Chapter 16
PIPER
Ilook over the design on my tablet and nervously await my grandmother to give me feedback. The other day, I spent the whole afternoon sitting outside Hudson’s house, overlooking the lake and drawing away. Creativity just flowed out
“You think April will like it?” I ask as we stand over the table with my tablet.
My grandmother with her small frame looks up at me, her glasses perched on her nose. “It’s beautiful. The lines along the back really bring the wow factor.” She takes her glasses off and walks to her sofa.
I smile proudly to myself as I close the cover on the tablet.
“I’ll show her later today. I’ve been tossing ideas at her for the last few weeks, but now I feel like I can show her the final blueprint, you know?
” I say and sit down on the opposite sofa.
My cheeks hurt from the smile that doesn’t want to fade.
Not only for the boho chic design on my tablet but life lately.
“Have some tea, dear. You look like you could use something to calm yourself down.” There is amusement in her voice.
Quickly, I whip my eyes in her direction, and I see that she is assessing me with a self-assured smirk.
I tuck a few strands of hair behind my ear. “I’m…”
“There’s a man.” She waves a finger at me. “I’m disappointed you haven’t told me sooner.”
The gushing smile spreads, and my heart feels full. “There is, and I haven’t told you because, well… I wasn’t sure where to begin.”
She brings her cup to her lips for a sip before placing it back on her saucer. “You invite him to Friday dinner, that’s how you begin. You can make up for all the ones you’ve missed nearly every week the past month or two. That was the first giveaway that you met someone, and the second…”
“There’s a second?” I sit up straight.
“Yes. It’s your face and the way you just explained the dress you drew, a dress that I’m not entirely sure was inspired by April.”
I shake my head. “What? What are you insinuating?”
“You poured your own emotion into it.”
My smile fades, and I have to think about her train of thought. It leads me to internally admit that maybe she’s right.
“Tell me everything I need to know.”
“Hudson is… different.”
She touches her pearl earring. “They always are, dear. Now, will you get more specific or do I need to head onto the socials and stalk you for clues?”
“Socials? You’re going to show up on my feed again, aren’t you?” I grin to myself because this woman has no qualms about modern technology.
“When it comes to you? Yes. Which way will it be? Give your dear old grandmother the facts or I log in to my fake account.”
I laugh at her antics and lean back on the sofa. “Why am I not surprised? And sorry to disappoint but you won’t find anything online. We have been a little off the radar, and besides, I don’t really post personal things online.”
“Fine. But I’m waiting… Details, please. Does April approve?”
Just like that my elated look fades as guilt hits me. “She doesn’t know. Not yet, anyway.”
“I’m truly touched that you’re sharing the news with me first.” My grandmother touches her heart for theatrics.
I sigh and look away then back. “It’s a little complicated.”
“How so?”
“Hudson is April’s uncle. I didn’t know who he was until after we’d already met.”
“Uncle, hmm, he’s older then?”
“Yes.”
A warm reassuring smile graces her lips. “Your grandfather was older than me. It’s better that way. You need someone who will lead you and support you, who knows what he’s doing in both life and the bedroom—”
My palm flies up. “Do not finish that sentence. Geez, have we not established boundaries?”
“There is no harm in talking about sex, dear. You design lingerie, for crying out loud. I don’t live under a rock. I’m sure you model your collection for him, as you should with those legs.”
I haven’t blinked in the last thirty seconds as I sit here with a blank face.
“So April doesn’t know. You think she will not be pleased?”
“I don’t know what to think other than the dynamics make it an awkward situation.”
She waves a finger at me with a tsk, and I feel like I’m eight again and stole candy from her jar. “Be bold.”
“I’m going to be. Hudson thinks like you, says things are only complicated if I make it that way.”
“What does this wise man do?”
“He coaches football.”
My grandmother’s eyes grow full of interest, and she grabs her phone from the arm of the sofa. I roll my eyes because I know exactly what she’s doing.
“Want me to save you the trouble? He coaches the Winds.”
Her finger scrolls the screen with vigor. “My goodness, Hudson Arrows is a looker. Certainly has quite a few articles that I shall read later. I’ve heard about him, I mean who hasn’t in this city, right?”
I hold my hand up. “Me. I didn’t,” I answer blandly.
“I could see you on his arm. He must be good to you if you’ve cancelled on me more than once lately.” She looks up with a contrite smile before resuming her research. “I expect to meet him as soon as possible.”
“May be hard, as it’s training season and they train up by his lake house on Lake Spark.”
Her mouth falls open. “That’s where you’ve been hiding away? It’s beautiful there. Your grandfather used to take me there for romantic weekends. Is there still that old inn by the water?”
I nod. “Yes, and there is an old-fashioned candy store. Everyone seems nice up there. A refreshing change from the busy city.”
“Sounds like a perfect match then.”
“You know, it feels good to share this with someone. At first, I wasn’t sure if we were just… well, anyways, something inside me keeps telling me to take little steps.”
My grandmother leans back and taps her fingertips on the sofa. “A good strategy considering your history, but don’t let one bad apple make you hesitate for life. Don’t be afraid to take risks, Piper.”
“I think I’m slowly realizing that.”
“Good. Now that I know your secret and plan on finding out every detail about your prince, then you have no reason to come up with ridiculous excuses for not visiting me.”
I smile nervously. “The conference on organic fabric in Wichita was a giveaway, huh?”
She pulls at her earring. “I mean, it was creative, dear.”
“I just hope April sees all of this as a positive too.”
“Go. Go talk to her. Falling in love is better when you can share the news with a friend.”
I stand up. “I think so too.”
And I’m not sure, but I think both parts of her statement ring true; sharing with a friend and falling in love.
April and I wait for the bagels that we ordered from the deli counter.
“I have the final design,” I tell her as someone hands me my plate.
“Oh.” April doesn’t sound enthusiastic. “I hope they didn’t toast the bagel, they always do that even when I ask them not to.”
Huh, she’s diverting the conversation to bagels.
We walk to a table and sit down to inspect our sandwiches.
“It looks not toasted today. You’re in luck,” I add and know that I can only stall for so long.
“I guess,” she replies, slightly deflated.
It seems that now is as good a time as any.
I take a deep breath. “There is something I kind of wanted to talk to you about,” I begin.
April looks up from her basket plate and the potato chip she’s playing with. “You met someone.”
I’m surprised she guessed it; she’s making it easy for me. “Yeah. How did you know?”
“You’re never around anymore, as you always have some work trip.” She shrugs her shoulder. “Is it mystery guy?”
I swallow. “It is. I lied and it wasn’t a bust at all. I just wasn’t sure where it was going.”
“I get it, maybe.” April seems unusually calm, somber even.
“I really wanted to tell you, but I needed to wrap my head around it.”
She nods slowly in understanding.
“And the thing is, I need to tell you something else.” Nerves fill me, seeping through my veins, and I feel like I may throw up, but I need to do this.
Hudson and I have become the worst-kept secret since so many people know.
I hope April will be understanding and maybe we can even laugh about the coincidence that Hudson is the guy I met.
“Jeff and I ended our engagement last night,” April blurts out, and tears pool in her eyes.
Oh, shit.
“What?”
This wasn’t what I had planned for today, and concern for April overpowers anything I thought of saying.
I’m quick to slide off my chair and come to sit next to her. I touch her shoulder as she wipes away a tear. “What happened?”
“I’m just not good enough to be someone’s wife,” she cries.
“That’s not true,” I say, quick to assure her. “It’s his loss.”
She wipes her cheek with the back of her hand. “Oh, come on, Piper, you never really liked Jeff.”
I tip my head to the side in doubt of how honest I should be, because yes, I didn’t quite see them as forever, but when your friend seems happy then what are you to do? “It doesn’t mean that I would want you to feel like this.”
“I feel so numb,” she wails.
I hug her and rub circles on her back. “It’ll get better, I promise.”
“Easy for you to say when you’re in the lovey-dovey stage with some hot older man.”
There’s a twist in my gut, knowing that she may hate that she just said that when she discovers the truth.
Maybe we should just lay everything on the table now.
Yet when I look at April and she appears so sad, I feel like it isn’t the right moment.
I was so in my element that I didn’t press her when we came into the bagel shop, even when I noticed she seemed off.
My friend is in pain, and I don’t want to take the chance that I add to her temporary misery. Today is not the right time to tell her who the mystery man really is.
So I hug her and don’t say a word.