Imaginary Grace (10 page)

“Oh, lucky you,” I said, feeling a combination of relief and disappointment. I wouldn’t see him for a while, but he wasn’t dumping me either. “I’m here until Tuesday. I guess I’ll just see you next week then.”

We stood and he turned to leave, but then he grabbed my arm, pulled me toward him, and brought his lips down to mine.

This time, though, it was all too brief. “See you next week,” he whispered as he slowly pulled away, then gave me a smile that made my knees go weak. I tried to remain casual, but as soon as he turned and walked off down the path, I raced up to my room. Beth was already there, sorting through a pile of clothes on her bed. Thomas was picking her up after her last class on Monday so they could drive home to Pennsylvania, but she was packing now so as not to waste the weekend.

I wouldn’t meet him this trip, as I’d still be in class when they left, but Beth told me he’d be in Washington in a couple of weeks and planned to stay with us. I couldn’t help be a bit curious about Beth’s boyfriend, especially since lately she’d seemed pretty open to meeting other guys.

“What are you all smiles about?”

“Oh, nothing,” I said, but I knew I was grinning like a fool.

“Oh come on, spill it,” she said, folding her arms across her chest.

“Well, okay, if you must know…kiss number two just occurred, right downstairs!”

She smiled brightly. “See, I told you there was nothing to worry about when you didn’t hear from him!”

“Yeah, I guess you were right,” I said as I jumped onto my bed. “I can’t wait to see him again!” But even as I said it, I was filled with nervousness about him meeting my family. I pushed the thought to the back of my head and tried to just enjoy the post-kiss moment.

“You better text me and give me all the details as soon as he’s out the door,” she said.

“Will do. Now finish your packing so we can hit the gym!”

©

When Tuesday finally arrived, I woke up excited to go home and see my family. I was catching the three o’clock train into Newark, Penn Station, where my dad would pick me up. I’d packed over the weekend, so after my last class I just had to stop by my room, grab my bags, and call a cab to take me to the station.

With all the running around that morning, I hadn’t had much time to think about Tanner; but as soon I relaxed back in my seat and the train pulled out of the station, my mind was once again filled with thoughts of him. I tried to clear my mind, even took out my iPod and scrolled through my playlists, finally choosing the one with Van Halen
,
Boston
,
Triumph
,
Journey
,
and Moody Blues – but I still couldn’t stop thinking about him. I couldn’t wait to see him on Friday, but I was also worried about what my mom and dad would think of him. I knew Ryder would think he was hot. Jagger would probably just ignore him.

What if my parents really didn’t like him? Would it matter? I didn’t want to think about it.

The train pulled into the station exactly on time. I saw my dad’s car as soon as I walked out of the station and onto the crowded sidewalk. As soon as he saw me, he got out of the car and rushed over to help me with my bags.

“Hi there, Gracie, welcome back to Jersey,” he said as he gave me a hug. “How was your trip?”

“Fine, Dad,” I said, kissing his cheek. “It’s good to see you.”

He squeezed me tighter, then carried my bags to the car. The drive home was stop-and-go with holiday traffic, but we were talking so much we barely noticed. Dad wanted to know all about my classes and if I was keeping my grades up. He wanted to know if I was eating enough and how the food was. He asked about Beth and how I liked rooming with her. I waited; I knew it was coming. Finally he said, “So, Mom tells me a friend of yours is coming to visit.”

“Yes, Dad,” I replied, “a
friend
is stopping by at the end of the week; just a
friend
. It’s not a big deal.”

“Well, you know your mom. She’s going to want to hear all about this
friend
of yours.”

Just as the car pulled into the driveway the door flew open and Ryder came barreling out, shouting, “She’s home! Mom, Gracie’s home!”

Troo followed close behind her and nearly knocked me off my feet when she jumped up at me.

Dad grabbed my bags and followed me into the house. Everyone was hugging me and fussing over me. I knew it wouldn’t last, but while it did it sure felt great. Ryder wanted to hear about all the hot college guys and Jagger, well actually Jagger didn’t really want to hear about anything, and after the hoopla of my arrival was over he went back to playing his Xbox.

Dad put my bags up in my room, and after chatting with everyone for a while I said I wanted to lie down in my own bed for a while before dinner. As I pulled the covers over me, I had to admit that while college was great, there was nothing like being back in my own room.

It seemed like I’d barely gotten into bed when I heard my mom calling me for dinner. I shot down the stairs, eager for one of her home-cooked meals that I had never really appreciated while I was home. She even made chocolate chip cookies, my favorite, for dessert.

She looked at me curiously. “It looks like someone has been doing a little shopping. I like what you’re wearing.”

I had gotten so used to all my new clothes that I didn’t even realize anyone would notice. “Oh, yeah, thanks. Beth and I did some shopping a few weeks ago.”

Mom waited until we were clearing the table before she got down to the nitty-gritty. “So, Grace, tell me all about this friend of yours. What’s his name?”

“His name’s Tanner and, Mom, as I told Dad, he’s just a friend, nothing more, so please don’t embarrass me when he stops by.”

“Embarrass you? What makes you think I would embarrass you? If you say he’s just a friend then I’m sure that’s what he is. I was just curious about him, that’s all.”

“Okay, well there’s not much to tell. I met him in one of my classes, and he’s really nice. He said he was called to do a job or something up in Suffern so I mentioned that it was close by here and asked him if he wanted to stop by and he said okay. And that’s about it.” I knew I was rambling but I was getting more nervous by the minute.

“Oh, okay; well, then, I look forward to meeting him,” was all she said.

After everything was cleaned up and put away, I went back upstairs. I turned in early, but I wasn’t able to sleep. I kept thinking about Tanner coming over and how great it would be to see him. I think I finally dozed off around midnight.

The next few days were relaxing for the most part, although in the back of my mind was always the thought of Friday and Tanner’s approaching visit.

Thanksgiving Day came and went. We all had a nice time at my aunt and uncle’s house. It was fun visiting with my cousins, but the whole day, I felt a nervous knot forming in the pit of my stomach. On the drive home, Ryder asked if Mom could take her shopping the following afternoon.

“Ryder, honey, that’s crazy; it’s Black Friday tomorrow, and the malls will be packed. Besides, Grace’s friend from college is coming over tomorrow afternoon, and I’d like to be here to meet him.”

“
Him?
” she said. “Oh my God, Gracie’s having a boyfriend stop by and no one told me. This is
huge
!”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Ryder,” I cut in quickly. “He’s just a friend.”

“Oh,
please.
Guys don’t just stop by a girl’s house-- that they’re just
friends
with-- on a holiday weekend. Give me a break – Grace has a boyfriend, Grace has a boyfriend…”she chanted in an annoying sing-songy voice.

“Mom!” I shouted. “See, I knew this would happen, she’s such a baby. I don’t want her here when Tanner comes over!”

“
Ooooh
, his name’s
Tanner
– Grace and Tanner sittin’ in a tree…” Ryder started to sing, but abruptly stopped when I threw my shoe at her.

“That’s enough, girls!” Mom shouted. I sat there, stewing. One minute Ryder acted like she was all hot stuff, but then the next minute she acted like a child. I had to keep reminding myself that she was only fourteen and that this was typical fourteen-year-old behavior.

Then Ryder leaned over and whispered, “He’s probably a dork, anyway.”

I just smiled to myself.
Yeah, you’ll see
.

By the time we got home the little spat was forgotten and she started questioning me about Tanner. I was purposely vague about him, which of course annoyed the heck out of her. “You’ll see tomorrow,” was all I said.

The next morning I got up early, my stomach so tense I didn’t think I’d be able to eat breakfast. When I went down to the kitchen, Dad was already there, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He kissed me good morning, then started telling me about how one of the local radio stations was having a Top 500 classic rock countdown.

“Gracie, how many songs do you think you’d be able to guess the title and artist for?” he asked.

“Dad, please
do not
bring up your music trivia in front of Tanner. I don’t want him thinking I listen to all that old stuff.”

He just laughed to himself and shook his head.

Determined to look my best when Tanner got there, I headed upstairs to take a shower. I spent even more time than usual on my hair, trying to get it just right. At least most of the frizz was gone, along with the humid summertime air. I didn’t even have to rely on the ponytail, which was great. I just pulled it back in the front, fastening it with a clip, and let the gentle waves hang loosely down my back. I put on a pair of skinny jeans and a simple, black-fitted, v-neck t-shirt.

I took one last look in the mirror and, somewhat satisfied with what I saw, I headed back downstairs, nervously wiping imaginary dust off the immaculate furniture, then re-cleaning the already spotless downstairs bathroom. “Mom, I think we should put out the fancy little soaps and maybe the guest towels.”

“I hardly think that’s necessary, but if it’ll make you feel better, go ahead.”

I ran upstairs to the linen closet to get the guest towels and little soaps, then headed back down to start arranging them neatly in the bathroom. From the other room I could hear Ryder say, “What’s Grace doing with the fancy towels? I thought we were saving them for when the president visits.”

I heard the crinkling of Dad’s newspaper and knew he was looking over the top of it at my sister, like he always did when he wanted to make a point. “Well, apparently the use of the fancy towels also applies to Grace’s guest.”

I just shook my head, quickly surveying the bathroom, and went out to the living room.

Just then, Jagger appeared and plopped down on the couch. Any free time Jagger had was usually spent on his Xbox, so we were all surprised when he appeared in the living room.

“What are you doing out of your cave, loser?” Ryder asked.

He leaned back on the couch and put his feet up, saying, “I want a front row seat for this.”

“For what?” Dad asked, putting his newspaper down.

“For Grace’s ‘friend’ coming over,” he said, using air quotes to emphasize
friend
. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

Just then my phone chirped with a text from Tanner.
Leavin now. B there in a few hours
.

Ryder looked at me expectantly. “Well?”

“Well, what? He’s on his way and he’ll be here in a few hours,” I said matter-of-factly.

Chapter 12

Tanner

“D
on’t tell me you’re still pissed about last week,” Scott said as he slammed the truck door shut.

I didn’t answer him right away; I just stared ahead out the front window. Damn straight I was still pissed off. If I was going to pull off this charade with Grace, I had to do it in my own way, and in my own time. Scott had totally screwed up by bringing her to the apartment, and he knew it.

I thought back to that day when I had arrived home to find her sitting in my living room. The look on my face had been a mix of shock and annoyance, and she had picked up on it. I’d had to act fast, and the only thing I could think of was to kiss her. It worked. After the kiss I laid on her, I think she forgot her own name. I laughed to myself whenever I thought about it.

“You don’t get it, Scott, you just don’t get it. This may seem like a big game to you, but it could be my last chance to play with a band—at least, a good one. This thing with Grace is supposed to be a stepping stone to get me there, remember? You upping the ante with her is not helping.”

“Okay, are you done?” he asked, his tone serious.

“For now.”

“Listen, T, I’m sorry…” he began, then he threw his head back and busted out laughing. “…but I just can’t seem to help myself when it comes to you and this chick. The way she looks at you and gets all like nervous around you—it’s an absolute fucking riot.”

For a second, I wanted to deck him, but then he flashed that grin at me. Suddenly I was struck by the humor of it all, and I started to laugh, too. It
was
funny, the way she looked at me sometimes, then looked away before I could “catch” her.

“Listen, you gotta cut the shit,” I finally said, “The closer she gets to me, the harder it’s gonna be for me to cut her loose. At least there’s an end in sight-- there’s this family wedding coming up, and I mentioned to my mom that I might want to bring someone. Now that I’ve laid the groundwork it’s just a matter of time, so when we get to her house, don’t egg it on. Just follow my lead.”

“I’ll try . . . I swear I’ll try,” he said, “but if a situation arises, I might not be able to control myself.”

“Well, maybe if a situation starts to arise you should excuse yourself, idiot.”

About fifteen minutes into the trip Scott decided he wanted to get stoned, so we switched drivers. He passed me the joint, but I refused; I wasn’t into that scene. We’d been driving about an hour when I heard my phone go off. It wasn’t in my pocket and I didn’t see it lying around.

“Do me a favor, man, look around that side and see if my phone’s on the floor.”

Moving at a snail’s pace, Scott fumbled around the dusty floor of the truck and finally found it under the seat. He looked at it all bleary-eyed and smiled.

“Ooh, look, it’s a text from Olive Oyl. Should I read it?”

“What the fuck is olive oil?” I asked, annoyed.

“Not
what,
dude,
who.
You know, she’s Popeye’s chick.”

“You watch way too much TV; just read the fucking text,” I said, stifling a laugh.

“Okay, let me look. It says:
I heard there’s construction
at exit 18W on NJ turnpike, follow the directions I gave u 4 exit 16W instead
. Should I respond?” he asked.

“Yeah, just say ‘okay,’” I told him.

He typed out a response, and then read it aloud-- “Okay,
babe
”---before hitting send.

“Fucking asshole,” I whispered under my breath.

Scott laughed quietly for a few minutes, then fell into a stoned stupor for the rest of the drive. I was glad; Scott could be annoying when he smoked, and besides, I wanted to focus on the gig tonight. I lived for these shows. I felt like I came alive when I got onto that stage. All I had to do was get through this stupid visit with Grace’s family, then I could check into the motel and hopefully relax for a few hours before the show.

I let Scott sleep as long as possible, then gave his shoulder a shove. “Hey--according to the directions she gave me, we should be there in about ten minutes, so look alert.” Scott slowly opened his eyes and stretched, his face stretching into a grin again. Bastard was really looking forward to this.

Grace’s neighborhood seemed really nice; not that it mattered. We pulled up in front of an older, two-story colonial with a perfectly manicured front lawn. I couldn’t wait to get this over with.

I got out of the car, stretched, and then we headed across the sidewalk and down the paved pathway to the front door. Before I rang the bell I leaned closer to Scott and whispered, “Remember, no bullshit, okay?”

“Yeah, I hear you,” he said, and then I reached for the doorbell.