Nana clapped her hands and laughed. “Well, what has gotten into you this morning?”
“I just have a feeling it’s going to be a great day.” Grant opened the cabinet and grabbed the aspirin.
“Aspirin? Did you pull a muscle sliding in here?”
“No. I’ve just got a bit of a headache.”
“Well, if you want something stronger, I’ve got some ibuprofen in the cabinet above the refrigerator. Your Papa Joe used it, but I can’t reach up there.”
Grant put the aspirin back and reached into the cabinet above the refrigerator. He pulled out a bottle of ibuprofen and opened it up. “What is this?” He pulled out a baggie that was stuffed in on top of the pills. “Pot, Nana?”
Nana’s cheeks flushed red. “Would you believe it’s for my glaucoma?”
Grant grinned and shook his head.
“Fine. Your Papa Joe and I liked to smoke a little grass from time to time. I just thought we were out. Why don’t you hand that over to me?”
Grant shook his head and handed her the baggie.
“It’s good for you physically and emotionally. Just wait until you get old and we’ll see if you’d rather take all that shit the doctor wants to put you on or just smoke a little grass. You’ll see. Costs a lot less too.”
“No judgement from me, Nana. Just don’t hold out on me now that I know about your secret stash.” He popped a few ibuprofens in his mouth and swallowed them down. He filled his thermos with coffee and grabbed his lunch off the counter. He stuffed his feet into his shoes, threw his lunch into his briefcase, grabbed his keys, and headed out the door.
On the way to work, he rolled down the windows and cranked the music despite his headache. Nothing could kill his mood. He was a man on a long-overdue mission. Man, he wished he’d punched David in the face the night he showed up at Lottie’s and ruined their date.
When he arrived at the school, he was disappointed that he didn’t see her car there yet. He guessed she wasn’t as concerned about getting there early when there were no classes. He made his way down the hall to his room, but when he passed Lottie’s, he found Dan and Beth inside. He turned and popped inside.
“Hey, guys, what’s up?”
“Oh, hey, Grant. We’re just cleaning. Wanna give us a hand before you start on your room?” Dan grinned.
“Let me just put my things down and I’ll be right back.” Grant walked over to his room, unlocked the door, and put his thermos and briefcase down. He poured himself some coffee and strolled back across the hall, sipping it slowly. “Do we move from one room to the next? Is it faster that way?”
“No,” Dan said. “We’re cleaning out Lottie’s room because she had to take a personal day.”
“What?” Grant dripped some coffee onto the floor. “Shit!” He set the coffee on the counter and grabbed some brown paper towels and tried wiping it up. “Why does the school buy these things? They don’t absorb anything?”
“Right? That’s what I keep telling him, but he’s cheap as fuck.” Beth crossed her arms.
“The school does have a budget.” Dan waved her off.
Grant tossed the paper towel into the trash. “So, what’s that about Lottie taking a personal day?”
“She won’t be returning,” Dan said.
Beth turned to Grant and frowned. “She’s gone home to Michigan. She’s flying out of Dallas this afternoon.”
“Wait? Gone home? When is she coming back?” Grant lowered himself onto the corner of the desk.
Dan shrugged. “I don’t know if she’s coming back. I told her I’d hold off on trying to find a replacement for her for at least a month while she thinks things over.”
Grant walked over to Beth while Dan went back to washing the smart board. “Hey Beth, can I talk to you alone for a minute?”
“Sure.” Beth followed Grant into the hall.
He led her to his room and shut the door. “Is Lottie okay?”
Beth sighed. “She’s been better. David served her with divorce papers after she spent all that time writing to him while he was deployed. Basically, the dick used her again and didn’t even have the guts to tell her himself.”
“What an asshole. I should have punched him.” Grant’s jaw tensed and his fist balled up.
“You and me both. Anyway, she wanted to go home. I helped her pack last night, and Michael is driving her to the airport right now.”
“Is she coming back?”
“Well, she’ll probably be back at some point. Pickles is staying with me, and she’ll have to get the rest of her stuff. She talked about moving out of Altus, though. She thinks it’s too painful to stay here.”
“I should have stopped by last night. I’m an idiot.” Grant’s jaw clenched even tighter. Then his face softened, and he lowered himself into his chair, resting his head in his hands. “I broke up with Tiffany yesterday. Today I was going to ask Lottie if she’d give me another shot. The way she’s been crying lately, I figured something happened with David. I couldn’t go on dating Tiffany when Lottie is all I think about.”
“Well, it’s not too late. You should call her. I know she still has feelings for you, Grant.”
“Thanks, Beth.”
“Sure thing. I better get back to Dan or he’ll claim he gets no help around here.” She smiled and slid out the door, closing it behind her.
Grant pulled his phone out of his briefcase and called Lottie. There was no answer and it went to voicemail.
“Hey, this is Lottie. I can’t answer so leave a message. Or don’t leave a message and send a text instead.”
“Hey, Lottie. This is Grant. I’m hoping when you get this, you’ll give me a call. I want to talk to you, and I want to know if you’d let me take you out on a date when you get back to Altus. Well, give me a call. Okay. Bye.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Lottie
Lottie stared up at the white ceiling fan twirling around slowly as she lay on her twin-sized childhood bed. The pink flowers that dotted the white ruffles of the comforter reminded her of the pink roses that Grant had left on her desk. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.
After the long ride with her dad followed up by a lengthy explanation of her situation with her parents, she had trudged up the stairs, collapsed on the bed, and fallen asleep. She wasn’t sure of the time. Judging from the amount of light in the room, it was either evening or early morning. She wasn’t even sure of the day. Having been so tired when she collapsed, she’d have believed if someone told her she’d slept for a week straight.
She knew she should get up and call Beth to let her know she’d arrived safely but minus her cell phone. But as much as she urged her body to move, it just didn’t. It was as though someone placed a few of those lead, x-ray aprons on her. Completely weighed down, she just watched the ceiling fan twirl.
After this nap, I’m going to make a list of all the things I could possibly do with my life next and where I might want to go.
One thing she knew for sure, she didn’t want to talk about it with her parents anymore. She couldn’t listen to her mom’s smug “I told you about him,” or her dad’s “you can always move back home with us.” Thoughts of moving overseas filled her mind. The big problem with that idea was that she was shy and didn’t make friends easily. It felt great to think about moving far away and seeing exotic things, but she knew she’d just end up feeling even more awkward surrounded by people she didn’t even share a common language with.
Somewhere in her thoughts, she drifted to sleep, waking up again when it was completely dark. She sat up and rubbed her eyes. She rose and made her way to the door, gently twisting the knob and cracking it open, first peeking down the hall then turning her ear to listen for signs of life in the house. She saw and heard nothing. Lottie tip-toed down the hall then weaved her way down the stairs, careful to avoid the creaking spots she’d memorized as a teen.
Quiet and darkness filled the downstairs rooms. A sigh of relief escaped her. She crept
into the kitchen and looked at the microwave clock, which read three forty-five a.m. She pulled open the refrigerator and fished out some deli cold cuts and cheese and nibbled on them as she watched her reflection in the large bay window of the kitchen. There could have been a serial killer standing in the woods watching her and she’d never know it. It was pitch black outside. There was pure nothingness out there, and it mirrored the way she felt inside.
She pulled the fridge back open and searched for something to drink. Her parents had well water and she never could stand it. It had a smell. Water wasn’t supposed to have a smell, and it turned everything red. Her mind flashed to the luggage she’d packed. Did she bring anything that would end up with an orange tint by the time she left? Her mind shifted to how long she’d stay. She already felt an anxious ache in her that wanted to leave. She thought it was funny how a house could be your home for such a long time, but once you’d been gone for a bit, you felt like a stranger whenever you returned.
Grinning, she shrugged, figuring she could stay long enough to save enough money to replace her cell phone by eating her mom’s groceries. Fuck, that fat ass on the flight! After thinking it over for a while, she knew she was the one who’d stolen it. Probably when she had her head turned to avoid the butthole-breath that kept landing in her face. She’d call the airline to see if her phone was found, just in case it wasn’t the butthole-breathed fat ass. What good was a stolen phone anyway these days? Could people do anything with it without the password to open it? Probably. Technology just made you think your shit was secure when you’re probably more vulnerable than you’d ever been in the past. She wondered what time she could call the airport.
Lottie made her way into the office. She turned on her parent’s dinosaur of a computer and searched for a number to call United about lost items. Instead of a number, she found a form to fill out. That suited the introverted, “I hate speaking to strangers” part of her but also deflated any hope she had that her phone would be found. The form and lack of number basically screamed, “Yeah, this is too much of a waste of time to hire people to deal with.”
Lottie clicked open Solitaire, then Mahjong, and finally Free Cell to pass the time before she could call Beth. There was no way she’d call her early on her first day of summer vacation, but she wanted to let her know she lost her phone, or she’d give her an ear-full about not calling. Two hours ticked by and Lottie found herself yawning again.
She decided to wash her face, go back to sleep, and then call Beth as soon as she woke up. Weaving up the stairs, she made her way into the bathroom, cleaned up, and snuck back into her bedroom, where she went back to sleep.
***
Pain from her bladder woke her. Her body felt heavy as she dragged it down the hall to the bathroom. How was it possible to feel crappier after all that sleep? After using the bathroom, she made her way downstairs, where the smell of coffee and bacon greeted her.
“Well, hey, there she is! How ya feeling, sleepyhead?” Lottie’s dad raised his coffee cup to her.
“Hey, Dad.” Lottie smiled.
“Looks like a little mouse got into my cheese in the middle of the night.” Her mom shook a scrambled egg coated spatula at her.
Lottie fought the urge to roll her eyes. She pressed her lips into a smile instead. Making her way over to the coffeemaker, she grabbed mug out of the cabinet, filled it, and added a little half and half. She took a sip and remembered just how horrible her mother’s coffee was.
“Is there any sugar?” she asked.
“On the Lazy Susan, hun.” Her mom continued stirring the eggs.
Lottie gave it a spin until she saw the old, orange Tupperware sugar container. She popped open the large end and scooped out a spoonful, adding it to the coffee, stirring, and sipping. Ugh, her mom could give Dan a run for his money on a world’s crappiest coffee award.
Sitting at the table, she turned to her dad. “Would it be okay if I borrowed your truck after breakfast? I wanna go into town and get myself a new cell.”
And a good cup of coffee.
“Why don’t I take you? I can run to Kern’s while you’re getting a phone. I’ll pick up some of their Braunschweiger sausage for us to have at lunch. Your mom doesn’t like it, but I know you do.”
“That sounds good. I haven’t had it in a long time.”
“Hon, we got any more rye bread or that Mittlescharfer mustard?” he asked her mother as she set eggs, bacon, and toast on the table.
Lottie filled her plate.
“We have the bread, but I’m not sure on the mustard. Check the pantry,” she told him as she sat down.
“Well, I wouldn’t know where to look.”
Huffing, she rose and charged into the pantry. Lottie’s dad winked at her. Her mom returned with a jar of mustard, slapping it down on the table. “Happy?”
“Thanks, darling. And you’re sure we have the rye?”
“Yes, I’m sure.” Her mom glared at him. “Or would you like me to check?”
“Would you mind? I just want to make sure I get it while I’m in town if we’re out. It’s not often my girl is home to visit,” Lottie’s dad said as he put his hand on her shoulder, giving it a squeeze.
Her mom huffed, rose, and marched over the bread drawer, pulling it open, reaching inside and pulling out a bag of rye bread. She held it over her head. “Full bag.”
“It’s not moldy or anything, is it?”
“No, I just bought it.” Her mom returned with it to the table. “Check it over if you like. No mold. Nice and fresh.”
“Oh, thank you, dear.” Lottie’s dad picked up the bread and inspected it closely, as though he wasn’t willing to take her mom’s word for it.
Her mom mumbled under her breath, and her dad had a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth. Lottie shook her head, wondering why her dad always got such a kick out of antagonizing her mom and why her mom put up with it. Surely, she had to see through his little game. Shaking her head, she bit into a slice of bacon, hoping her mom wouldn’t bring David up, but no sooner had she went to take a second bite, her mom opened her mouth.
“So, going to get a new phone today, eh? Gonna get a new number so that bastard can’t call you?”
“I don’t know, Mom. I didn’t even think about it.” Lottie dropped the bacon onto her plate, her appetite gone.
“Well, I’m not one to stick my nose in where it doesn’t belong, but I think it does belong here. I will tell you that David is a complete narcissist, and he’s not going to be happy just letting you get on with your life. He’ll pop in every now and then just to make sure he can pull you back in and mess things up for you. The only way to get rid of people like that is to go completely no contact. You need to block him from all your social media, get a new phone number and new email addresses.”
Lottie rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, I see those eyes rolling. You always stuck up for him, but why are you still doing it now? You couldn’t see what was happening to you because you were duped by him. Lottie, I know this is hard to hear, but you didn’t see what he was doing because you’re a good person and wouldn’t expect anyone to act that way. We saw it. He used you. He never loved you. People like that aren’t capable of love.”
“So what? You’re a psychologist now? You know he’s a narcissist suddenly?” Lottie crossed her arms and wanted to cry. She felt like she did when she was sixteen and got caught sneaking home after curfew.
“No, I’m not a psychologist, but I know narcissists because my sister is one. I spent years healing from her abuse. They can be the most charming people on earth, but that part of them never lasts because it’s not who they really are. It’s a mask. After it drops and they discard you, they pull you back in so they can use you and feed off of you. Especially people like you, Lottie. You’re so kind, loving, and good. I hate to say it, but you’re a perfect target. Now, I’m not trying to hurt you. I’m trying to help you protect yourself. David will return. He will be watching you. He’ll seem
to know just when you’re happy again and he’ll swoop in, pull you into his bullshit, and shit all over you again. It’ll never end.”
Lottie’s mind raced back to his last visit. He had made her feel like they were going to get back together. He’d ruined her date with Grant. But he couldn’t have known she was happy. That was a coincidence. Although she supposed he could have changed the extent of the way he planned to use her once he saw she was going on a date.
Tears spilled down Lottie’s cheeks. Her mother didn’t continue. She leaned over and pulled Lottie to her side, rubbing her arm and stroking her hair. Lottie knew her mom was right. She’d been so used to fiercely defending David’s behavior over the years that it had become habit or a matter of winning with her mom and not want to be wrong. She felt ashamed for being duped by someone, more than once.
Lottie grabbed a napkin from the table, dabbed her eyes, and blew her nose. “You’re right. I’ll get a new number. I’m ready to start fresh. I do need to call Beth today though and let her know I’m safe and that I lost my phone.”
“You do whatever you need to do, honey. You can use the phone in my office if you want a little privacy. You gonna finish your food?”
“No, I’m not hungry anymore.”
Lottie’s dad reached across to Lottie’s plate, but her mom slapped his hand.
“I’ll wrap it up for you and you can have it later if you change your mind. Okay?”
“Okay, Mom. Thanks.”
Lottie got up and padded into the office, still sniffling. She took a few deep breaths before picking up the phone to dial Beth.
Fuck!
She searched her clouded mind for Beth’s number. When she was a teen, she had all her friends’ numbers memorized by heart; now Lottie only knew her parents’ number and her own. She lowered herself onto the office chair and searched her mind. She’d seen the number flash up on the screen, but she didn’t really call Beth often. She always texted her. What was she going to do? Why had people become so reliant on smartphones that they let themselves become dumb?
Easy Love Page 22