47. I Love Grandma Dee
I Love Grandma Dee
Zoe
‘Come on, Leo.’ I stare at my cell phone. He’s not answering. Not my calls or my texts — nothing.
‘Zoe, what exactly are you waiting for?’ Grandma stands on her front lawn, pruning shears in hand, sun visor on her head as I pace on the front porch.
‘He’s not picking up. What if he doesn’t want me anymore, Grandma?’
‘Get your butt in the car, Zoe.’
‘But…’
‘Car.’
She points her garden-gloved hand toward my car, and I grab my keys. She’s right. I have to go to him.
The drive takes too long, and I’m impatient to be there. I try calling him from the car again, but he still doesn’t answer, so I call Bree.
‘Twinnie,’ she answers brightly, having no idea what’s happened the past couple of days.
‘Hey,’ my tone is clipped as I concentrate on changing lanes.
‘Zoe, what’s up?’
‘I think we broke up.’
‘What?’
‘I mean, I left him and went to Grandma’s for two days.’
‘ Zoe —’ I hear the get to the point in the way she says my name.
‘He’s going to California for six months, and he asked me to go. I said no, and I left, and now he’s not picking up my calls.’
‘You said no?’
‘I didn’t think I could do it, Bree.’
‘Zo,’
‘I know. I know now that I can. I want to, but what if I’m too late?’
‘Where are you right now?’
‘I’m driving back to him.’
‘Zo, Leo waited a lifetime for you. I don’t think there’s any such thing as too late where you two are concerned.’
‘I can’t lose him, Bree.’
‘Then get to him, twinnie.’
I smile, and we turn silent for a moment.
‘Six months.’
‘Yeah.’ I understand. Six months and a couple of thousand miles apart. ‘Bree.’
‘It’s okay. You were always supposed to travel, Zo. I accepted that a long time ago.’
I smile. I knew she’d remember even if I didn’t.
‘I love you, Bree Bree.’
‘I love you, Zo Zo. Now, concentrate on the road and go and get your man.’
‘ Goddammit .’ I call out as I watch the last parking space get taken just as I approach. I drive past Lion Ink, frustrated that I can’t park close by today, and go in search of another.
I find a space a block away and run-walk to the shop. I want to get there fast, but I don’t want to be out of breath and sweaty when I do.
Finally, I push open the door and head into the shop. My heart is racing as I look around, and Fi stands to greet me.
‘Zoe, hi.’ She smiles, and I study it, looking for anger, pity, anything that will give me a clue about the reception I can expect. ‘Leo isn’t working today.’ My heart sinks. ‘I think he’s upstairs, though.’
‘He’s not answering.’ I hold up my cell phone. I feel like I need to explain why I don’t know where he is.
‘He doesn’t have a cell phone right now, sweetie.’ She smiles sweetly, and there it is, there’s the pity. She knows. ‘Go up, Zo.’
I make my way to the stairwell that leads up to Leo’s apartment, punching in the code to open the door at the bottom and stopping to lean against the wall once I get inside.
He waited a lifetime for me, so he’s waited two days, right? My mind runs through the scenarios I might find at the top of these stairs, from him kicking me out, to welcoming me back, to him having a woman or women up there with him, and I lean forward, my hands on my knees as I feel sick at the idea of him with someone else.
‘Munch?’
My nickname has me turning to find him standing at the top of the stairs, confusion creasing his perfect face.
I straighten and exhale my relief at being in the same space as him.
‘Leo.’
I start to climb the stairs slowly as the sound of my trembling breath fills the silence.
‘What are you doing here, Zoe?’
I reach the top and swallow hard at the comforting scent of him.
‘I needed to—’ As he steps back a little into his apartment, my attention is stolen by the packed bags and boxes. ‘You packed already.’
He nods. ‘I’m leaving early, thought I might as well get set up down there.’
‘Are you coming back?’
The boxes make this move look a lot more permanent than it’s supposed to be.
‘Yes, Zoe. I’ll be coming back. Gus and Fi are moving in here while I’m gone.’
‘Oh.’ I nod, processing.
‘What do you want, Zo? I packed up your stuff, but it’s in my car. I was going to bring it back to you.’
‘Can I come?’ The words come out shaky as I panic at the thought of him saying no.
‘What?’
Blowing out a breath, I step a little closer, closing the gap between us.
‘To California. Please. Can I come with you?’
‘Munch.’ Leo turns and walks into his apartment. Even with his back to me, I can sense his hesitation, and I can see the slow shake of his head. I tentatively step inside. ‘You said no.’
‘Please don’t say I’m too late to take that back.’
‘You didn’t want to come.’
‘I did.’ I practically call out the words in desperation for him to believe them. ‘I always wanted to come. Wanting it was never the problem.’
‘So now you changed your mind. Two days and all your hesitation, your bar, your house, your family, none of that’s a problem anymore.’
‘No.’ I walk toward him slowly, and he doesn’t move. I take in the slight drop in his shoulders that gives me hope.
‘What changed.’
‘I went to see Grandma Dee.’
Leo smiles softly. ‘I love Grandma Dee.’
‘She helped me see sense — that I was holding on to other people’s dreams and letting go of my own.’
I stop when I’m in front of him, in touching distance, but not touching.
‘What’s your dream?’
‘You,’ I answer without hesitation and step closer. ‘You’re my dream, Leo.’
‘ Zoe ,’ he sighs my name, and my heart sinks. ‘I don’t want you to let something go, just to follow me on my path.’
‘And I don’t want to let you go. Leo, the only thing I know right now is I want to be where you are. I want to be by your side. You are my dream. I’ll follow you anywhere.’
‘You really want to come?’ The question is soft, quiet, and I reach out, needing to touch him, my palms finding the hard plains of his body, the contact grounding me.
‘There’s nothing I have ever wanted more. Please can I come?’
‘I love you.’
Tears wet my eyes, and I press my lips together.
‘Is that a yes?’
‘You’re an idiot, munch. You know that?’
‘I do, but is that a yes?’
‘Of course, it’s a yes.’
I practically throw myself into his arms, and he wraps my legs around his waist, bringing his lips to meet mine in a frenzied, desperate kiss.
‘We’re telling them now, right?’ he asks in between kisses as he carries me to his bedroom.
‘Yes, we’re telling them.’
My words light a fire in him, and he throws me down against the mattress.
‘Take your clothes off, Zoe.’
Sweet lord, when he tells me what do…
‘Naked sleepover?’ I ask, smirking, and he laughs.
‘No, there will be no sleeping. Clothes. Off.’