13. Grundy
CHAPTER 13
GRUNDY
A ddison had grown up in Grundy, a town in southwestern Virginia with a population of fewer than 900. Appalachia isn’t for the weak, and growing up there—and making her way out—had taken everything Addison had. She considered herself lucky in her upbringing compared to others in the region. Appalachia was known for inequities in education, income, and access to the things a budding lawyer needed. Many of her graduating class had fallen victim to the opioid epidemic at a young age. But her family were good people, keeping Addison and her brothers from those dangers by encouraging them to be curious in healthy ways. Addison had spent many afternoons in the library at the Appalachian School of Law, reading and dreaming about her future.
To Addison’s pleasure, Tim had been excited to take a road trip to Grundy for an overnight stay when she suggested it the previous weekend. He’d even asked if she wanted to stay longer, but she assured him that one night would be plenty.
Tim wasn’t the kind of guy to judge where she came from—small town and all. She’d avoided the topic of her family throughout their friendship and relationship, and Tim hadn’t pushed. Addison was sure he’d picked up bits of her past from Jake at some point, but he never mentioned it. Family was important to her, but she wasn’t close to them in the same way Tim was with his—either in proximity or communication.
“You understand that I don’t come from money, right?” she asked nervously from the passenger seat.
“And why would I care about that? I’m not from anything special.”
“But seriously, I need you to be prepared. Grundy is country-country. Like, banjos-and-bluegrass country.”
“Fantastic! I love bluegrass,” he said, unfazed.
Addison was ready to see her family. Her brothers had eagerly agreed to come for dinner and promised not to mess with Tim.
Tim handled the long drive down Interstate 81 into southwestern Virginia with ease. That highway was notorious for fast semi-trucks and reckless drivers, but Addison was glad to be a passenger.
As they approached the city limits, Addison hoped Tim was ready for a bit of culture shock. “We’re getting close,” she trilled.
I hope this isn’t a mistake. She refused to be embarrassed by her hometown. Sure, many people from her graduating class who’d left Grundy had tried to shed their accents and never look back. But not Addison. She’d lost the accent—because it was critical for her career—but she still loved small-town life, even if it wasn’t the life she wanted for herself.
“I can’t wait to meet your family. Or is it ‘kin’ down here?”
“Are you serious? ‘Kin?’ We left D.C., not modern times.”
She directed Tim up the gravel driveway to her family’s modest two-story home.
“This isn’t what I pictured,” he murmured.
“What did you picture?”
“Uh, the shack from Deliverance ,” he teased.
Addison punched him lightly on the arm.
“I’m kidding.”
Her family must have heard the car pull up, because her mom, Granny, and brothers were already waiting outside before Tim had put the car in park.
“Addie!” her mom called, rushing over to hug her. “It’s been way too long since you visited.”
“Mom, you know you can come see me anytime.”
“You know I don’t do the big city,” her mom said, shaking her head.
“You need to toughen up,” Addison teased.
“I’ll do no such thing. Now, introduce us to your young man.”
“Mom, Granny, boys—this is Tim Dobbs, my boyfriend,” she said proudly. “Tim, this is my mom, Jean, and my granny, Hester Anne.”
Jean enveloped Tim in a warm hug. Granny gave him a once-over and then extended her hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Tim said, reaching into his bag. He pulled out small boxes of gourmet chocolates and handed one to each of them. Addison’s mom blushed and thanked him, and Granny gave him a curt nod of approval.
“These are my big brothers, Austin and Alden,” Addison continued, gesturing toward them.
“Great to meet you guys. Sorry, no chocolates for you,” Tim joked.
“No problem, good buddy,” Austin replied. The men took turns shaking hands with Tim, devious grins on their faces.
“What are those smiles for?” Addison asked suspiciously.
“Nothing, Addie. We’re just excited to meet your boyfriend.”
“You two only get excited if you’re about to blow something up or pants someone,” she warned.
Alden gave her a mock-horrified look. “Us? We’re angels. We’re just glad to meet Tim. He’s cute.”
“Your beau is safe with us, Addie. We’re just teasing,” Austin said, giving a reassuring smile.
“Glad to see you two have matured,” Addison replied dryly.
“Nah, we’re only on our best behavior because Granny threatened us,” Alden said. “Anyway... sooo-eeey!”
Addison braced herself for what she knew was coming. She was suddenly smashed between her brothers in what they called an “Addie Sandwich.” The tradition had once involved her running away like a greased pig before they caught her, but as she got older, she accepted her fate.
Granny waited quietly for the commotion to settle before Addison gave her a gentle hug. “I’ve missed you the most, Granny,” she whispered.
“You know I hate you being all alone up there in the city. Have you been protecting yourself and your home with the hyssop oil I sent you?”
I wouldn’t have a boyfriend—or friends—if I did. People in D.C. aren’t exactly fans of skunky-smelling oil.
“Yes, ma’am,” Addison lied.
Tim gave her a questioning look. She shook her head slightly, signaling to let it go.
“Good girl,” Granny said, pleased.
“Let’s get them settled inside, Mama,” Jean interjected, steering the conversation away from Appalachian folk magic.
I wouldn’t blame Tim if he got in his car and sped back home.
Addison and Tim settled into her old bedroom, which had been converted into a cozy guest room. She closed the door softly, leaning against it for a moment before pulling Tim into her arms. After a soft, grateful kiss, she sighed.
“I’m so sorry about them. I’d like to say they’re playing it up for the vibes, but they’re not. These are my people,” she said, her voice tinged with both affection and exasperation.
Tim smirked, brushing a thumb across her cheek. “Your kin, ” he corrected with a grin.
“Sure,” she replied, rolling her eyes.
Tim glanced around the room, then asked, “Is your dad going to join us?”
Addison’s chest tightened slightly at the question. Where do I start with my dad? She hesitated, then walked over to the bed, sitting down and smoothing the quilt with her palm.
“You won’t be meeting him,” she began, her tone steady but distant. “He and my mom are still married, but one day he just... decided to start a new life. Said he loved her just as much as ever but needed to ‘spread his wings.’” She gave a small, bitter laugh. “Now, he lives in Myrtle Beach. Goes by ‘Myrtle Beach Dan.’”
Tim raised his eyebrows, half-amused, half-confused. “What does that even mean?” He crossed the room to sit beside her, their shoulders touching. “It means that his entire wardrobe consists entirely of Brew Thru and Big Dogs T-shirts, and he lives on a houseboat on the Intercoastal Waterway. He’s basically the epitome of ‘Old Guy at the Dock.”
Tim chuckled, shaking his head. “I like Myrtle Beach Dan already.”
“Most people do... if they’re into guys who smell a little like brine and say, ‘Hell yeah, brother!’ way too often.” She smiled, though the memories of her dad weighed heavily on her.
Tim reached over, giving her hand a light squeeze before rising to his feet. “Who wouldn’t love that?” he joked “Come on, let’s get downstairs so I can get to know everyone better.”
Addison watched him for a moment, relieved. Tim seemed genuinely interested in her family members and not at all judgmental about them, her father, or their home.
After a feast of roasted chicken, three kinds of potatoes, greens, and apple pie, Tim had won everyone over. Addison even felt confident that her brothers liked and respected him enough to save their prank plans for someone else. Other than an awkward moment when her mom asked about Lexi, things couldn’t have gone better. Her mom and Granny noticed Addison had been a little squirrely with her answers about Lexi, but thankfully, they didn’t press further. Tim, wisely, had stayed quiet.
Tim dried dishes as he handed them to Granny, who was putting them away in the cabinets. She continued her silent surveillance of him, a glint in her eye that Addison knew well—a test was coming.
“Do you know about wampus cats, young man?” Granny asked Tim seriously.
“Ma’am, I know housecats, wildcats, and catalytic converters. You’ve landed on a cat I’m unfamiliar with,” Tim replied, not missing a beat.
“He’s the one who’s supposed to protect you, Addison?” she asked, eyeing him skeptically.
“Granny, he doesn’t have an encyclopedic knowledge of cryptids like you do,” Addison said, trying to diffuse the moment.
Granny sucked her teeth, humming in disapproval.
Hurriedly, Tim said, “I have limited knowledge, but I respect our nation’s cryptid population.”
Granny’s expression softened slightly, her interest piqued.
“I’m partial to Mothman,” Tim added, “but I’m willing to have my mind changed.”
Granny’s face brightened as she led him out to the porch to enjoy the warm evening, leaving Addison to help her mom finish cleaning up.
“He’s wonderful, Addie,” her mom said, handing her the dish soap.
“I think so, too,” Addison replied, smiling.
“You’re in love,” Jean observed.
“Yeah. I am.”
“It’s nice to see you like this again. It’s been a long time since we’ve seen you so happy and in love.”
A conversation like this would have put Addison on the defensive in the past, but she was glad her mom noticed how happy she was and how much Tim meant to her.
“Will you marry him?” Jean asked, casually.
“Mom! We’re not even close to that. We’ve just started dating,” Addison replied, a little embarrassed.
“I see your wheels turning, Addison. I was only asking if you wanted to marry him someday.”
“Maybe, Mom. I don’t know. I want to see where this goes first.”
If I survive telling Lexi I’m in love with Tim, maybe then we can talk about the future.
As they pulled away from her family’s home the next afternoon, Addison felt a mix of relief and happiness. The trip had gone better than she’d expected. She glanced at Tim, who was chatting animatedly about the visit.
“Granny gave me a little bag filled with weird stuff,” he said.
Uh oh. That might not be great.
“Oh yeah?” Addison asked calmly. “What was in it?” This will tell me everything I need to know about her opinion of Tim.
“A nail, a piece of a mirror, and something that smells like nightmares.”
That would be the asafetida.
“Despite the weirdness and the smell of the herb, which I know well, it’s supposed to be a good luck charm to protect you from harm. It means she really likes you. It’s her way of giving approval. You can just... tuck it away somewhere out of the way.”
Granny’s gift of a spell-catcher was an excellent sign. Now Addison was sure that everything had gone better than she’d hoped. Meeting her family had been a big step, but it seemed to bring her and Tim closer. She hadn’t realized just how much it would mean to her until now.
The trip had put their relationship into the next gear, and as Tim started talking about plans for her to meet his parents, Addison felt a flutter of excitement about the future. He said he didn’t want to overwhelm her after meeting her family this weekend, but his parents had been bugging him about having them over for a cookout the following weekend so they could meet Addison.
This should be scary. I should have had more angst about the meet-the-parents step when we went down to Grundy. If not that, then certainly over the thought of meeting Tim’s parents .
But there was zero angst. Everything with Tim, besides their exes, had been so natural. Their relationship just felt right. She’d already accepted the Dobbs’ invitation and was looking forward to going to his parents’ house next weekend for the cookout.
A year ago, Addison couldn’t have imagined her life with Tim. She hadn’t been lonely. She was self-sufficient and appreciated her own company. But being with Tim was all the good in her life, plus the bonus of love.
Looking back, Addison had been happy with Jake, but that paled in comparison to how she felt with Tim. Jake had been a good fit, but Tim was the perfect fit. They never argued, except for the smallest tiffs about her need to keep their relationship private. She just needed a little longer to enjoy what they had, without all the complications.