Throwing the snot- and tear-coated napkin into the office trash bin, she flipped on the computer to log into her email. She sent Beth a message.
Lottie: I made it to Michigan safe and sound. Unfortunately, my cell did not. Some fart-lard of a bitch stole it. Anyway, I hope you get this. I’ll be getting a new phone today. I can’t remember your number. Send it as soon as you get this.
Lottie set up a new email address, blocked David from the rest of her scarcely used social media accounts, and logged off the computer.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Grant
It had been three days since Grant called Lottie. He’d heard nothing back. Maybe she truly wanted to start over completely fresh and he was just another reminder of the life she wanted to put behind her. But he wasn’t ready to put things behind him. Not without letting her know how he felt about her first. If she didn’t call today, he was going to call Beth and ask her if she knew why Lottie hadn’t returned his call.
He pulled out his phone to check it. The volume was up, and his notifications were on, but there were no messages. Scooping his wallet off the dresser, he opened it up and made sure all the cash was inside. He slid it in his back pocket and walked out the bedroom door.
“Nana. I’m going to get her. Are you sure you don’t want to come with me to make sure you like her?”
“Oh, I trust your judgment, hon. And the picture you took on your phone, well, I can see she has kind eyes. We’re gonna have to fatten her up, though. Once we get her off that damn dog food and on some real food, it’ll happen soon enough. You know, when I was growing up, we never fed dogs kibble. They just ate with the family. And that’s the way it should be. They are family, after all.”
“I’m so glad you’re on board with this. I can’t believe I was so nervous to ask you. She’s a great dog, Nana. I know you’ll fall in love with her like I did.”
“Well, get out the door and go get her already.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Grant waved at Nana, grabbed the leash and collar he bought the day before, and drove straight to animal control. The human chimney was in her usual place by the front door, smoking, when he pulled up.
“Well, hey there, Grant. Today’s the big day. She’s waiting for ya. Gave her a bath and everything. Why don’t ya go on back and get her? I’ll be inside in just a minute, and we’ll fill out the forms.”
Grant made his way in and headed straight to the back. “Hey, Freya.” He smiled at the blonde Border collie, whose tail had immediately begun to wag the moment she saw him. Freya. It was her name. He had it in the back of his mind but hadn’t uttered it out loud until this moment. He’d been so worried he’d come in one day and find she’d been picked up by whatever owners had mistreated her so poorly. Now, it felt safe to say her name and make the connection that she belonged to him and that they were family. “You ready to go home?”
He opened the gate and put the orange collar around the dog’s neck. She looked prideful and pranced along with him once he hooked on the leash. It was almost as if she didn’t want to let herself believe until this moment either. The pair walked out into the front room, where Grant filled out all the paperwork, handed the human chimney the adoption fee, thanked her, and took Freya out to his truck. The moment he opened the door, she jumped inside. He walked around and opened his door to find Freya sitting in the driver’s seat.
“Oh, no, girl. I’m driving. Scooch.” She moved over to the passenger seat and panted happily as he climbed in and started the engine. He thought of Lottie and Pickles, wondering if Pickles and Freya would get along and if the four of them could all fit in the truck together.
He put the truck in gear, leaned across Freya to roll down her window, rolled down his, cranked the radio, and drove through town, stopping at McDonald’s to get a Freya a ten pack of chicken nuggets and a vanilla ice cream cone to celebrate her new life. Grant drove by Lottie’s house. It still looked dark, and her car hadn’t appeared to move. He wondered how long she’d be gone and hoped that he’d get to see her when she did return. He had to ask her for a chance. He had to try to convince her to stay. But was that selfish? To ask her to stay in a town just for the sake of dating him? He had to try anyway.
After arriving home, he quickly took Freya inside to meet Nana.
“Oh my goodness. She’s even more beautiful in person.”
Freya was on her best behavior, no jumping, no crotch sniffing. When Nana bent down to pet her, she just rolled onto her back.
“Someone wants her tummy rubbed.” Nana squatted down. “I’m not sure these old bones can bend like this for too long. You’ll have to allow her on the furniture, Grant. That’s the only way I’m going to be able to rub her tummy for too long.”
“Really, Nana? You never let any of your other dogs on the furniture.”
“Well, I’m too old to care anymore. We’ll spread out some blankets and you can vacuum up the dog hair. Seems like she’s a shedder.” Nana glanced at the long blonde hair coating her hand.
“I’ll take her out on the patio and give her a good brushing.”
Grant rifled through the Walmart bag and pulled out the brush he’d purchased the day before. “Come on, Freya. Let’s go outside.”
“Freya? That’s what you named her?” Nana giggled.
“Well, what would you have named her? Lassie?” He grinned.
“What’s wrong with Lassie? It’s a good name for a dog.”
“Freya is the Goddess of Love, and you’re not going to find a more loving dog anywhere. I think it’s the perfect name for her.”
“Maybe you’re right. Freya it is.” Nana followed the two of them onto the patio and lowered herself into the chair. “Have you heard from your friend yet?”
“No, Nana. I haven’t heard anything.”
“Why don’t you text the other girl, her best friend, and find out when she’s coming back to town?”
“I don’t want to seem like a stalker.” Grant sat on the ground and began brushing Freya, who rolled onto her back. “I’m gonna have to brush more than your tummy, girl.”
“Asking a question ain’t stalking. When you’re done here, you call her friend and find out what’s going on. You’ve been moping around long enough, checking your phone every couple minutes. I’m not too old to see what’s going on. You need to find out so you can stop being so miserable.”
“All right, Nana. I’ll call Beth after dinner tonight.”
***
Grant and Nana took Freya on a walk around their small neighborhood after dinner. Clearly, she wasn’t a dog Nana could walk. She was so excited she pulled on the leash the whole time.
“She’s going to need to be trained and walked a lot before you’ll be able to handle her, Nana.”
“At my age, the only dog that might not be able to knock me over is a teacup Pomeranian. I’ll leave the walking to you. I’m good with the tummy scratches and snuggles.” Nana smiled.
“She’ll need plenty of walks just the same. I don’t want to get my arm ripped from the socket every time I walk her. I guess she had to have one fault.”
“Don’t we all?” Nana wrapped her arm around his and took a deep breath. “It’s gonna be getting unbearably hot soon enough. I can’t believe summer is almost here. You’ll have to get up early to walk her or wait until it’s late. This pavement will scorch her paws.”
Grant thought about the coming summer months, wondering if he’d get the chance to spend them with Lottie. Would he get to show her Freya? He longed for the chance to meet her every evening to walk Freya and Pickles. He had to know if she was coming back to town, and he had to know when. He wouldn’t miss his opportunity again.
The moment they returned home, Grant poured some fresh, cool water into Freya’s bowl and headed to his room. He pulled out his phone, wondering what to text Beth so that he wouldn’t seem like the kind of pushy asshole Lottie had just freed herself from.
Grant: Hey, Beth. It’s Grant. I was wondering if you’ve h
eard from Lottie.
He set his phone on the bedside table and headed in the kitchen to grab a beer. When he returned, he was happy to see he already had a text back.
Beth: I got an email from her a couple days ago. Her cell was stolen. Sorry, I should have thought to let you know sooner. My mind is in a cloud with this pregnancy and I just found out Michael is deploying.
Grant: No problem. I’m relieved that she hasn’t been ignoring me. I thought she was upset with me. Do you know when she’ll be back in town yet?
Beth: She’s coming back on Friday. Do you want her new number?
Grant: I don’t feel comfortable calling her new number unless I know she wants me to have it. Just don’t let her leave town without me getting a chance to talk to her, please.
Beth: I won’t. Come to the reservoir on Saturday. I’ll make sure she’s there.
Grant: Thanks.
Beth: No problem.
Grant turned off his phone and laid back on his bed, relieved that Lottie hadn’t been ignored him after all. His mind swirled, wondering if could say anything that could convince her to stay in town a bit longer. Was he being selfish to ask that of her?
He kicked himself for a moment. Maybe he should have taken Lottie’s new number from Beth. Surely, she wouldn’t have offered if she knew Lottie wouldn’t be okay with it. He’d be able to call her or text her, giving her more time to think. Would she feel ambushed if he showed up at the reservoir and laid all his feelings on her when she’s already going through so much with David? Was he setting himself up to be a rebound guy, like Nana said? Did he care about being a rebound guy? Any time with Lottie had to be better than no time at all. No, that was silly. If they genuinely cared about each other, the timing of their meeting was irrelevant. He’d never bought into the dating advice from others before. Of course, he’d never felt serious about any of the women he dated before either.
Grant made his way into the living room where Nana was sitting in the couch with Freya curled up next to her watching the evening news.
“So much crime in Lawton. It’s spreading to our small town. When I was growing up, we never had to worry about all these break-ins.” She shook her head.
“And yet you keep leaving the door unlocked.” Grant cocked his head to the side.
“I guess you’re right. Maybe I’ll have to start locking it. It’s a shame, though. It’s a real shame. What’s this world coming to?” Nana shook her head some more and tsked at the screen.
“Hey, Nana. Can I ask you for some advice?”
“Well, sure, hon.” Nana picked up the remote and muted the television.
“Lottie lost her cell phone. That’s why she hasn’t responded to me. She’s coming back into town on Friday, and Beth wants me to come to the reservoir to meet them. But is it selfish of me to tell Lottie how I feel about her and, well, kind of ask her to stay in town? I’d be asking her to stay just to date me. Is that crazy to ask of someone?”
“Isn’t love crazy? Nothing about love makes sense. As old as I am, it’s not something I’ve figured out. But the one thing I have learned is that you should always follow your heart. Now, that’s advice I still ignore. I pushed you to date Tiffany even though you didn’t feel it. I could tell that. It’s just that I love you so much and I guess I thought I knew better than you. What I really needed was to step out of your way and let you follow your heart. If you really think this is the girl for you, you need to do everything you can to be with her. Tell her how you feel. Follow your heart. If she doesn’t want to stay and she doesn’t want to be with you, well, that’s because her heart doesn’t want you back. But you at least gotta find out.”
“You’re right. Thanks, Nana. I’m not sure I can live with myself if I don’t try. If she doesn’t want to stay or she doesn’t want me, I’ll accept it and leave her alone, but I won’t give up until I know that.”
“I think you knew the right thing to do all along, Grant. Some obstacles have gotten in your way, but if you love her, it’ll all be worth it in the end. Sometimes the struggles make the love sweeter. Your Papa Joe and I had some struggles, but we made it through, and we loved each other that much harder because we know how close we came to losing it all.”
Grant reached out and took Nana’s hand. He sucked in a deep breath and nodded. “I’m going to put myself out there completely. I’m not going to hold back.”
“Sometimes we just need to talk things out with someone else to find the answers hidden in our own hearts.” Nana scratched Freya behind the ears and smiled.
He padded into his room and took out a pad of paper and a pen. He wrote and rewrote all the things he wanted to say to Lottie. In two days, he’d be seeing her, and he’d know if he was going to have his heart soar or break.
Chapter Thirty
Lottie
Lottie rode the escalator down to the baggage claim. There she spied Beth holding up a sign that said ‘Most beautiful girl in the world.’ Lottie’s cheeks blushed as she ran over to hug Beth. “I bet the people waiting with you were disappointed when they saw me after expecting the most beautiful girl in the world.”
“Bullshit.” An old man smiled and winked at her. “I think the sign is pretty accurate.”
“See!” Beth nudged Lottie in the ribs. “We really need to get you to an ophthalmologist to adjust those eyes of yours. Let’s go get your bag.”
Lottie and Beth headed to the baggage claim with just enough time to squeeze themselves into a gap near the conveyor belt.
“I’m so glad you’re back. It was boring as fuck with you gone. I did nothing but binge-watch Netflix. If it wasn’t for Pickles getting me out of the house for walks, I’d have a little extra cottage cheese jiggling around my thighs. I ate so many cheeseballs. Those fucking things are addictive.”
“I couldn’t take my parents anymore. I think when I’ve been gone for a while, I get amnesia and forget what they’re like. My dad picked at my mom and my mom preached at me. I know everything she said was right, but who wants to sit and listen to hours of lessons in ‘I told you so’ when you already feel like complete shit?” Lottie sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “I feel so lost. I don’t think I’ve ever been more confused about what I’m supposed to do next. I had more direction at high school graduation than I do now.”
“Stay in Altus. Think about it. Dan is holding your job for a while.” Beth looked at Lottie with pleading eyes.
“There’s nothing for me in Altus. Just a bunch of horrible memories of David.”
“There’s nothing? Really? What about me? What about us? And all our great memories. Don’t let David have that much power over you. Fuck him, Lottie.”
A loud buzzer rang out, and the conveyer belt began to move. Luggage started flowing from the great beyond. Lottie stood in silence as she scanned the bags for the familiar strip of an old bathing suit she tied to the handle of hers. Her stomach churned and sunk for saying that she had nothing. What a selfish dick she was, not thinking of all the good times she’d had with Beth.
After scooping her bag from the belt, she followed Beth through the maze of the parking garage to her Jeep. Once her bag was in and she climbed into the passenger seat, she turned to Beth with tears balancing on the rims of her eyes. “I’m sorry I said that. Of course I know I have you here. But what happens when you leave? I’ll just be some sad spinster teacher who sits alone in her house everyday eating Big Macs until I die.”
Beth took Lottie’s hand. “What happens to me when you leave? I’ll just be some pregnant, antisocial cow who sits around eating cheeseballs. You know I hate all the other bitches in town. Michael is deploying and I’ll spend the summer completely alone and pregnant.”
“Michael is deploying? Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I’ve been busy sulking. Hence my binge-watching and binge-eating. Besides, I didn’t want to pile any more shit news on you.” Beth turned the Jeep on and backed out of the parking lot. “We’ve got a three-hour drive back. At least pr
omise me you’ll think about staying. Let me imagine that you’ll be there when my baby is born.”
“You might move before then.”
“Then come with us. Be my nanny until you find a job. You’re not just my best friend, Lottie. You’re like a sister to me. You can start your life over, but you don’t have to do it alone.”
“I can’t follow you guys around when you move. What will Michael think? He’ll get sick of me.”
“No way. Michael adores you, and I think he’d be happy knowing we had extra help with the baby, especially if he deploys after it’s born. And it’s not like you’d have to live with us forever. But you’d have support and family until you decide what you want to do.”
Lottie nodded. It was nice to feel wanted, and she did love babies. For a moment, she felt fortunate that she hadn’t had any with David. She couldn’t imagine going through all this with kids in tow.
“Another thing.” Beth glanced at Lottie before pulling out onto the interstate. “Grant called you.”
“What? He did?”
“He wanted to talk to you on the last day school. He called you. He texted me a few days ago because you never called him back. I forgot to let him know your phone was stolen because I was all wrapped up in the fact that Michael is deploying.”
“What did he want?”
Beth cocked her head and squinted at Lottie. “What do you think?”
Lottie’s stomach flipped. “What about Tiffany?”
“What about her, Lottie? I don’t know. He wants to talk to you. I didn’t probe him for everything he’s going to say to you or what happened with Tiffany. You’ll find out tomorrow. He’s coming to the reservoir. You can find out then. I’m pretty sure whatever it is, it’s going to be another reason for you to stay in Altus. He cares about you, Lottie. A lot.”
Easy Love Page 23