Chapter Nine
“Fuck,” barks the disgruntled male voice. “Ouch!”
Being woken by such loud noises is rude. Though the presence of Nash still in my space is a pleasant thought. I push my hair out of my face and ask, “Was it my suitcase again?”
“Yes.”
“Your poor toes.” Which is when I see the sunlight flooding the room.
Forgetting to draw the curtains is one of my many talents.
There’s plenty of light to see, so Nash must still be waking up and not watching where he’s going.
What this means, however, has only just occurred to me. “Oh, shit. You’re still here.”
And he grins like the devil he is. “We’re going to be in trouble.”
I don’t mean to smile back at him. This is Grandma’s house and I want to respect her wishes. My head and my heart are just sort of stupid when he’s around. It’s like my vagina seizes control and off we go.
“You might as well come out,” shouts Grandma, from the house beyond.
Nash stands with his hands on hips. “We could climb out the window. Make a run for it.”
“My purse is in the living room. Do you have any cash on you?”
“I could busk to support us. And we could live off the land.”
“Like eat mushrooms and dandelions and stuff?”
“Sure,” he says with enthusiasm. “Doesn’t that sound good?”
“I want to say yes to be supportive, but it would be a lie.”
I grab a hair tie off the bedside table and make myself presentable. Nash wasn’t lying about me not being a morning person. The first hour or two or three of the day are damn hard ones.
He, meanwhile, shoves a hand through his hair, gives himself a shake, and cracks his neck.
Like a prize fighter does before stepping into the ring.
Then he opens the bedroom door and announces, “There wasn’t any sex, Audrey.
Everyone’s pants stayed on. No one should get in trouble just for sleeping. ”
The error in letting him lead is now obvious to me. Though it’s too late to do anything about it. However, investing in a muzzle for the man might be a good idea.
I follow him down the hallway and into the kitchen, where Grandma is seated at the table while Charlie is cooking something on the stove.
Pancakes by the smell of it. This guess is backed up by the syrup, eggs, and bacon already waiting on the table.
And the side eye Grandma is giving her new guest is mighty.
She seems nervous for some reason. Like he’s shaken her world up good and proper.
Nash was right about there being something between them. I hope Charlie doesn’t hurt her again. The obvious depth of feeling she has for the silver fox is something else. Nash and me sharing a bedroom clearly isn’t the only issue on her mind this morning.
“Why is he allowed to cook?” asks Nash.
“Because he knows how to do so without setting my kitchen on fire. So, you two are together now, are you?” says Grandma in a clipped tone. “Or is this some casual dalliance most likely to end up hurting one of you? And you damn well know which one of you that would be.”
My throat is so dry. This is as stressful as being called to the principal’s office. “I, um…we’re just friends. Yeah.”
Which makes it Nash’s turn to side eye me. No idea what that’s about. “June and I haven’t actually discussed our relationship status.”
Charlie narrows his gaze on us. “I thought you two were faking it to help hide his identity.”
“It’s complicated.”
“The couch hurts his back,” I say.
Charlie snorts.
And Nash shrugs. “I’m more delicate than I look. The muscles are misleading.”
“Why aren’t you wearing a shirt?” asks Grandma.
“I wish I could say June clawed it off me. But the truth is it was too warm to sleep in one.”
The look I give him is pure pain. Because him opening his mouth continues to not be helpful.
Grandma just pointedly looks at his jeans.
“Fine,” he says. “It wasn’t too warm. Your granddaughter ogles me when I’m half naked and her cheeks go pink and it makes me happier than I’ve been in a long time.”
I can’t stop the smile. Nor do I want to. And it’s not about me blushing brighter than a baboon’s behind. It’s how my response to him makes him happy.
“But you’re right, Audrey, us sleeping in the same room is a concern,” he continues. “Word gets around town and my reputation is sullied, you better be prepared to go before a preacher and make an honest man of me, Junebug.”
I wrinkle my nose. “I don’t think a shotgun wedding is the answer.”
“Imagine the party we could throw at the bar.”
“Nash,” I say. “No.”
He frowns.
Charlie attempts to hide an amused smile behind his hand.
“He’s telling the truth.” I lean my hip against the kitchen counter. “Nothing happened. This is your house, and I love you, but we are both grown-ass consenting adults, and I am begging you to please let this go.”
The storm cloud on Grandma’s face. Oof.
“She has a point,” says Charlie in his gravelly voice. He winces when Grandma turns her eyes of wrath on him. However, he doesn’t back down. I salute the man’s courage. He slides the cooked pancake from the pan onto a plate beside the stove with practiced ease.
“This is why he asked you to come.” Grandma sets her cup of coffee down hard on the table.
“Audrey, I’m always on your side.”
“Is that so?” she snaps. “Then where have you been the last few years?”
“You told me to fuck off, so I respected your wishes.”
I smile. “Grandma told you to fuck off? She used those exact words?”
“Stay out of it, June.” Her spine is ramrod straight. “It’s none of your business.”
“How about that hypocrisy,” mutters Nash.
“Is this you helping?” Charlie adds more pancake batter to the pan. “If so, you’re failing fucking miserably.”
“Eh.” Nash scratches at his stubble like this showdown doesn’t bother him at all. “Just not much of a fan of June being talked to that way. By anyone.”
My mother has a temper. It wasn’t unusual when I was growing up to hear raised voices in our home. I thought she got it from her deceased father. Though the anger radiating from Grandma right now makes me wonder. The bright color in her cheeks is turning nuclear fast.
“Is that really what you want to do, Aud?” asks Charlie. “Lose your shit?”
Grandma takes a deep breath and lets it out slowly. “What I wanted was a peaceful family breakfast. I mean…you know what I mean.”
“I know you just paid Nash and me quite the compliment.” Charlie gives her a half smile. “And we appreciate it.”
Meanwhile, Nash pulls out a chair from the kitchen table and nods to me to take a seat. Then he grabs two mugs from the cupboard and makes for the coffeepot. “You and Charlie are as close to family as I have these days,” he says, in a more subdued tone.
Grandma sighs in his general direction. The anger leaching out of her. “I know we are.”
“And given your history with women, you also know she’s right to have concerns regarding her granddaughter,” adds Charlie.
“Just like I have concerns about you and my grandmother,” I say.
“Only there’s a rather marked difference in my age and experience.
” Grandma sits back in her chair and gives me a long look.
“And I’m not nursing a recently broken heart.
” She turns her gaze to Nash. “I haven’t just upended my life, either.
You’re both going through a period of change, and neither of you knows for sure how long you intend to be in town or what you want to do with your lives.
Surely it would be better to keep things simple. ”
Nash hands me a cup of coffee, taking the seat at my side. I don’t mean to stare bewildered at the offering.
The rockstar pauses with his own mug halfway to his mouth. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” I take a cautious sip—creamer and one sugar. It never even occurred to my ex to care how I take my coffee. And while I know caffeine is important to Nash, this feels significant. Which is silly. The bar for romantic entanglements shouldn’t be this low. Hot beverages and basic kindness.
Nash’s gaze remains dubious. Like I am not to be trusted regarding the highly important matter of whether he made my coffee right or not.
“It’s perfect,” I say. “Thank you.”
“You three should start eating.” Charlie places the stack of pancakes on the table.
Mom didn’t bother much with men. But none of her occasional boyfriends ever made breakfast. I doubt the idea even occurred to them.
There’s a strong chance I need to raise my standards.
I’m seeing this now. The need to please has led me astray.
Same goes for just being grateful for any attention I receive.
These bad habits have strongly contributed to me being taken for granted, and treated like shit.
It’s this sort of behavior that no doubt made my ex think he could kick me out while keeping me hanging around.
The fucker.
“What’s on your mind, my delight?” asks Nash.
“I should have put shrimp in his curtain rods. Taking the microwave plate and remote was insufficient for his crimes.”
“You mean your ex?” he asks. “Do you still have a key to the place? We could drive back and get it done. Go on a road trip!”
“You’d help me carry out my stinky revenge plot?”
“Sure,” he says with no hesitation.
“I don’t have the key.”
He shrugs. “Does it really matter? I mean, situations like this are why Baby Jesus invented bricks.”
“What on earth are you two talking about?” asks Grandma.
“Just some light breaking and entering followed by possible destruction of her ex’s property. I mean, it’s not like I don’t have lawyers and bail money. There’s nothing stopping us from carrying out this plan.”
I smile.
“June.” Grandma’s brows are right up there. “You wouldn’t.”
“He definitely deserves it,” I answer. “You’re right though. Having a police record is probably not the answer.”
“Oh, I already have one.” Nash downs some of his coffee.
“What for?” I ask curiously.
“Public nudity, trespassing, and disorderly conduct. I was young and high and it seemed like a good idea.”
Charlie clears his throat. “Is this really a story you want her to hear?”