by B. B. Hamel
“I’m sick of stumbling around random dives with you,” Calvin cuts back. “Plus, you just don’t want to go there because Jace embarrassed you.”
I smile placidly as Eric glances in my direction before looking back at Calvin. “Listen, you skinny asshole—”
Piper cuts him off. “If you two don’t stop arguing, I’m going to fire you both.”
I laugh softly as they look up at her. “Tell that to him,” Calvin says.
“You fucking—”
Piper cuts Eric off again. “I’m not kidding. I can’t keep babysitting you two idiots. Work it out, get over it, I don’t care what you do. Just shut up.”
They go silent and I grin at them. I’m proud of Piper for finally giving them the business. These two morons are going to keep fighting unless she does something drastic to make them cut it out, and I think threatening to fire them is probably what’s needed.
In the end, we go back to the hotel, and the crew decides to split up. Grant disappears into his room while Calvin and Eric go their separate ways. I head up to the room I’m sharing with Piper and take a quick shower, rinsing off and getting changed.
Piper comes in a few minutes later and watches as I pull some clothes on. “Where are you off to?” she asks as she’s setting up her laptop.
“Got some business,” I say.
She frowns as she fiddles with the plug, finally slotting it in. “I don’t like the sound of that.”
“It’s perfectly innocent, I promise.”
She raises an eyebrow. “Is anything innocent with you?”
I sigh and turn to her. “I’m visiting my grandmother. Is that innocent enough?”
She blinks at me and bursts out laughing. I grumble a little bit, finishing getting dressed as she follows me into the bathroom.
“Your grandmother? For real?”
I shrug, rinsing off my face. “For real. She leaves in the northeast, I figured I’d stop by while I’m in town.”
She clearly doesn’t believe me, but fuck it, whatever. I don’t care, it doesn’t matter. I really am visiting my damn grandmother, it just sucks that nobody ever believes me when I say I’m doing perfectly normal, innocent shit.
“Okay then, if you’re visiting your grandmother, how about I tag along?”
I hesitate a second. “You want to meet my granny?”
“Sure, why not? I mean, since you’re going and all. I can tag along.”
I sigh. I know she’s trying to catch me in something, but she’s not going to be excited by this. “Okay then. Let’s go.” I hustle out of the bathroom and toward the door.
“Wait, just a second.” She grabs her bag and fixes her hair quickly in the mirror before nodding. “Good. I want to make sure I’m presentable for Granny.”
I roll my eyes and grin to myself as I push open the door, Piper on my heels.
11
Piper
The Uber drives up through the city, cutting out onto a highway that skirts along the main river, and ends up north somewhere. The area looks slightly more suburban, but the houses are still packed tightly together and the streets are still narrow. This is probably one of the oldest suburbs in the area, and back in the day people still modeled their hoses after Philly rowhomes.
Jace’s grandmother lives in a little neighborhood off a main road full of brick-front rowhomes, each with a garage, a little basement, and a little backyard. We walk up her stoop, Jace in the lead, and he knocks on the door.
Granny answers a few seconds later. She’s wrinkled but bright-eyed with curly, fluffy white hair and pink painted fingernails. She pulls the door open, a wide smile on her face.
“Jace, honey,” she says as he hugs her gently and kisses her cheek. “You found me.”
“Always, Granny,” he says.
Her sharp blue eyes flick up and down. “You’re still covered in those tattoos,” she tuts.
“Turns out I can’t clean them off.”
She gives him a look. “Your mouth is gonna get you in trouble.”
“Already has.” He grins and kisses her cheek again and she’s smiling proudly. Her gaze finally comes to me.
“Who’s this?”
“Granny, meet Piper, she’s the producer of my new show.”
“Hello, Mrs…” I trail off, realizing I don’t know her name.
“Call me Granny, honey,” she says, pulling me in for a hug. She smells like lemon and mothballs. “Everyone does. I think I forgot my real name.”
Jace grins at me as I laugh. She hustles the two of us inside. The front room has a television against one wall, a set of stairs leading up, a couch across from the TV, a coffee table, a bookcase filled with knick-knacks, and an easy chair. We follow her through a dining room and into her little kitchen where she makes us sit down as she bustles around at the refrigerator.
“You don’t have to bother yourself, Granny,” Jace says. “Really, we’re fine.”
“Nonsense,” she says, pulling three cans of Bud Light from the fridge and cracking them open. “Now we’re all right.”
Jace laughs and takes his beer. She hands me one and I take it as well as she takes a big sip of hers and sits down across from us.
“So, Jacey boy, what’s new?”
Jace glances at me, daring me to say something, and back at his Granny. “Not much,” he says. “The new show is filming and we did a bit about North Philly.”
“Oh, honey, you went around there?” Granny makes a face. “It’s so dangerous. Back in my day, people were more polite.”
“Yeah, I bet they were.”
She sighs. “Okay, they weren’t. People have always been assholes, but what do you expect? Blacks never had a shot, especially not around here.”
I blink a little bit, surprised to hear such a progressive thought from an old white woman but I know that’s not fair. I shouldn’t assume every old white person is racist. That’s just as bad as being a racist myself. Well, maybe not quite, but still, not a great look.
I sit back as Jace and his grandmother chat idly about their lives, mostly focusing on what he’s been up to. It’s interesting to see him interact with her, and I have to admit, it’s hard to picture Jace as the kind of guy that would sit around and chat with his grandmother like this. In fact, it’s hard to imagine him with a grandmother at all, like he sprang out fully formed from an egg somewhere and started snorting coke and being an asshole immediately.
That’s stupid, of course. We all have a history, every single one of us. We’re all complicated, a mixture of what happened to us and what we think about what happened. Nobody goes through life without a past.
“How are the ladies?” Jace asks her.
“Oh, fine. Florence passed recently, which was sad, but the old bird’s been smoking for forty years, so what do you expect?”
Jace shrugs a little. “She hung on there for a while, didn’t she?”
“Eighty-three,” Granny says, nodding. “Cancer in the end. What we all have to look forward to, I expect.”
“Not you,” Jace says. “You’ll go down in a blaze of glory.”
“Of course, sweetie. I’m already planning my bank heist as we speak.”
“That’s my girl.” He finishes his beer and fishes another one from the refrigerator. He sits back down as Granny sips her drink and looks at me.
“You’ve been quiet,” she says. “What’s your story?”
I hesitate a second. Jace laughs. “You don’t have to answer her.”
“Yes, she does,” Granny says. “She’s a stranger in my house, she plays by my rules.”
I laugh nervously as the old woman’s intense gaze meets mine. “I’m from Texas. My parents still live there.”
“Texas? How’d you meet this one?”
“We went to college together.”
She snorts a little laugh. “College, I remember that. How long did you last, Jacey boy?”
“One semester,” he says, almost proudly.
Granny shakes her he
ad. “Of course. Honey, Jace is smart, but he doesn’t want you to know it. He’d rather pretend he’s all big and tough when really, he’s still the little boy that pooped his pants in my backyard one day and cried for hours about it.”
Jace winces at that story. “I was three,” he says in his defense.
“Way too old.” Granny wags a bony finger at him. “In my day, you would’ve been tougher.”
“I’m glad I didn’t grow up in your day, then.”
“Probably for the best. You would’ve gotten your legs blown off in the war or something awful.” She turns back to me, head cocked. “Are you one of the hearts he broke, sweetie?”
I gape at her and Jace sputters on his beer. “Granny!”
“What?” she asks. “You think I don’t know?”
“That’s just not a question you ask someone.”
“I know that,” she snaps. “I’m old as dirt, you think I care?”
I stare at her and burst out laughing. Jace follows suit and Granny smiles, her eyes shining. She’s clearly sharper than people give her credit for, or at least she’s sharper than I thought she’d be.
“It’s a hard question,” I admit finally.
“That’s a yes.”
“He didn’t break my heart.”
She raises an eyebrow. “I don’t believe you.”
I glance at Jace and he’s watching me with this intense but bemused expression. I look away from him and back to Granny. “We had a fling, he moved on, that’s it.”
“Ah, yes, I understand.” She sighs, sipping her drink. “How is it, working with him now?”
“Weird,” I admit. “And difficult.”
“He’s trouble,” she says.
“He really is.”
“I once saw him beat up a boy twice his age, and he was just a little skinny thing back then. Broke the poor boy’s nose, made him cry. His daddy beat him something awful after that.”
“I remember that,” Jace says softly. “Michael Brown. Called Mom a slut.”
“You always have reasons,” Granny says, and looks at me. “I love this boy more than anything, and he’s got a good heart, but you’d better be careful.”
“Granny,” Jace says. “I’m right here.”
“I want you to hear this too, dummy,” she says. “Jace, honey, I won’t be around forever. You gotta know, running around the way you have isn’t the way to happiness. I slept with my fair share of men before I married Marty, and it was the best decision I ever made, settling. All those men, they never satisfied me, not a single one of them. Not until Marty, at least. Snatched him up right away, not a single thought in my mind.” She sits back, smiling proudly. “But I must’ve had a hundred men before him.”
“Jesus, Granny, come on.”
I cover my mouth, stifling a laugh. Jace’s Granny sure did get down. No judgment, but damn, that’s a lot of men, especially for her time.
“Just hear what I’m saying,” she presses. “You calm down, find yourself something to keep you satisfied.” She looks over at me. “That goes for you too, sweetie.”
“Understood,” I say, nodding gravely but keeping my hand over my mouth to cover the grin.
Jace sighs and shakes his head. Clearly he’s heard this before. He changes the subject and the conversation drifts on for another hour before we finally decide to leave.
“Don’t be a stranger,” she says to Jace, kissing his cheek. “Call your grandmother.”
“Always do.” He grins as we hop down off her step and over toward the waiting Uber driver.
I wave to Granny as we climb in and she waves back, standing in her doorway as the Uber takes off. She waves the whole time, watching as we go.
I turn to Jace once we’re out of sight. “Okay, Jacey boy,” I say. “Your grandmother was a—”
“Save it,” he says. I grin at him and nudge his shoulder. “And don’t call me that.”
“Can’t handle the jokes? And yet you dish them out so well.”
He sighs, rolling his eyes. “Just a special thing my grandmother does, okay? Don’t ruin it.”
“Yeah, okay.” I grin and lean toward him. “Jacey boy.”
He sighs as I cackle at him. Finally I feel like I have something over him, something to annoy him with as much as that wifey thing bothers me.
More than that though, I saw a new side of Jace. He’s more than just the bad boy addict, he’s a grandson and a son and he was a little boy at one point in his life. The kind of man that would visit his grandmother and call her frequently has to be a good one, even if he does pretend like he’s an asshole and the world is horrible.
Maybe I could do worse, marrying someone else. Then again, I’d like it if my future husband didn’t trick me into becoming his wife.
I don’t think that’s asking too much.
12
Piper
Eric and Calvin aren’t talking to each other.
As we hurtle through the sky, the camera guys act like the other one doesn’t exist. They won’t look at each other and they certainly won’t talk to each other. I’m stuck in the middle trying to keep them from snapping at each other while Jace snoozes away.
I glance over at him, and I can’t help but think about what his grandmother said. She wasn’t shy about saying how Jace isn’t great to women, that he’s something of a player… but she wants him to settle down. Of course she does, I mean, that’s what every person in her generation says.
It wasn’t exactly the message that really shook me, but the way she presented it, like sleeping around and having fun isn’t the best life. Jace seemed to agree with her, or at least he didn’t openly disagree. Maybe he was being polite, or maybe he really does think she’s right.
It’s hard to say and I can’t read minds. I liked being in that kitchen though, sitting at the Formica table drinking cheap light beer and talking with that old woman. Jace seemed so comfortable with her, and she reminded me a lot of my grandmother. I didn’t have a chance to get close to my mom’s mom before she died, and I never knew my father’s mom at all, so I’m a little jealous that he has that relationship.
Then again, he doesn’t exactly have any other good familial relationships in his life, except maybe with his mom. Hard to say, really, since he doesn’t talk about it.
I sigh and stick my headphones in. We’re getting close to Boulder, Colorado, the next stop in this American tour. Eric and Calvin seem like they’re going to keep it together for a little while now, so I risk closing my eyes and taking a quick nap.
I dream of Jace’s hands on my body. I can’t see his face, can’t feel his breath, but his hands are all over me, hundreds of them, thousands of them. I’m moaning and moaning and I can’t stop it, no matter how hard I try.
“Having a good dream?”
My eyes slit open. The lights on the plane are all up and people are milling around. Jace is looking at me with a little sly smile.
I blush a bit. “What are you talking about?”
“You were breathing pretty deep there,” he says. “Looked like you were… writhing.”
“I wasn’t writhing.”
“I think you were. Definitely writhing.”
“You don’t know what that word means.” I stand up, grabbing my bag from beneath the seat in front of me. “Come on, let’s get moving.”
He steps up behind me, close in the cramped quarters of the plane. “Was it about me?” he asks.
“I wasn’t dreaming.”
“I think it was. Were you living out our honeymoon?”
“No,” I snap, shaking my head.
“No honeymoon? That’s a shame. Maybe I was just pleasuring you in the plane’s bathroom. The mile-high club is as good as they say.”
“Cut it out,” I hiss at him, glancing around. People can hear what he’s saying.
He grins as I step into the aisle, grab my suitcase from the overhead, and join the crew guys as we file off the plane. Jace brings up the rear, still smirking when I glance b
ack at him as I step into the terminal.
* * *
I have my own room this time. Jace just smirks at me as I make sure that I’m the one to check us into the hotel. It’s situated right downtown, in the very heart of Boulder. I hand out the keys as the guys disperse, everyone except for Jace.
“What do you think?” he asks me.
I frown at him. “I’m happy to sleep alone.”
He laughs softly, twirling the white plastic keycard between his fingers. “That what I meant. I’m talking about Calvin and Eric.”
I sigh a little bit. We drift toward the elevators, but we let the guys go up first and wait for the next one.
“I don’t know,” I admit. “It’s getting worse. I thought threatening to replace them would be bad enough.”
“Guess it’s not.”
“I’m honestly not sure what to do. So far it hasn’t really affected their work, but how long can that last?”
“I don’t know,” he admits. “I’ve never really experienced anything like this before. I mean, those guys hate each other.”
“I think I might have to call the network and see if they can’t send me out a list of people that can replace them if we need it.”
Jace’s frown deepens. “You really think that’s necessary?”
“I’m worried,” I admit to him. “You know how important this is. Can we risk everything on these two?”
He shakes his head but doesn’t say anything as the elevator returns and the doors slide open. I step on and he follows me. We lean up against either side of the small space, lost in our own thoughts. I glance over at him, and he looks genuinely distraught, which surprises me.
I didn’t think he’d care. I mean, I don’t know what these two guys are to him. This project means everything, like he already told me, but those guys? I don’t know why he’d risk his whole future on two random camera guys, and yet he keeps defending them, or at least trying to keep them in line enough to stay employed.
I don’t see what he gets out of it. Maybe he’s just a good guy and likes helping out some friends, but that can’t be it. Jace is a lot of things, but totally selfless isn’t one of them. I believe he might be a good man deep down behind all those tattoos and the years of addiction, but I don’t believe he’d willingly sacrifice himself for anyone else.