlier. That’s why I suggested a double date in the park. I knew that would be relaxing.”

  Things snapped into place in my head. I should’ve realized Griffin was the last person who would suggest attending a Shakespeare in the Park event. Maya had forced him into agreeing to come, too. This wasn’t for Griffin as much as it was for her, and she clearly wanted to share it with a group, which is why she manipulated all of us into attending.

  I didn’t know what to make of that.

  “Well, I will have a talk with Aisling,” I offered, hoping that would appease her. “I’m sure she’s willing to be a good girl for Griffin’s benefit.” At the very least I knew I could bribe her to behave. My sister could be bought off for the right price … and that price usually included extra days off work. “I’ll make sure she’s aware of how tired he is.”

  “She probably already knows,” Maya mused. “I bet she wouldn’t have thought to bring him to a Shakespeare event. I’m glad I saw the flyer at work. I had an easy solution ready.”

  “Yeah. I’m glad you did, too.”

  I paid for our tickets and directed Maya toward the food truck area. She put up an argument.

  “I said we would wait by the front,” Maya reminded me. “They won’t be able to find us if we’re not there.”

  I didn’t believe that for a second. “Yeah. Aisling is a Grimlock.”

  “So?”

  “So she’ll follow her nose to the food. Trust me. She’ll show up there. You have nothing to worry about.”

  Maya cast a final worried look over her shoulder. “Well, if you’re sure.”

  SURE ENOUGH, WE WERE barely in front of the first truck when I heard a familiar voice.

  “If we’re going to have to sit through people talking like morons, I’m going to need alcohol and a ton of sugar,” Aisling complained.

  I looked to the right and found her standing next to Griffin, their hands joined as they stared at the menu.

  “I was thinking whiskey and elephant ear
s,” Griffin suggested.

  “They don’t have hard liquor,” Aisling complained, her long hair swept behind her shoulders. “I asked when we bought the tickets. They only have beer and wine … and I’m betting it’s like Bud Light and whatever cheap wine comes in boxes.”

  Griffin slid her an amused look. “Something tells me you’ll still drink it.”

  “Oh, I’ll drink it. If we have to listen to Shakespeare nonsense, I’ll totally drink it. I want chicken strips, fried pickles and ice cream to go with the elephant ear.”

  I pressed my lips together to keep from laughing as Maya glared holes into Aisling’s profile. My sister clearly hadn’t registered our presence, and it was too late for Aisling to go back in time and become a person who didn’t say whatever was on her mind.

  “There you guys are,” Maya said smoothly, tempering her anger with a fake smile. “I thought we might miss you by coming here because we’d agreed to meet by the front, but Cillian thought you would be here … and it looks as if he was right.”

  If Aisling was bothered by our sudden appearance, she didn’t show it. “We’re loading up on junk food. I’m not sure how this works. It looks like they have three stages. How are we supposed to know which play to watch if they have three different shows going on at once?”

  “We pick which story we want to see,” Maya answered. “Tonight we can choose between Macbeth, The Taming of the Shrew or Romeo and Juliet. I vote for Romeo and Juliet. It’s a love story for the ages.”

  “I vote for The Taming of the Shrew because that’s how I got my girlfriend,” Griffin teased, poking Aisling’s side.

  “You don’t want to see Romeo and Juliet?” Maya looked disappointed. “Okay, well, whatever you want is fine.”

  I opened my mouth to say we all would be happy to sit through Romeo and Juliet, but Aisling beat me to it.

  “Didn’t everyone die in Romeo and Juliet?”

  Maya nodded. “They died for love.”

  “That doesn’t sound very uplifting.” Aisling scratched the side of her nose. “I don’t see how it’s romantic for both halves of a couple to die.”

  “Have you even read the play?” Maya challenged.

  Aisling shook her head. “I saw that Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio movie. And it all happened because she was an idiot and couldn’t tell her parents to stuff it. All she had to do was say ‘I love Romeo. If you don’t like it, bite me.’

  “Instead she faked her death but didn’t tell the guy who would be crushed by it,” she continued. “He sneaks in, gets all crybaby and weepy, and kills himself. Just as he’s dying, she wakes up, sees what’s happening, and kills herself. How is that a love story?”

  The way Maya bunched her hands at her sides told me that we might have a fight scene of our own to contend with if we weren’t careful.

  “I think it sounds like the most romantic story of all time,” I argued. “You can sit through it and enjoy it.” My words were laced with warning, and Griffin recognized my serious tone before Aisling did.

  “Romeo and Juliet is fine,” Griffin agreed, putting a hand to Aisling’s elbow to prod her to his way of thinking. “You’ll be so sugared up you won’t care.”

  Aisling didn’t look convinced, but she ultimately nodded. “Fine. But I want tons of food and wine. I want to get blitzed so I can take advantage of you later.”

  “That’s my demure flower,” Griffin teased. “Come on. We’ll get food and find a good place on the lawn for the show. This is going to be … fun.” He said the words, but I could tell he didn’t mean them. Maya had clearly browbeaten him into coming, too.

  It was definitely going to be a long night.

  MAYA HAD THOUGHT AHEAD and brought a blanket, which was good because otherwise Aisling would’ve done nothing but complain about bugs running over her legs for the duration. Once the blanket was spread over the ground, Aisling and Griffin took one side while Maya and I took the other.

  The play was already starting before Aisling had made her way through a quarter of her food.

  “I don’t get why they’re fighting,” Aisling said after watching the well-choreographed sword interplay for thirty seconds. “This is all basically a mob war with swords, right?”

  “And star-crossed love,” Griffin replied, biting into a fried pickle.

  Aisling’s expression projected a healthy dose of skepticism. “Do you believe in that? Star-crossed love, I mean.”

  Griffin shrugged. “Sure. Why not?”

  “But that essentially means there’s only one person for everyone,” Aisling pressed. “What happens if you never meet that person?”

  “I don’t know if I’d take it that far,” Griffin clarified. “I’m not sure that I believe there’s only one person for everyone.”

  “You don’t?” Maya made a face. “I believe in soulmates.”

  “I didn’t say I didn’t believe in soulmates,” Griffin said. “I just don’t think it’s how movies and books tell us it is. I think when you meet someone, fall in love to the point where they’re it for you, then you kind of fashion your own soulmate.”

  Aisling dipped a chicken strip in ranch dressing. She wasn’t a dainty eater in the slightest and didn’t hesitate to mow through the food. Maya, on the other hand, only nibbled on a few things. “So you don’t believe things are destined … or you do?”

  Griffin tilted his head to the side as he considered the question. “I don’t know. I believe I was meant to meet you … and fall in love with you. I can’t imagine my life if I didn’t. That’s the only answer I really have.”

  Aisling smiled. “It’s a good answer.” She wrinkled her nose as she leaned forward and gave Griffin a flirty kiss. “I think you’re destined for some fun later.”

  “Yay.” Griffin returned the smile. “It sounds like I’m going to have a good night.”

  I averted my gaze so I didn’t have to watch my sister and her boyfriend talk about sex in front of me – What? She’s still eight when I look at her sometimes and I can’t help it – and focused on the stage. Even though I wasn’t a huge Shakespeare fan, I had to admire the choreography as several characters sparred with one another. It was inspired.

  “This is kind of nice.” I put my arm around Maya’s shoulders and smiled as she rested her head against my chest. She was warm and cuddly, and it was a beautiful night.

  I risked a glance at Griffin and Aisling and found them stuffing their faces rather than focusing on the performance. I had a feeling that wouldn’t go over well with Maya if they continued.

  “Hey.” I flicked Aisling’s arm to get her attention. “Pay attention.” I inclined my chin toward the stage.

  Aisling let loose an exaggerated eye roll but shifted so she at least faced the stage. I doubted very much she was paying attention. At least she could fake it this way, though. That was all I would probably get out of her.

  I turned my eyes back to the stage, trying to remember the characters I hadn’t read about since high school. I knew the one character’s name was Mercutio, but the other’s identity escaped me. Both rambled about something or other – I honestly wasn’t keen on the story – and I focused my attention on rubbing Maya’s shoulder. She looked happy and at peace, which was good enough for me.

  Then I felt Aisling stiffen beside me and I spared her a glance. She was focused on the stage, her expression quizzical … and bordering on alarmed. “What?”

  “That looks extremely realistic.”

  “What does?” I looked back to the stage and widened them when I realized one of the characters was down, the other hovering over him with a look of abject terror on his face. “Huh. That isn’t right, is it?”

  Maya’s answer was drowned out by a scream.

  “Omigod! He’s been stabbed! Someone call the police!”

  And just like that, our simple night of Shakespeare in the Park turned into so much more.

  3

  Three

  I got to my feet as if in slow motion, my sense
s dulled by confusion. Aisling cast me a surprised look, the same silent message passing between us, but we didn’t get a chance to give voice to the obvious question because Maya and Griffin sprinted toward the stage, leaving us behind.

  “I think we just nailed why they’re the heroes,” I muttered, grabbing Aisling’s elbow so I could keep her in front of me.

  Aisling raised an eyebrow but otherwise remained quiet, watching with keen-eyed interest as Maya immediately dropped to her knees on the stage and began rendering aid.

  “This is bad,” Griffin noted, furrowing his brow as he studied the wound. “This is really bad.”

  “It is,” Maya agreed. “Someone call 911 and get an ambulance here,” Maya barked. “We need to get this man to a hospital.”

  “I’m calling right now,” one of the other actors offered, his voice cracking. “I’ll get them here right away.”

  “Good.” Maya’s voice was authoritative and firm. I’d only seen her in action once or twice – the first time when Griffin was in the hospital so I was distracted by other things – but I couldn’t help being impressed by her poise. She even played nursemaid to me once when I was sick, but that was sexy rather than impressive.

  Wait … now wasn’t the time to let that distract me.

  “Aisling, grab that towel over there behind that stage wall,” Maya ordered, pointing. “We need to apply pressure to stop the bleeding.”

  Aisling acquiesced without a word, handing Griffin the towel when she returned. He took it, but the look he shot her was curious.

  “Why are you giving this to me?”

  “You’re a cop, and you know how I feel about blood,” Aisling replied.

  “Yes, it’s only good when it’s being used copiously in horror movies,” Griffin said dryly, pressing the towel against the man’s chest as Maya started compressions. “I thought you’d want to help.”

  Aisling merely shrugged. She refused to take on Griffin’s rather obvious dare. “You’re the police officer. This is your job.”

  “And you handle the dead,” Griffin pointed out, keeping his voice so low only Aisling and I could hear. “I’d think you’d be used to this.”