Chapter Twenty-Four
Chapter
twenty-four
“SO YOU DIDN’T KISS THE boy on the first date or the second. What about the third, Grandma?” I asked her the next night at our setup in my bedroom.
The comment section on the Instagram posts I was linking the podcast to were blowing up just as much as the podcast itself. People I didn’t know from all over were leaving comments asking for the next episode or talking about how cute my grandma was. They were also giving me suggestions on where to search for the surfboard. I’d followed a few promising leads but had found nothing yet. I was excited for the following day, when Theo and I would search Cheryl’s shed. That felt like the most solid lead yet.
“Our third date was in Paso Robles,” Grandma said. “The summer had just ended, and the county fair was in town. We went on a few rides, and then he tried to win me a stuffed animal at the balloon dart game. He had many theories on why he was unsuccessful.”
“Oh yeah? What were his theories?”
“The darts weren’t sharp enough, the balloons were underinflated. You know, typical excuses.”
“Tell me that you took over and popped a couple balloons.”
“Of course I didn’t. The darts weren’t sharp enough and the balloons were underinflated,” she said with a wink.
I laughed.
“I did win ring toss, though, and got a little goldfish in a bag.”
“An actual goldfish?”
“Yes, I ended up having her for three years. She was a hardy thing. I cried when she died.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Me too. You think I can convince your mom to let me have a goldfish?”
“Ask her for a cat,” I said, as if Mom didn’t listen to this podcast and would realize I was trying to use my grandma to get the cat I always wanted.
“I’ll try.” She smirked, seeming to know my motivation.
“So you won a goldfish and had to carry it around the rest of the night?”
“They gave me a ticket, and I collected the goldfish at the end of the date.”
“Smart. That way you had two free hands for all the hand-holding I assume was happening.”
“There was some hand-holding,” she said.
“Did he make his move at the top of the Ferris wheel?”
“He was still waiting for me to make the move after my rejection. And the top of the Ferris wheel should’ve been my number one choice. But instead, it happened more unexpectedly.”
“I like unexpected.”
“We were walking through the big tent where all the FFA kids had their animals on display in pens. The whole tent smelled like…well, it smelled like a place where a hundred farm animals were being housed.”
“Romantic,” I teased.
“In the far back corner was a petting zoo. Three or four lambs and three or four goats comingled with a handful of kids.”
“I recently did goat yoga. Goats can be both adorable and big jerks at the same time.”
“Goat yoga? What’s that?”
“It’s yoga in a field while goats use you as their playground.”
“Sounds…counterintuitive.”
“It was actually surprisingly relaxing,” I said. “I take it your petting zoo didn’t involve yoga poses.”
“No yoga poses, but a goat did use me as his playground. I was standing there minding my own business trying to pet one of the lambs when a goat headbutted me from the side, knocking me right into Andrew’s arms.”
“Do you think Andrew bribed that goat with feed?”
“I wouldn’t rule it out. Because there I was, wrapped up in Andrew, saved from landing on the urine-soaked ground. He pulled me up to my feet, and I think he was about to ask me if I was okay when I pushed onto my toes and kissed him.”
“What did he do?”
“He was surprised at first. He went still, but then his hands went around my waist and he kissed me back.”
“Did all the children in the petting zoo yell Gross! at the top of their lungs?”
“I’m not sure what anyone else did. I was in the moment. Everything else vanished, the noise, the people, the animals. It was just him and me, kissing like we were alone.”
I smiled, imagining it. “As far as first kisses go, how was it?”
“He was an excellent kisser,” she said. “And it was even better for having waited.”
THEO CLIMBED IN MY CAR Saturday morning after we finished our workout. I was still a little sweaty from all the lunges we did at the end of our session.
“Are you sure we shouldn’t take my car?” he asked.
“Are you a car snob?”
“Yes.” He smiled to let me know he was at least partially joking.
“We’re taking my car, and you aren’t going to judge the trash.”
“I don’t see any trash,” he said, looking around.
I kept my car relatively clean, but there was an empty Taco Bell cup in the drink holder. I pointed to it.
“I’m judging you,” he said.
“Fair.”
“What’s the plan?” he asked, buckling his seat belt. “Are we meeting your friends there for the surfboard search, or are we picking themup?”
“Oh…neither.” I actually hadn’t told them. It hadn’t even crossed my mind. Deja probably worked today anyway.
“Just us, then?” he asked.
“Just us.” I pulled away from the curb.
“Are you nervous?” he asked.
“About it just being us? Yes, very.”
“Funny,” he said. “No about this visit.”
“Yes. I’m worried that the board isn’t going to be in the shed. That I’m getting my hopes up. I really want to find it for my grandma while she still has good days.” There was a hair tie around the gear shift, and I twisted it several times while I drove.
“I’m sure it’s hard to watch her slowly lose more of herself.”
“It is. That’s why I’m on this mission, I guess. It feels like something I can control in the whole process because so much of it Ican’t.”
“You like to control things? I hadn’t noticed.”
I playfully smacked his arm. “I’ll have you know that I barely edited my most recent episode.” Which was true. I’d kept my loud laugh and even a few filler words, telling myself I needed to worry less about how other people saw me and more about being authentic.
“It was a really good episode.”
“You listened?” I asked, glancing his way. Was he going to mention the kiss?
“I did.” He turned his attention out the window. “Thanks for letting me come today.”
“Can I ask you a question?” It was something I’d been wondering since reading the Facebook message from Alice with him on Thursday after flag football.
“You sound serious. Should I be scared?”
“No, it’s just…why did you want to come? Why are you interested in finding the surfboard?”
“You’re always questioning my motives,” he said. “I wanted to come because your grandma’s story is super interesting and I want to see this surfboard.”
Of course, I thought. The same reason over a thousand people had listened to the podcast. Why else did I think he’d want to come?
“Was that the wrong answer?” he asked when I didn’t say anything.
“No, it’s a very solid reason.” I smiled at him to sell it. “I’m glad so many people care about my grandma.”
“She’s a cool lady.”
“She is.”