Sweeter Than Fiction

Chapter Thirty-two

Abby

As we walk into Don’s childhood home, the first thing that hits me is the scent of bacon. You can smell it all the way from the porch.

No complaints here.

I love bacon.

But usually, I just make the pre-cooked stuff that you can just zap in the microwave. By the delicious smell, I’m guessing Denise is actually frying it. The last time I attempted that, I splattered hot grease everywhere and about burned my kitchen down.

This morning, I have been a bundle of nerves, but somehow, Don has found a way to bring me back down to Earth a little. I’m sure it also helps that driving from Omaha to here was probably the most serene and peaceful drive of my entire life.

I’d never seen so much open space before. The only times I’ve gotten out of New York were a few family vacations as a kid. And those were just to the Jersey Shore, which was still heavily populated. Nebraska is a whole different environment.

And I’m not complaining.

Give it time, Abby. I’m sure that you can’t get Chinese food delivered at three AM here.

I look around at the cozy living room. It’s so lived-in and homey. A comfortable-looking couch and recliner are the centerpieces of the room that are angled toward a TV that sits on a wooden entertainment center. On the end tables, there are a few lit candles next to some assorted knick-knacks. There are mismatched lamps, a big fuzzy rug, and a little play kitchen in the corner. And there are photos everywhere. I pick up a frame off of one of the tables and look at a little girl that I recognize as Kaylee.

Something about this place makes me feel at ease. Maybe it’s that it’s a lot like my apartment in that there’s no rhyme or reason to it. It’s just filled with Denise’s favorite things, and it’s a collection of a lifetime with her and her family.

I always wanted this kind of feeling growing up, but my parents were much more of the ‘everything has to be clean and white’ mindset. Maybe that’s why I’m so kooky now.

As Don leads me into the kitchen to follow his mom, he says, “Mom, you are cooking Thanksgiving dinner later. You didn’t have to make us breakfast, too.”

“Oh, honey, you know I don’t mind. I love having someone to cook for again. Plus, I figured you two would be hungry since your flight was so early.”

“When are you going to find the time to make dinner?” He asks.

“Donovan, the turkey is already in the oven.” She winks. “This is not my first rodeo.”

I look around the kitchen, which isn’t all that different from the living room. There’s stuff everywhere. Not in a messy way, but it’s just that she has a lot of stuff, and she’s found an individual place for all of it. In this room, in particular, she has a wide assortment of chicken figurines. They line every surface that isn’t used for cooking.

Denise says, “Why don’t you two go get settled in, and I will finish up breakfast. It should be done in about twenty minutes or so.”

“Are you sure, Mom?” Don asks. “We can help.”

“I’m sure. Go relax for a few. We will chat more over breakfast.”

Donovan leads me further back into the house into his old bedroom. Once inside, I see that everything is in various shades of blue. Dark blue curtains. A blue plaid comforter. A light blue rug.

“I’ll be right back, beautiful. I’m going to go grab our bags out of the truck.”

“Okay,” I say, continuing my tour to try to see how Donovan McDowell grew up.

There’s not quite as much stuff in here, but it has the same homey feel as the rest of the house. It’s a far cry from his stark white apartment back in New York. There are not nearly as many photos in here, but there are a few.

One of them is him when he was younger—elementary school age—wearing a baseball uniform. Another is of him in a tuxedo with a cute girl in a prom dress.

When he comes back in, I hold up the framed photo. “Should I be worried about this girl?” I tease.

“I doubt it. She’s a lesbian now.”

“She slept with you, and she decided to start batting for the other team? I have to say I’m a little shocked by that.”

He gives me a sly smile. “Back then, I wasn’t nearly as good at it.”

“You two were a cute couple,” I say.

“My mother insisted we frame the photo. She said it was the only time she’d ever seen me in a tux, and she was worried she’d never see it again.”

“What were you like in high school, Don?” I ask.

“I was pretty tall and lanky until about junior year. Then, I started to thicken up a little.”

I look him up and down. “A little?”

“Hey, I didn’t become the glorious specimen you see before you until I started doing manual labor for a living.”

I start giggling and lean up on my tiptoes to kiss him. “Your mom seems really great,” I tell him.

“Oh, just wait until breakfast. I’m sure she’s going to ask you questions like you’re being deposed. No, scratch that. She’ll make it much nicer than that. It will be like you’re on a late-night talk show.”

“Eh, I’m sure we will be fine,” I say the words, and I pray that they are true. I can tell how close Don and his mom are. What if she hates me? I would never make him choose between me and his family.

My head immediately starts to run wild with the what ifs.

Don takes note. “Abs, what’s wrong? Where did you just go?”

“Just hoping that your mom likes me.”

He pulls me close, wrapping his arms around my waist. “She’s going to love you.”

“How do you know?”

“Because she has excellent taste.” He smiles at me. “And you’re amazing. Once she realizes how much I love you, there’s no way she can do anything but follow suit.”

It isn’t long before Denise is calling us for breakfast.

When we go back into the kitchen, I see that she has put out a full spread. Not only is there delicious-smelling bacon, but there’s also eggs and biscuits and gravy.

Usually, I’m not a huge breakfast person. Okay, let me rephrase that. I love breakfast food, but usually, when I do eat it, it’s for dinner. In the mornings, I’m basically a walking zombie, so I usually opt for coffee or an energy drink and some kind of protein bar or smoothie—not because I am trying to be health-conscious, but because I’m lazy, and those options are easy.

We sit around the small kitchen table and dish out some food onto our plates. Everything tastes amazing.

“So, Abby, how did you and Donovan meet?”

I give a small chuckle. “Well, we are neighbors. One day, after I had a really bad date with a jerk, he saw me crying and showed up at my door to make me feel better.”

She gives her son a pointed look. “And how exactly did you make her feel better, Donovan?”

“Oh, gosh!”I cry. “No, not like that. He showed up with some wine, and we ate Chinese food and watched Gilmore Girls. He was a perfect gentleman.”

“Well, that’s good to know. I always wanted to raise him to be a good man.”

Under the table, I put my hand on his thigh. “He’s the best.”

She asks a couple more questions about what I do for work and what I like to do for fun. I don’t mind answering, but it also feels strange to me to be talking so much about myself.

Before we can go any further, Don’s phone starts ringing in his pocket. When he pulls it out, he says, “Excuse me, ladies. It’s the foreman at work. I better take this.”

He walks out of the room, leaving just Denise and I.

She looks over at me. “I hope you don’t think I was giving you the third degree or anything. I just want to get to know you a little better.”

“Oh, no, it’s okay,” I say, a little more nervous without Don here.

“Look, Abby, I’m under no delusion that my son has had his fun while living in New York, so when his sister told me he was seeing someone, I had my doubts.”

I brace myself for impact. I have no idea what she’s going to say, but I’m fairly positive it’s not going to be good.

She goes on. “But I have to tell you that I have never seen Donovan look at anyone the way he looks at you. You truly have that boy smitten. And if he loves you that much, I figure that you have to be something special. So, I may ask you questions to get to know you, but I promise that’s all it is. I’m not trying to sus out whether I think you’re good enough for him. I trust him enough to make his own decisions.”

“I’m happy to hear you say that,” I tell her. “I was really nervous about meeting you.”

“Oh, honey, no need to be nervous. Even if I didn’t like you, I have learned to let my kids make their own decisions. Once you meet Jill, you’ll understand my decision there. I raised one of the most headstrong teenagers ever. If I said the sky was blue, she’d argue that it was green just to be difficult. Because of her, I know better than to tell them not to do something.”

I laugh. “Fair enough. I meant it when I said you raised a great man. You did a wonderful job.”

“I wish I could take all the credit, but sometimes, I think he just came out that way. I think God felt bad for giving me someone as headstrong as Jill and felt the need to give me an easy son.”

At this moment, Don walks back in. “Did you just call me easy? Should I be offended?”

Denise answers, “No, but Jill might be if she heard this conversation.”

He waves his hand. “Oh, Jill is always offended. Speaking of my high-maintenance sister, when is she coming and bringing my favorite niece?”

“Jill said early afternoon.”

“Ah. Knowing Jill and her punctuality, we will be lucky if she makes it here by the time we eat.”

Denise laughs. “I don’t know. Usually, I’d agree with you, but I know that she’s pretty antsy to meet Abby, so she may grace us with her presence a little sooner.”

Don asks, “Any chance she’d just drop Kaylee off? She’s the real reason I’m here.”

“You better be careful. Paul’s mom bought her a makeup set when she hurt her leg, and now, it’s her mission to make everybody look pretty. I doubt you’ll be excused from having her give you a makeover.”

He looks confused. “Uh, I don’t want to be excused. I’m sure that my niece could make me look fabulous.”

“Are you two going to go out and do anything today?” Denise asks. “Dinner won’t be done for a while.”

“Mom, you know, we came here to spend time with you. I don’t want to go running off.”

She shakes his comment off. “While I appreciate that, I know you probably want to go show Abby the town. Being from New York, though, she probably finds this whole thing pretty boring.”

I step in. “Oh, not at all. I’ve never really been outside of the city, so I like getting to actually see some wide open spaces.”

“Oh, honey, you will find a ton of that around here. Luckily, the weather hasn’t started turning bad yet. You guys should have a pretty good trip.”

With the way it’s going so far, I wholeheartedly believe her.