Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
GRAYSON
“ J ust like the time Duke barked at Grandma!”
Everyone at the table laughs loudly at Jenny’s comment, and I glance around cluelessly, no idea why Owen’s dog barking is funny.
Kristen must notice my confusion because she says to me, “You had to be there,” while wiping tears of laughter from her eyes.
It’s not the first time someone has referenced something I’ve missed out on. Usually it’s no big deal to shrug it off, but it’s not as easy today for some reason. The whole car ride here was full of inside jokes between Jenny, Jamie, Kristen, and Eli. I thought Kristen’s boyfriend would at least be the odd man out along with me, but he seems at ease among the family, fully in on all the references.
Guess that’s the price I pay for moving away.
The relief I feel at the sight of Abby entering the restaurant surprises me momentarily. I’ve never particularly cared if she was at any of our family events over the years, but after our talk this morning, there’s a sense of… kinship between us. If anyone else were to understand what it’s like to be an outsider among this group, it’d be her.
“There’s Abby,” I murmur, getting up from my seat.
I’m conscious of Mom’s gaze on me as I head towards the entrance, and step in close to hug Abby.
“Mom’s watching,” I whisper.
She’s smiling as I lean back. “Ready to put on a show?”
Thank God she agreed to this asinine plan. “As ready as I’ll ever be.”
Mom is out of her seat before we even get to the table, nearly sprinting to Abby to get her own hug.
“I’m so glad you could join the family tonight,” Mom says. “You know you’re practically family already.” She pauses for a moment, seeming to collect herself. “And now you’re dating Grayson—”
“You’re dating Uncle Grayson?” Jenny shouts, her hearing exceptionally good in this crowded restaurant.
Shit. This is getting away from us.
“We’re going to the wedding together,” Abby says brightly to the twins, both staring wide-eyed at her.
I try my best not to grit my teeth. “Let’s not put too much pressure on it,” I remind Mom.
“Right, right,” she says, miming zipping her lips even as her eyes twinkle with delight.
From her spot at the table, Kristen rolls her eyes. She better not blab to Mom about the truth of our arrangement.
Or apparently to the kids now. They’d be the first ones to spill secrets to their grandma.
“Should we call you Aunt Abby?” Jenny asks, brazenly forging ahead with the topic.
Abby’s cheeks pinken, her gaze darting to me and away again.
I rub at the back of my neck, hating how awkward this has turned. “No, it’s not…” I trail off, about to say it’s not anything serious before I remember I want Mom to believe it’s serious enough to not set me up with anyone else while I’m in town this week.
Damn. When did this get so complicated?
“You can still call me Abby,” Abby says to Jenny, her composure recovered.
Jenny shrugs. “Okay, cool.”
We’re saved from any more on the topic as Owen, Harper, and two women who must be her friends from Chicago arrive. One is short and blonde, the other a taller brunette with legs for days.
In the chaos of their arrival, I gently grab Abby’s arm and guide her to the other end of the long table, away from any more questions from nosy moms and nieces.
We’re introduced to Kelly and Elena, the other two bridesmaids in the wedding, and our server stops by to introduce herself and take our drink orders. As the conversation turns toward the two women’s travel from Chicago to here, I whisper to Abby, “Sorry about all of that.”
“That’s okay. Jenny’s just… precocious.”
Yeah, that’s one word for it.
“I guess I didn’t think this all the way through. It was one thing to pretend in front of Mom. Now we’ll have to do it in front of the twins, too.” A thought occurs to me. “Oh, shit.”
“What?” Abby appears startled at my tone.
“What about these two?” I jab my thumb toward the two women to our left. “Can we trust them to keep the secret?” I’m too deep in this lie to risk getting caught now. I’d never hear the end of it from Mom.
Abby chews at her bottom lip. “I don’t know. Harper did say she was a little worried about Elena when we go to the bar and winery later this week. I guess she likes to overshare when she gets drunk.”
I couldn’t care less if Elena gossips about Harper’s past. But I don’t want her accidentally letting loose that I’m tricking Mom into thinking Abby’s my date for the wedding so she’ll stop meddling in my love life.
“Has Harper already told them?”
“Let me find out.” She pulls out her phone to text Harper, and a second later Harper picks up her phone, then shakes her head at the two of us.
“So we’ll keep up the ruse in front of them, too,” I say, ignoring the apprehension pooling in my gut. “Like I said earlier, just a little flirty with each other. No biggie.”
“Yeah, of course. And not every couple is super obvious. I mean, look at Kristen and Eli. They’re dating and you wouldn’t even know it from looking at them.”
At that moment, Eli whispers something in Kristen’s ear and she blushes, turning to face him as he looks at her adoringly.
Disgusting.
“Okay, maybe not the best example,” Abby amends. “They’re usually not flashy about their relationship.”
I glance over at Owen, the same goofy expression of adoration on his face as he watches Harper chat animatedly with the brunette, Elena. Does being in love automatically turn you into a sap?
“What are you two lovebirds whispering about?”
I jump in my seat as Mom’s voice registers from behind us. When did she sneak over here?
“N-nothing,” Abby stammers. “Just, um, the hike tomorrow.”
Mom slips into the empty chair next to us. Why couldn’t we have an even number in our party so there are no extra seats?
“I’m sure you two are looking forward to having some time to reconnect.” Mom smiles fondly at us. “How long has it been since you’ve last seen each other?”
Abby’s hands twist the napkin in her lap. “I stopped by Kristin’s place at Christmas, but we didn’t get a chance to talk. We sat next to each other at Thanksgiving, though.”
That’s right, I forgot about that. Good thing she has a functional memory.
I stretch my arm across the back of Abby’s chair, my fingertips grazing her shoulder. Mom’s gaze zeroes in on the action, just like I wanted.
Unfortunately, Abby startles in her seat, ruining any kind of intimate effect I was hoping for. Time to save this another way.
“Yeah, I forgot how funny Abby is. She was cracking me up with some story about her dad.” That’s a safe lie, right? Mom’s not going to ask about the actual story, will she?
Mom reaches a hand forward and squeezes Abby’s upper arm briefly. “Oh, honey. I’ve been meaning to ask you about him. Is he doing any better?”
Oh, shit. Is there something wrong with Abby’s dad? Something I presumably should know about?
Abby gives a half-hearted smile. “He has his good days and bad days. Actually, more bad days lately.”
My arm drops awkwardly from her shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
She waves off my concern. “Yeah. My dad has dementia.”
Oh. I had no idea. I don’t remember much about her parents other than they always seemed so much older than my own.
“Well, you let me know if you need any help with him,” Mom says.
She takes her leave then, and an uneasy silence falls between me and Abby.
“Sorry to bring the mood down,” she whispers.
“No, no. I shouldn’t have made up that stupid comment.”
“It’s fine.”
She smiles, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.
We’re interrupted by the server bringing us our drinks and taking our food order, and I mentally smack myself for letting my mouth get away from me. As someone interested in her, I should have known that about her dad.
“I don’t think Cheryl cares you didn’t know about it,” Abby whispers, seeming to read my mind. “It’s not like it’s a first date kind of subject anyway.”
I roll my shoulders to loosen the sudden tension in them. “Was this whole ruse a mistake?”
“No,” she says vehemently, surprising both of us.
I glance over at her, her cheeks pinkening again. She must be an easy blusher.
“We’ve already made it this far,” she continues, composed now. “There’s bound to be a few hiccups along the way. And would you rather go to the wedding with me—who doesn’t expect anything of you—or someone your mom picks? Because you know she won’t let it rest if you say you’re going solo.”
My brow creases. When did our roles reverse where she’s the one convincing me to do this? And why?
“I… I don’t want to get caught in a lie,” she whispers, reading my mind for a second time. Does she have telepathic powers?
I shake my head. What’s gotten into me? “Yeah, of course. We’ll keep it up.”
I grab her hand for good measure, as much to comfort her as to put on a show. Her palm is soft, skin pale against my tan. A sudden urge to stroke a finger down the length of her palm strikes me before I push it away. That was weird.
She smiles, a genuine one, and my stomach makes a strange twinge in response. Also weird.
I’m just… glad I could give her something to smile about.
That’s all.