“Yes. We talked this morning for the first time since I left. She wants to see you.”
“Mm... ” Sounded like a trap.
“Would you stop humming at me?” He laughed. “Maybe we can get this all worked out.”
I closed my eyes for a moment, letting the idea sink in. I deeply missed our private world that no one used to interrupt. “Yes, I’ll go. I can survive a meal with the woman.”
“Promise no F-bombs?”
“I cannot promise that.” We both burst out laughing. I held up my hands. “I will promise to be on my best behavior.”
“Thank you.” He leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
At the same time, we heard car doors closing outside. We changed our position and sat up on the couch. Mom stepped in, her face pale and drained, eyes no wider than slits.
“How are you?” I asked.
“Exhausted. I’m going to bed. Don’t move from that couch, and you can stay, Tyler.”
“Thank you,” he said.
“Goodnight, Mom.” I hopped up and gave her a hug. “Love you.”
“Love you, too.”
Mark came inside and sat down in the recliner with a thump.
“Are you okay?” I asked as I settled in beside Tyler.
“Sure.”
“When are Grandma and Grandpa leaving?”
“In the morning.”
Thank God. Spending more time with my aunt and uncle would’ve been nice, but I was grateful to hear Grandma and Grandpa were headed out.
“I’m going to bed.” Mark rubbed his forehead. “What a long-ass day.”
We all said goodnight, and Mark went into his room. I grabbed the afghan and spread it over Tyler and me, snuggling down for the night.
“I’ve missed you so much,” he said. “Thanks for going tomorrow.”
“It’s the least I can do after all you’ve done for me.”
He gave me a soft kiss, and then we talked until we fell asleep in each other’s arms.
Chapter 35
The next morning, I woke up to Mom shaking my shoulder.
“Elsie,” she said in a harsh whisper.
“Is it Dad?” She took a step back. Then I realized what I’d said. “Oh, Mom, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay. Your grandparents are on their way. It won’t help me at all if they find you sleeping on the couch with your boyfriend. Can you two get up?”
Tyler stretched, then glanced at his watch. “Shoot. I can’t believe I slept this late.”
He spread the blanket over me, and went to the bathroom. I flopped back on the couch, irritated by how the morning began.
Five minutes later, I was folding the afghan when Grandpa walked through the door.
“Hey, kid,” he said. “How you holding up?”
“Fine, thanks. Where’s Grandma?”
“She’s putting her bags in the Crown Vic. She’s going to drive it home, and I’ll follow her in the truck. Is Mark up?”
“I haven’t seen him.”
Grandpa walked across the room and knocked on his door. Grandma stepped inside at the same time.
“Hi, Grandma.” The sneer on her face sent a shiver down my spine.
“Elizabeth,” she stated. “Where’s your mother?”
She was colder than an Illinois blizzard. “In the kitchen.”
She strutted across the room like she was on a mission. I followed, sat down next to Tyler at the kitchen counter, and watched the saga unfold.
“How are you this morning, Claire?” Grandma’s tone was curt.
“Okay.” Mom leaned against the counter on the opposite side of the kitchen. “Did you sleep well?”
“I suppose.” She cleared her throat. “Now that all the formalities are over, are you going to consider moving home?”
Mom’s eyes narrowed from behind her coffee cup. “I don’t know. The formalities may be over for you, but I’m not in the position to make such a hasty decision.”
“Dear, there’s nothing here for you now,” Grandma said. “There was never anything here for you to begin with. Brandon was obviously irrational when he made this decision.”
“Mom. Don’t.”
“What? He was diagnosed weeks after you arrived. The tumor didn’t grow overnight. What made him want to come down here in the first place, I’ll never understand.”
“He saw an opportunity and took it,” Mom snapped. “When we started farming, there was a contract, and he had been guaranteed a steady income as long as he could get the crops in. Everything was fine until earlier this year. How would you know, anyway? You’ve treated him like shit since you met him.”
“Claire. Why can’t you accept the truth? Brandon did nothing but bring you down.”
I’d heard enough. “Please stop talking about my dad that way.”
Grandma whipped her head toward me so fast I thought it spun a 360. Tyler slid his arm around my shoulder as she stared me down. Grandpa stepped out of Mark’s room and looked around the kitchen. “What’s going on?”
“Your granddaughter thinks it’s okay to sass me,” Grandma said. “I think it’s time to go.”
“Elsie isn’t sassing you,” Mom said. “You really need to keep your opinions to yourself.”
“Well, I never—” Grandma pivoted and headed toward the front door.
“She’s just pissy because she has to drive,” Grandpa said. “Ignore her.”
Mark stepped out of his room. “What’s going on?” He sounded just like Grandpa.
“I’m gonna change clothes,” I whispered to Tyler.
He gave me a sympathetic smile. “Me, too.”
By seven-thirty, my grandparents pulled out of the drive. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. I gave Mom a hug. She pushed back tears as she clung to me and then she went to her room. Tyler and I headed to the car to go meet my grandmother’s long-lost twin.
“I’m sorry you had to listen to all of that,” Tyler said on the way to Savannah.
“I should be apologizing to you. I don’t understand at all. Who says those things to their daughter the day after she buries her husband?”
“Maybe Illinois wouldn’t be so bad.”
I leaned away from him. “Are you crazy?”
“What? I’m considering the Northwestern.”
“That’s Chicago. Not Illinois.” I smirked. “They may as well be separate states.” He chuckled in agreement. “Seriously, Tyler, I’m gonna be pissed if she makes a quick decision.”
“What if your house sells? She might not have a choice.”
“I don’t know.” The whole idea irritated me. I didn’t want to move and then move back to Memphis for college. It didn’t make any sense. Plus, it could screw up my tuition and fees. “She knows how I feel. All I’ve wanted for years was to go to MCA.”
“I’m sure it’ll all work out.” He cringed just enough to make me do a double take. “The only thing is... I can’t go to college in Memphis. Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it does to me. The closest I could get would be Washington University in St. Louis.”
“It’s a good school.”
“Sure, it is. But I haven’t even applied there. It could set me back months.”
“Oh.” My stomach dropped. That did matter to me, more than anything. Long stints without being able to see him were killing me. Chicago. It’d be better than cornfields.
A few minutes later, we arrived at Buck’s restaurant, followed the server to a table near the back, and settled in with a cup of coffee. A glossy-eyed, stuffed deer head mounted on the wall stared at me from across the room. Its head tilted just enough to watch me the entire meal.
Tyler stretched out his long legs, slouching in the chair, relaxed and comfortable. A cold chill ran down my spine, and my palms were clammy and sweaty.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Sure.” I curled my shoulders and rubbed my hands. So damn cold. “You seem content.”
“Don’t worry about it.” He
laced his fingers behind his head and inclined the chair back on two legs. “She’s all show. Have I told you how gorgeous you are?”
“You just did.” I smiled, then tilted my head, scrutinizing his demeanor. “If I learned anything from your journal, you aren’t half as relaxed as you seem. You should be an actor.”
He set the chair down and grinned. “You think you have me all figured out now, huh?”
“Maybe.” I looked over his shoulder. My heart skipped. “She’s here,” I muttered.
Mrs. Vaughn appeared at the other end of the dining room, dressed in a burnt-red blouse and a navy pencil skirt. She moved between tables, shoulders back, chin high, her youthful vitality masking her age. She approached the table and waited for Tyler to stand. He kissed her on the cheek, then pulled out his chair for her, and sat down next to me. She settled in across from him without acknowledging my presence. Tyler snagged his coffee cup and took a sip.
“Well, dear, how have you been?” she asked in her haughty tone.
“Mighty fine,” he said, glancing at me.
“Yes.” She slowly moved her eyes from his to mine. “Hello, Elizabeth.”
“Good morning, Mrs. Vaughn.” I used the softest, sweetest tone I could conjure up.
Blank-faced, she gave me a slight nod in response, then her icy eyes moved back to Tyler’s. I fidgeted in my seat. He placed his hand on my leg with a gentle squeeze.
“Have you been studying?” she asked him.
“Of course. I qualified for Nationals.”
“Fantastic.” Her face brightened. “Where will you compete?”
A thin, brunette server with sunken, dark eyes and bright pink lipstick approached the table. Mrs. Vaughn flinched at the interruption.
“Can I get y’all something to drink?” she asked Mrs. Vaughn.
“Coffee, black,” she said without eye contact.
The girl glanced at me, cringed and walked away.
Tyler stared at his grandmother, unamused.
Mrs. Vaughn motioned to him with her manicured nails. “Well? Go on.”
“Terre Haute, Indiana. The weekend before Thanksgiving.”
“Will you take a flight?”
“Probably.”
“Well, you must. That’s too long of a drive to run the next morning.”
“I’ll take the bus if I can’t fly.”
“Nonsense. I’ll make sure you’re flying. I’ll call your coach.”
“Nana, no.” He scratched the side of his head, fully irritated. The way his family hovered made him crazy. This time I rubbed his leg. He placed his warm hand on mine and squeezed. Letting out a calm sigh, he asked her, “What would you like for breakfast?”
“I’ll have grits and toast,” she said. “I trust they can’t screw that up.”
The server returned with black coffee, took our orders, and refilled our cups. The caffeine wasn’t helping my anxiety.
“You wanted to meet us, so here we are,” Tyler said. “What’s on your mind?”
Her eyes turned up to the left, then darted at Tyler’s, and back again at the ceiling. He stared her down expectantly, like a cop waiting for a confession.
“I suppose I owe Elizabeth an apology,” she said.
“It’s Elsie, Nana,” he said in a low tone. “Cut the ‘Elizabeth’ crap.”
“Elsie.” She let the word fall out of her mouth like my name tasted bitter. “I’m sorry I said such a horrible thing to you. It’s obvious Tyler is taken with you. I will try to respect that.”
Her apology sent a shiver down my spine.
“Thank you. I apologize for what I said, as well.”
“Well, I hope so,” she balked. “No one has ever—”
“That’s good.” Tyler held up his hand. “Nana, you did great.”
She fluttered her lashes.
“I truly am sorry,” I repeated. “I don’t usually talk like that. I was... well, under a lot of stress at the time.”
“Yes. Tyler told me about your father. I’m sorry to hear that.” She bowed her head almost like her grandson did, but she had a gleam in her eye that caught me off guard.
The server returned with our food. As we ate, Mrs. Vaughn talked to Tyler like I wasn’t there. She complained about her thick grits and undercooked toast, and sent them back to the kitchen. When the girl came back with a different set, Mrs. Vaughn didn’t hesitate.
“Excuse me,” she said to the server. “You think this is better than the one I sent away?”
“Um, ma’am, that’s as good as it gets ’round here.”
She pushed her plate aside. “Take it then.”
The girl started to pick up the dish.
“I’ll eat it,” Tyler reached out.
She handed him the plate. He shot his grandmother a look, and then he smiled at the girl, who blushed before scurrying off. An awkward silence filled the table. Minutes passed while we ate with only the sound of the chatter and clanking dishes in the background. I sensed Mrs. Vaughn’s irritation that Tyler was simply enjoying his breakfast. Setting down my fork, I was about to go to the bathroom, but Tyler pushed his chair out and stood up before I could.
“Excuse me, I’ll be right back,” he said.
I pleaded for him to stay with the look I gave him. He shrugged like he was sorry, and then he headed to the bathroom. Butterflies swarmed my stomach. An even thicker tension filled the air. I scooted my chair forward, fidgeted with my napkin, and then I grabbed my glass of water. Taking a sip, I peered over the rim. We made eye contact.
“Elizabeth, now that we have a moment alone,” Mrs. Vaughn said, “I want to make sure we don’t have any misunderstandings. Please don’t get the impression that I’ll ever support this ridiculous affair Tyler thinks he has with you. He required me to apologize if I want to see him.”
“Affair?” I set down the glass. “Why am I not surprised you’d see it that way?”
“So, I’ve done as he asked, and now here we are.” She picked up her napkin, tapping each corner of her mouth. “This has been quite uncomfortable, hasn’t it? Oh well, no matter. Come January, he’ll be in California. You needn’t worry about this lasting much longer. It just occurred to me, since your daddy’s dead, won’t you be leaving, too? I’m sure that adorable house your family rents will sell quickly.”
I stared her down, tapping my fingers on the side of the glass. Ignoring the urge to run, I sat straighter. “I’m going to pretend you didn’t say that, for Tyler’s sake. You don’t scare me. I love him, and you need to get over it because he loves me, too.”
Our eyes locked for several seconds. She was about to speak, but then she spotted something over my shoulder. A fake smile filled her face. Tyler pulled out his chair and sat down. I leaned back, waiting for her next move.
“What?” Tyler smirked at her, and then he looked at me. “All good?”
“Yes, everything’s fine,” I said.
“Good. We need to get going. I have to get on the road. My test is at three.”
He picked up the bill and grabbed his wallet out of his back pocket.
“Awful shame, you can’t stay longer,” Mrs. Vaughn said. “Will you be back for Thanksgiving?”
He tossed a fifty on the table. “I’m not sure yet.”
“It was grits and eggs, Tyler,” she huffed. “That’s ridiculous.”
“She’d earned it. You’re impossible sometimes, Nana. I swear, you’re lucky you don’t get food poisoning the way you piss people off.”
Mrs. Vaughn didn’t react, like she had no idea his comment was an insult. Tyler stood up and offered his hand to me. I accepted, feeling Mrs. Vaughn’s hateful glare as I stood. He stepped around the table, not forgetting about her, offered a hand, and gave her a hug before we left. As we walked outside, she wouldn’t look at me, let alone say goodbye.
I flashed a fake smile and waved. Bitch. I wanted to flip her off, but that would’ve blown my charade. Minutes later, we climbed in the car and headed toward my house.
“Um, yeah, interesting.”
He glanced at me with a worried look. “Did she say something to you?”
“It’s fine. You do know she’s never going to accept me, right?”
He swayed his shoulders back and forth in reluctant agreement. “I’m hoping to fix that.”
“Good luck. I’ll say, you don’t beat around the bush with her, do you?”
“She’s a snob. You saw how she treated the waitress. It’s ridiculous.”
We joked about our grandmothers being so much alike for the rest of the drive home.
When I stepped inside the house, Mom was curled in the corner of the couch, crying.
“Oh, hi,” she said, immediately sitting up.
I sat down next to her. “Aw, Mom. Are you okay?”
“Excuse me,” Tyler said and headed to the kitchen.
“Sure,” she said. “I guess it’s going to be like this for a while.”
“I’m sorry I left this morning. Tyler wanted to take me to breakfast.”
“No worries. You don’t have to sit around being sad.” She patted my knee. “I’m glad he’s here. You’re so happy when he’s around.”
I gave her a hug. “I can’t thank you enough for calling him.”
At eleven sharp, Tyler tossed his bag in the back seat of his car, hung up his suit, and then he leaned against the door. Grabbing my waist, he pulled me against him and laid a playful kiss on my lips. We both laughed. He searched my eyes, then softly touched my cheek, and kissed me again. One hand moved down my back and over my hip, the other held me steady as he pressed our bodies tighter. Running my hands through his hair, I felt down his chest and over his tight stomach as our mouths moved in tempo. A low growl vibrated on my lips. He pulled back and looked me in the eyes.
“I’ll see you soon, okay?” He lightly cupped my face. I nodded between his hands. He pressed his lips to mine with another soft kiss. “Call you tonight?”
I wrapped my arms him and buried my face in his neck. “I’ll be here.”
He squeezed me tight, lifting me off the ground.
“Don’t go,” I said in his ear.
Life Happens on the Stairs Page 30