by Natalie Ann
“Oh dear. Why didn’t you tell me?” she said, rushing forward. She pulled Amber into an embrace, hugging her to the point it was almost suffocating yet parental at the same time.
“Because she just showed up in my office yesterday afternoon. Amber, this is my grandmother, Carol Monroe.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Monroe.”
Carol stepped back and laughed. “Call me Carol. You managed to surprise Zach. I don’t know the last time anyone surprised Zach like that.”
“So I’ve been told,” Amber said.
“She’s only here today and tomorrow. I thought she could spend the day with the kids and me. Where’s Grandpa?” he asked, frowning.
“Grandpa is lying down right now. He’s feeling a bit under the weather. Seth is still sleeping, I believe, and Bri is in the shower last I knew.”
“What’s wrong with Grandpa?” Zach asked.
“Nothing major. Don’t worry. He had a slight headache and a cough. He’s just battling a little winter cold.”
“He should see a doctor. A cold can turn to pneumonia real fast at his age.”
“Your grandfather is the same age as me. Are you saying we’re so old and weak we can’t fight off a common cold?” Carol asked, her hands on her hips.
Amber expected Zach to grin his charming smile and make a joke, but instead he was dead serious. “Yeah, I am.”
Carol laughed and went back to mixing whatever was in the bowl. “Get over yourself, Zach. It’s a cold, nothing more. A tickle in his throat. He’s napping.”
Zach turned and looked at her, the worry evident. “I can check on him if it would make you feel better,” she said.
“It would.”
“What’s this—I hear you think I’m old and feeble?”
Amber turned to see a large man walking up behind her. Tall and muscular and nothing like her father, for men close to the same age. Zach’s grandfather looked like someone who spent his life doing manual labor and was still fit enough to continue. There was nothing weak about his grandparents. Nothing fragile, either.
“Grandpa,” Zach said, “this is Amber and she’s going to examine you.”
Amber laughed, thinking this wasn’t exactly how she’d planned on being introduced to Zach’s grandparents. “No, I’m not going to examine him like you think. I can look him over quick and ask a few questions. I don’t even have a stethoscope with me.”
“Get off my back, Zach,” his grandfather said, then turned to her and held his hand out. “I’m George, and ignore my grandson. He’s overprotective of us. Probably thinks I can’t even wipe my own butt half the time.”
Amber giggled. Definitely nothing similar between her parents and Zach’s grandparents at all.
“It’s nice to meet you, George. How long have you been feeling under the weather?”
George snorted and walked right by her, then took a seat at the island. “Since last night. A tickle in my throat. I’ll cough for you, but don’t be sticking your hands anywhere I can’t see and asking me to do it again.”
“Grandpa,” Zach said, laughing out loud. “That’s uncalled for.”
“He sounds like he’s fine to me, Zach.” Amber put her finger on George’s pulse, then looked at her watch. “Heart rate is nice and steady.” She felt around his neck. “No swollen glands that I can tell. Could you cough for me?” she said, trying not to grin. When he did, she said, “Nice and dry. He’s fine, Zach.”
“I like your girlfriend already,” George said.
A few minutes later, Bri walked in. She was tall and thin, wearing yoga pants and a sweatshirt, her straight hair falling past her shoulders, her phone in her hand, her eyes staring at it. The air thickened immediately when she sat down.
“Put your phone away,” Carol said. “Your brother is here to spend the day with you and Seth. His girlfriend Amber is in town, too.”
Bri looked up and over at her, nervousness shining through. A tough outer shell on a teenage girl that had some cracks in it. Then Amber looked at Zach and saw the same uneasiness. There was no comfort level between the siblings and she wasn’t quite sure why. “It’s nice to meet you, Bri.”
“You too,” Bri said quietly, just looking around the room. She didn’t even look comfortable enough to get herself some food, and Amber’s heart twisted tightly. She’d seen enough kids come in and out of her parents’ home wondering what their place was and trying to fit in. It was pretty sad that Bri felt that way in her own flesh and blood’s home.
“Bri, are you hungry?” Carol asked. “Just help yourself.”
“I’m good right now,” Bri said.
“Is Seth up?” Zach asked. “I figured we can plan what we wanted to do for the day.”
“He’s in the shower,” Bri said, then looked back at her phone on the counter.
The oven buzzed, breaking the silence in the room. “The first batch of muffins is done,” Carol said, taking out a pan. “Everyone help themselves while I put these chocolate chip ones in the oven.”
Zach reached for a blueberry muffin, tossing it from hand to hand trying to cool it off, causing Bri to grin before she could stop herself.
Amber moved over to the kitchen table, following Zach. He got her a cup of coffee and placed a muffin in front of her. She was still hungry enough to eat a horse, so she wasn’t going to turn it down.
Zach had just sat down next to her when Seth walked into the kitchen. He was taller than his sister, but shorter than Zach. Also on the skinny side, making her wonder if these kids ate, or were just really active. Could be good metabolism since Zach was on the thin side, too.
“Morning, Seth,” George said.
“Hi, Grandpa, Grandma. Hey, Zach,” Seth said, his eyes landing on her next.
“Seth,” Carol said, “this is Amber, Zach’s girlfriend. She flew into town to spend the weekend with him. It was a surprise.”
“Hi,” Seth said, grinning. He looked like a slightly younger version of Zach. There was a resemblance for sure, but it wasn’t as strong as one might think. Same brown eyes, same mouth and chin, but a lighter shade of brown hair. Almost a dirty blonde.
“Nice to meet you,” Amber said. Seth was definitely more outgoing than his sister.
“What do you want to do today, kids?” Zach asked.
“We aren’t kids,” Bri said, looking up then dropping her head again.
Zach looked at her, a helpless expression on his face. “I’m sure you seem like kids to him,” Amber said. “He’s old, you know.”
Seth laughed, and Bri cracked another smile. It was going to be an interesting day for sure.
Lifeline
Zach was thankful that Amber was playing the peacemaker with his siblings today. Seth—he was actually pretty easy to relate to. Maybe it was that Zach could remember what it was like being a teenage boy, or maybe because the two of them seemed to have similar personalities.
Bri was a tougher nut to crack, but Amber helped out there more than he could ever thank her.
Normally Bri just made short clipped comments to him…when she bothered to speak at all. And eye contact—hardly ever. But today she was actually looking at him and laughing, almost enjoying herself.
“That was fun,” Seth said, climbing out of the bumper cars.
Zach got up, stretching his legs and rubbing his shoulder. “Sure it was. I think the three of you ganged up on me, though. What the heck was that all about?”
“No one likes a whiner, Zach,” Amber said, kissing his cheek.
He wrinkled his nose back at her and wanted to say something, but didn’t. Bri was smiling and relaxing and that alone made it worth it.
“What now?” he asked. “Bet you guys all want to pelt me with paint in the paintball arena.”
“Can we?” Seth asked, his grin spreading across his face.
Amber giggled. “I’m paying for that. And I get the first shot at Zach.”
“Hey,” he said. “Why’s that?”
“Cuz you
steal the covers at night. It’s payback.”
He looked at his brother and sister to see their reactions to what Amber said, but there was nothing. He supposed it would have been more surprising if they acted shocked that Amber and he slept together.
Then again, when he was their age, he was being raised by strict grandparents. Most likely stricter with him because of the loose ways of their daughter. And because Zach didn’t believe his mother had changed all that much, the kids had probably seen more than their fair share.
“Okay, paintball it is,” Zach said, preparing to sacrifice himself for the cause.
Thirty minutes later, he was sweating his balls off. The gear was hot and heavy and he was running for his life. The three of them seriously had it out for him and he had no clue why.
“What gives today?” he asked, laughing.
“We just wanted to see if you could keep up with us since you won’t stop calling us kids,” Bri said.
It was the first time she addressed him and he took notice. “I don’t mean anything by it. Does it really bother you?”
They made their way to the restaurant at the adventure park and took a seat. His body was sore and he was starving. Between bumper cars, bumper boats, and paintball, he’d taken a beating.
“A little,” Bri said. “We aren’t kids. I’m seventeen. I’m graduating and going to college. I’ll be eighteen in May.”
“I know how old you are,” Zach said. “Seth is going to be sixteen in August. Ready to get your license?”
“I guess,” Seth said, looking down. “I haven’t driven much, so I’m probably not ready. Plus, it’s not like I’ve got a car anyway.”
“Get a job. I had one. I worked and saved every bit of money I could to buy my first beat-up old car.”
“And now you drive a Jag,” Bri said, sarcasm in her voice.
“I do. I work hard for everything I’ve got, Bri. I’m not sure what you’ve been told, but nothing was handed to me. Do you think Grandma and Grandpa had anything to give me more than the necessities? I can assure you they worked their butt off for what I had, and I was appreciative of it.”
He knew his voice got hard but was sure his mother fabricated a bunch of stuff about him.
“You probably had more than us,” Bri said back. “Look at their house. We live in a tiny apartment.”
“They didn’t always live in a house like that, but you guys don’t remember. It was still a few hours away from where you lived and you didn’t visit often.”
“You bought them that house, didn’t you?” Seth asked.
There was no reason to lie about it, and he was really surprised they didn’t know. “Yes, I did. Grandma and Grandpa raised me. You do things for people when you love them.”
Bri looked down again, and Seth just got quiet. The waitress came over and took their orders and conversation was stalled for the moment, the awkward silence in his grandparents’ house from this morning suddenly making a nasty appearance again.
He felt Amber’s hand on his under the table and looked over, only to see her nod her head to both kids sitting there looking at their phones again. He knew he was losing their attention.
“What’s going on, guys?” Both of them looked up, then at each other, and didn’t say a word, but he was going to press on. Someone had to be direct. “Are things bad at home?”
“What do you mean?” Seth asked.
“I asked what was going on. I know we don’t see each other much and this is the first time we’ve spent any time together. Talk to me.”
“Why do you care?” Bri asked. “We’ll go back home and then you’ll just get on with your life up here like we don’t exist.”
“That’s not fair, Bri,” Seth said, surprising Zach. “Zach sends us stuff all the time and you know it. Don’t expect him to step in for Dad or even Mom. It’s not his responsibility.”
“I didn’t say it was,” Bri snapped.
This was the last thing Zach expected to happen. To be sitting here while the two of them fought. But in good conscience, he couldn’t ignore them or the situation either. His gripe was with his mother, but it seemed Bri and Seth were suffering as much as he did as a kid.
“So tell me why you think the way you do about me then, Bri?”
She shrugged her shoulder and kept quiet.
“If you don’t tell Zach, he can’t help or defend himself,” Amber said.
“I wouldn’t believe him anyway,” Bri said.
That hurt. “Since you think so bad of me, just tell me everything.”
“Why don’t you help Mom more?” Bri asked. “She says you don’t answer her calls. You’re almost never around when we come to visit with her, either.”
“Your mother—our mother—and I have a very strained relationship that I won’t get into with you. What’s between us shouldn’t be a basis for your feelings for me, but I can’t change that if they are. As for helping her, I help out a lot more than I’m sure either one of you will ever be told…and we’ll leave it at that.”
“I appreciate everything you send me, Zach,” Seth said. “I was able to get new sneakers and a few hoodies with the gift cards for Christmas. Come on, Bri, you bought all sorts of things. At least you got to keep them this time.”
Zach turned sharply. “What? What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” Bri said, looking down.
“Tell him,” Seth said. “Don’t accuse him of things and then not tell him everything. That’s not fair.”
“Mom took the money you sent us for our birthdays last year. She said she needed it to pay bills. She wasn’t able to do much with the gift cards because they were store specific this year. She wasn’t happy about that.”
Which was why he did it this year. He knew enough of his mother to suspect she’d do something like that if she was getting desperate.
“You two have my number. If you need anything, I mean anything personally, call me and let me know.”
“You don’t owe us anything,” Bri said.
“There you go,” Amber said, “contradicting yourself. If someone offered me a lifeline like that, I’d take him up on it. I have a feeling it’s not like you guys are going to take advantage of it. Especially since we both know Zach wouldn’t allow anyone to take advantage of him for anything.”
“Amber’s right. Tell me about this job interview Mom went on.”
Seth looked at Bri again, but Bri just looked away. Finally, Seth said, “I don’t know if it’s a job interview.”
He wasn’t surprised to hear that. “Why’s that? Where did she go?”
“I think she drove to Florida with a friend. A guy friend,” Seth said.
Again, nothing surprising there. “So no job prospects?”
“I don’t think so. She said you paid the rent on the apartment until summer, so I don’t think she’s even trying to find a job right now,” Bri said out of the blue, surprising him with her bluntness. Not to mention the fact the kids didn’t seem to think too highly of their mother, either.
“Where do you want to go to college next year, Bri?” he asked. If they continued to talk about his mother, his blood pressure was going to rise.
“I don’t know. I guess it depends on where I get accepted and how much money I can get. I can’t go to the community college, because I don’t have a car to get there and back every day.”
“Let me know when the letters start coming in and where you want to go, what you decide.”
“Why?” she asked, frowning.
“Just let me know. And keep it between us, please. Don’t say anything to Mom. And don’t tell her about any of this weekend.”
“I won’t,” Seth said. “This is the most fun I’ve had in years.”
That statement alone made Zach’s heart break. He’d been there and done that, but he had his grandparents in his corner. Even when he couldn’t go out and have fun or pay for things, he knew he was loved. He was starting to realize Bri and Seth didn’t even have that much.<
br />
Maybe having your mother and your father in your life wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. Not if they were complete losers.
“Well then, I guess you’ll both have to find something else to whip my butt at after we eat.”
“Can I pick it?” Amber asked. “I mean you’ve got such a cute butt to whip.”
Seth laughed, Bri giggled, and Zach blushed.
Rest of Our Lives
Later that night, Amber sat next to Zach on the couch. “You did a good thing today.”
“What’s that? Letting everyone thoroughly trounce me?”
“No. Spending the day with Bri and Seth. Letting them just be kids.”
“Yeah. I get the feeling they don’t get to be kids that much.”
“I noticed it, too. I’ve been around a lot of neglected kids in my life, Zach. It’s pretty classic. I don’t think they’re abused or anything, but they’re probably ignored by the sounds of it.”
“They’re given the basics at least.” Not that that was much to write home about.
“And you fill in the gaps. I can see that. And they appreciate it, even if Bri didn’t show it as much as Seth.”
“Some things never change, it seems.”
“Meaning?” she asked.
“My mother. She’s always been selfish. I thought it was different with the kids. I mean, she married their father. They had what I always wanted. A mother and a father in their lives. Even if they’re divorced, they live in the same city. I know the kids see their father.”
She threaded her fingers through his. Maybe they could talk about his past. His childhood that he never said much of.
“You had that with your grandparents,” she said.
“To a point, but it’s different. You know that. Your parents are older, too, so it’s not the same. You can’t say it is.”
He was right. “I had a completely different childhood than you. I don’t think you want to compare them right now.”
“You’re probably right. Neither of ours was ideal.”