Chapter 22
NOLAN
22
“How do you work this thing?” I hear my grandmother’s voice come through my phone. But I can’t see her. It’s just a blank screen staring at me.
“It’s not working,” Grandpa says in response.
“I think it’s something to do with the internet connection,” my dad grumbles. “I’ll go check the router.”
“No. Just hit that button right there.” This time, it’s my mother shouting.
Stella exchanges a look with me and giggles.
Whenever my parents get together with my grandparents, it’s like they’re all suddenly a hundred-years-old and they can’t figure out any sort of electronics. Not even a telephone. If there’s a button or a battery, it’s suddenly the end of the world for them all.
“Mom, Dad. We can hear you,” I say patiently, giving them a moment to figure it out.
“Nolan!?”
“Nolan, where are you?! Why can’t we see you and Stella?”
“Hit the green button, Mama,” my little whiz says. “The one with the camera on it.”
Suddenly, the four elderly Brightons come into view. Finally. Once they figure out the mute button and how to prop the phone up, we’re finally able to catch up.
Ever since my dad’s retirement last year, my parents have been in Europe, exploring and adventuring and spending time with my dad’s side of the family.They’re living out a lifelong dream of theirs.
Stella and I listen to their latest sightseeing stories and Mom tells us how ever since they went on their most recent cheese tour, Dad has been having serious indigestion issues. As for my grandparents, they’re both doing well for their age, though judging by the volume Grandpa is speaking at, I’m pretty sure his hearing has gotten worse.
When they ask how things are going here in Starlight Falls, I can barely get a word in.Stella chatters on about everything. She tells her grandparents about the ongoing renovations at her school, about all the activities we’ve been doing to keep her smart, and about how grumpy I’ve been. What the heck?! She gets every little detail into the conversation.
Including Inez.
“Inez has been having sleepovers here with Daddy and me,” Stella excitedly tells them all. “And she lets me brush her hair all the time. And she’s been teaching me to do fun things almost every single day. We even made friendship bracelets yesterday—one for Inez, one for Daddy and one for me.”
I see the way my mother’s face lights up with interest as Stella tattles on me. Dad’s bushy gray eyebrows hike up to the ceiling.
Crap. I guess I should have maybe mentioned my new roommate to my parents before my six-year-old spilled the beans.
I interject quickly, diverting the conversation to the bar. I give them a detailed overview of what’s been happening at The North Node lately, trying to make our usual routine sound as exciting as I can.
“Everything’s going great.” I speak over Stella. “Going to need to replace the water heater here soon and my cleaning supplies distributor might be going out of business. But aside from that, we’re staying busy.”
They all nod along uninterestedly. Every time they try to get a word in, I talk right over them.
I know that my exaggerated rundown of the ins and outs of the bar is not nearly as exciting as the news that I’ve had a woman staying under this roof for the past few weeks. But I’m trying to save my ass from this uncomfortable conversation.
Stella quickly gets bored of my monologue. She blows kisses to her grandparents and runs off to play in her room.
My parents immediately return to our previous topic of conversation. No surprise there.
“So…” my dad starts. “Sleepovers with Inez Machado, huh?”
“It’s not what it sounds like,” I start lamely. “It’s nothing.”
My mom’s hands are clasped under her chin, and it seems like she’s sitting on the edge of her seat, looking so darn hopeful.“Well, Ronan seems to think that it’s something. And Karli, too.”
Ugh! Of course. Why am I surprised that my siblings have already been blabbing to our parents?
“Nothing’s going on, guys. Inez is just an employee and a friend who needs somewhere to stay for a while.”
“Well it looks to me like the perfect opportunity just fell into your lap.” Mom chimes in. “Especially after she walked out on that reality show with that weird actor fellow…”
I hawk in my throat. “The perfect opportunity?”
My mother rubs her hands together. Then she starts singing. “Tonight is the nigh-h-h-h-ht…”
Oh my god—my mother is singing Two Become One by The Spice Girls and winking suggestively.
Instant trauma.
I’m just glad Inez isn’t here to witness this. When she left the house earlier, she said something about meeting up with her foster sister at a coffee shop for a few hours.
“Mom, stop being creepy.”
Grandma interjects, excitement in her eyes. “Are you talking about the pretty girl from the TV show we were watching a few weeks ago?”
“Yes, that’s the one,” Mom confirms. “But Nolan is a much better match for Inez than that actor fellow ever was.”
My grandmother nods. “Oh, yes. Nolan is much handsomer.” She throws a cursory scowl in my direction. “Although he could use a close shave. And he should iron his damn shirt for crying out loud.”
The two of them get distracted, gossiping about me right in front of my face. Grandma keeps asking questions, and Mom provides inaccurate answers and I can’t get a word in to save my life. They’re both extra loud, excitedly talking over each other.
While I appreciate them being in my corner, I also think they’re highly delusional.
“You know I’m still here right?” I ask.
“Oh, don’t interrupt, boy,” Grandma scolds, waving her arm at me like I’m the annoying one here.
These video calls always exhaust me.
When the two of them get too loud, my dad ends up ushering them out of the room, offering to make them midday cocktails.
Then it’s just Grandpa and me left on the call. “Did I ever tell you the story of how I met your grandmother?”
“Only a million times.”
The old man chuckles. “Hush, you little asshole. Because I’m about to tell it again.”
I exhale. “Fine.”
I shut up and listen, as he tells me things he’s already told me. But Grandpa is crazy about his wife. Always has been.
“Your grandma was a beautiful model. She was in all the fashion magazines back then. Even on some of the covers,” he adds with a wink. “I didn’t have a shot in hell, son. I was just another one of the many, many men who wanted her. Plus, I was broke. I didn’t have a dime to my name. Basically, there was nothing special about me.” He shakes his head.
“So, how’d you stand out in the crowd?” I ask, amused but intrigued.
“Well, your grandmother and I had always been friendly, and she would have been content to keep things that way. But I refused to settle for a life without her as my wife. So I had to pull out all the stops. Woo her. Grovel, even.”
Shit—grandpa was in the friend-zone. Just like me. And he ended up getting the girl anyway. Maybe there’s something I can learn here.
I frown. “How did you even have the nerve to go after her?”
He throws up his hands in surrender. “A real man knows when to wait for permission and when to just take what he wants. When it came to your grandmother, I wasn’t willing to wait, and losing her to someone else wasn't an option. It wasn’t about nerves for me. It was about going after someone important to me. Do you understand, son?”
“I…I think I’m starting to.”
As nervous as I am about pursuing Inez, as much as I don’t think I deserve her, I know that she is someone important to me. And I’m getting sick of her not being mine.
I don’t want to be in the fucking friend-zone.
I want to be in her bed.
I want to be in her heart. The way she’s inside of mine.
It’s time I do something about that.