Chapter 7 #2
“I can’t believe I’m going to have a little niece or nephew.” I grasp Gloria’s hand, and my sister-in-law finally smiles at me. “That little baby is going to be the light of my life. I can already tell.” I take a bite of my garlic bread. “Have you told Mom yet?”
“Not yet. We were going to try and tell her in person,” Blaine says.
“She’s gonna be thrilled. Tickled, she would say.”
Gloria folds her hands over her stomach. “So far, only you know. And my doctor, of course. The nurse at the office did congratulate us and asked if we conceived ‘the natural way.’”
“Ew.” I drop my fork. “None of your business, lady.”
Gwen nudges me. “No? Sounds like something you would ask.”
“I’m not that uncouth.” I crunch on some ice from my drink. “Besides, I already knew Blaine’s equipment still worked. We talked about it a long time ago.”
“Good Christ Almighty.” Gloria buries her head in her hands. “I always forget what you two are like together.”
I cock my head at Blaine. “You going to tell Dad?”
“I don’t talk to that asshole,” Blaine says. “You know that.”
Next to me, Gwen’s shoulders inch toward her ears.
I chew on my lip. Our father’s been in and out of our lives, and there isn’t any way to perfume that reality—he abandoned us several times, only coming around occasionally to offer some crumbs of hope.
Our mother struggled to make ends meet. I’ve been talking to him some, though, and I’m somewhat optimistic about it, which probably sounds naive, but he seems to harbor genuine remorse over how he’s been absent.
I always wanted some acknowledgment from him, and now that he offers it, I have trouble turning him away. So far, he hasn’t disappointed me. We’ve talked some and had lunch a few times.
Blaine has no such sympathy for the man, and I don’t blame him.
“I know,” I say, and then drop it. I grasp his hand, glancing at Gloria as I do so. “I love you two. Start preparing a guest room, because I’m moving in when this child gets here.”
Blaine laughs. “We have a shed out back with your name on it.”
I swat at him, but I’m smiling.
Once we’ve finished eating, Gwen goes to freshen up, and Gloria moves into the living room to watch television after Blaine shoos her out, telling her he’ll do the dishes.
I follow him to the sink, helping him load their dishwasher. Blaine pulls forward.
I squawk. “You just rolled over my foot, asshole.”
“Ah. Oops.”
“You do that shit on purpose, don’t you?” I hand him a glass. “I deserve it for upsetting your wife. I feel like a piece of dirt for that. But you just get that one.”
I continue to gush over how much I’m going to love their baby. Blaine laughs into my hair when I hug him again, pulling him up into a shaky stand.
“All right, all right. I know you’re sorry for scaring the shit out of Gloria.” He sits back down. “You going to be okay, though? I know how awful Grant was to you.”
“I’m fine. Promise.”
Blaine studies me, finally nodding after a moment.
I can’t believe my big brother is going to be a dad. It almost makes up for Grant showing up in my life like a painful splinter.
The reunion’s being held at an event center built to look like a barn. Gwen’s eyes track over the wooden planks, and her lip curls as the first notes of some bro country song floats out the open doorway.
“Perhaps this was a mistake,” Gwen says.
“Nah, it will be entertaining, I promise.” I point out some of my former classmates. “That’s Beetle.” I gesture to a lanky man with a mullet. “He’ll take his glass eye out for you if you ask. He lost it in a fight.”
“Jesus.”
“I know.” I nod toward a blonde woman in a black dress. “That’s Amy. She was pretty terrible to me in school.”
The woman in question looks back at us, squinting. Her eyes trail over my face, likely trying to place me. She slows to talk to us.
“Do I know you?” She has her finger on her chin.
“I’m Guinevere, and this is my friend Lancelot,” Gwen says. She grasps my arm and tugs me away.
“That was all you could think of to save me? She’s going to think I’m an even bigger weirdo than I was.” I laugh.
“She doesn’t deserve to make nice with you.”
Just inside the door, I see Clay, my high school crush, hanging out with some of my old friends. He’s less gangly now, but he’s still got the same wide eyes and pale skin. He studies me when I approach the group, then his mouth hangs open.
“Kenzie?”
“It’s Kendall now, usually. But yeah.” I do a little twirl. “In the flesh.”
Gwen and I catch up with my friends, none of whom live in town anymore.
Clay’s married now, and I meet his wife, who’s lovely.
They all seem to like Gwen. I start to enjoy myself as we banter.
I chat with some other former classmates, careful to engage only with the ones who were nice to me.
Several men check me out, and I shelve my complicated feelings about it.
I go to get some punch and a small commotion at the door draws my eye. Some of the old football players are clapping someone on the back, exclaiming over his presence like they might be receiving a king. I stare. As the group parts, the sight of blond hair and a brilliant smile stops me dead.
Grant showed up after all.