by B. A. Wolfe
“That’s classic. I’ve got to see this picture,” I told the guys.
“Too bad we don’t have time to. Looks like it’s dinner time,” TJ said, walking away with his head down.
“I have a copy of the picture, I’ll show you,” he said before placing his hand on my shoulder, leading us down the hall amongst others for dinner. “Before we eat, I want you to meet my grandma,” Jase said with a smile a mile wide. You could tell he really cherished her.
“Can’t wait,” I told him only half-nervous, the other half excited to meet a lady who wanted to have everyone over for dinner. It takes a special lady to tolerate this many people in her house.
We walked into the kitchen. It was mad chaos as people loaded their plates with food served buffet style. I spotted what I thought was his grandma right away. She was the only one in the kitchen with white hair in a cute little bun on top of her head; she was standing next to Trish, both helping pile everyone’s plates high.
“Grandma,” Jason said, giving her a hug and kiss on the cheek. He stood about a foot over her, which looked ridiculously cute.
“Cassandra, this is Grandma Maggie,” he said as he moved back next to me. “Dad’s side, of course.”
“Cassandra, I’ve heard so much about you,” she said as she grabbed my hands in hers.
I cringed. I could only imagine the things she might have heard. On top of being lost, there was crashing into their precious town tree, and staying in a stranger’s house amongst all the gossip. “I hope good things?” I asked coyly.
“Oh, don’t worry, all wonderful things,” she said as she peered over to Trish who was grinning right with her. “It’s a small town dear. We all know when there is a new person here.” She gave me a wink, surprising me with her slightly feisty personality. I liked it.
“I had a feeling.” I teased, making a chuckle escape her lips.
“Go eat now kids before it gets cold,” she said, shooing us away.
“Grandma, get your plate first, please,” Jason told her sternly, well, as sternly as you could tell an adorable little lady like her.
She gave him the ‘I’m your grandma. I make the rules look’. “You know I will. I just want to make sure everyone gets taken care of first.”
He shook his head at her and then gave her a ‘Yes Grandma’ look before leading us into the line.
Plates in hand, we headed to the back room where a table was set up.
“Saved you guys a seat,” TJ said, patting the seat next to him as we made our way to the table.
Jason pulled out the seat next to TJ for me to sit in. This could be extremely awkward, but I tried to replay the words Jason told me in the truck and not to be uptight.
Jason sat down right next to me and everyone immediately got silent and focused on eating. Our plates were full, and thankfully, I was hungry, but I failed to recognize any of the food that Jase piled on my plate. I was sheltered when it came to home cooked meals. I took a deep breath and remembered I had a code word in case of an emergency, which made me feel more awkward at the thought of having to use it. I took my fork and stabbed it into a heaping mound of green beans that were probably my safest bet, but also suspicious because they were drowned in some sauce that I could only imagine was butter and tossed with bacon. As soon as I started chewing, I knew they were the best tasting green beans I’ve ever had in my life. Before I devoured the mountain of them, I decided to give the chicken dish a go. I took a deep breath and put a bite of the chicken casserole in my mouth. It was wonderful. I could sense Jason’s eyes on mine, so I turned my pleased mouth toward him as I finished chewing another bite of the casserole. He leaned his head closer to me, raising his brow, expecting an answer.
“Green freaking light, Jason,” I yelled a little too loudly, causing him to shift his gaze to his plate, clearly mortified by my unintentional outburst of excitement.
He raised his head and I mouthed the word ‘oops’ at him as we both glanced around the table that had gone silent and all eyes were on me.
I could feel my cheeks were on fire as they began getting hotter and hotter the more stares I got. I needed to recover quickly. I thought of the only thing in my mind that made any sense.
“The green light that we passed on the way here, crazy it’s the only one. It’s not like that where I’m from.” I tried to cover my embarrassment, feeling Jason pat my leg under the table as I did.
“Where are you from, Cassandra?” the girl from the front room, whose name I believed was Kasey asked.
“Boulder,” I answered in her direction across the round table.
“What brings you to Keaton?” she asked, immediately making Jason choke on his dinner.
“I’m just passing through… was passing through… well actually, I’m not even supposed to be passing through,” I said, keeping my eyes on Jason as we both curled our lips into a grin.
I turned my focus back to Kasey. “It’s a long story,” I said, hopeful to change the subject.
She nodded and went back to eating her food.
I tried to do the same but the silence was reminding me too much of being at dinner with my parents and I couldn’t take it anymore.
“Moose? Have you lived here your whole life?” I asked him.
“Yes ma’am.”
“What is it that you do?” I asked, curious about who I could only guess was Jason’s best friend.
“I work at the mechanical shop,” he stated proudly.
Oh, help us all, he was the one working on my car? Shit.
Jason must have seen the look of horror displayed on my face as his eyes found mine.
“He’s fixing my car?” I whispered to him. I would be lucky if it was finished next year. This wasn’t a mechanic. He was a kid.
“If it makes you feel any better, his dad owns the place, and Moose has been doing this since he could practically walk,” he tried to sweet talk me.
“Hey, don’t you worry, your car is in good hands.”
I was almost positive a code word was in order here. “Red light Jason,” I said, looking him straight in the eyes.
His lips curled up. “You might red light it now, but you’ll green light it in the end,” he whispered to me.
I gave a not so reassuring nod as I looked over at TJ who was staring at us as though we were talking gibberish.
“It’s going to be fine, Cassie,” he said softly.
I took a deep breath. It was either “Moose” or no mechanic so I guess I had to just trust that Jase knew what he was talking about. “Okay, I’ll trust you.”
“I haven’t steered you wrong yet have I?” He asked, knowing damn well he hadn’t.
“No you haven’t,” I admitted to him, only making his “I told you so” grin even wider.
“See? It’ll be okay then.”
We continued our stay for quite a while longer as we chatted with everyone at the table. They were polite, entertaining, and treated me like I was a friend from down the street that they grew up with all their lives. It was welcoming and I was grateful for that.
“You ready?” Jason quietly asked me.
“Whenever you are.”
“I’m kind of getting tired, so let’s go say goodbye to the family and head home.” He grabbed our plates as we got up from the table. I waved at TJ and the rest of the table, and both of us said goodbye to the group.
“See you later man,” TJ yelled to Jase.
“We’ll come see you soon to check on the car,” he told him.
That would be a hard visit. I almost wanted to miss it.
He set our plates down in the kitchen sink before walking us over to the table in the dining room where all the adults sat, his parents and grandma included.
“Cassandra, did you enjoy dinner?” I heard Bart ask as he put his napkin on his plate.
“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Best home cooked meal by far,” I said, nudging Jason’s shoulder next to me. “Except, of course, for the breakfast Jason made me the other day.”
“Is that so?” he asked, grinning slightly at Trish.
“It was nothing,” Jason muttered.
“It’s been a long time since you’ve cooked Jason. He really must have wanted to show off his cooking skills,” Trish said.
“Are you blushing honey?” his grandma asked him, getting all too excited.
The whole table was about to start laughing before Jason closed his eyes and let out a sigh in what appeared to be red colored cheeks. I wasn’t sure what the blushing was for, but I could only guess he didn’t cook often anymore and it meant something to his family that he did.
“Well now that everyone has met Cassandra, I think we’re going to head back home now,” he said, walking over and giving his grandma a hug.
“I hope to see you around, Cassandra dear,” Maggie told me.
“Thanks for having me over, Maggie,” I said.
“See you guys at home,” Jason said to his parents before guiding us away from the kitchen.
“Your grandma is seriously adorable.”
His lips curled up as he started shaking his head, “She’s too much sometimes.”
Obviously, he was still a little embarrassed. I thought it was cute.
We got into his truck and began our trek home again. I thought it was a good time to tease him.
“You know, your cheeks look good in blush.” I teased him.
“Oh yeah?” he asked.
“You’re clearly on the other end of the teasing now mister. Not so fun, is it?”
“Touché. You know, for being a stranger in this family, you fit in all too well.”
“I like your family. They’re really nice Jason. You’re a lucky guy.”
“I am, aren’t I?”
“More than you know,” I replied as we pulled back up to the only damn light in town.
The light was red and it was as if I could sense something stewing in his mind. I turned my eyes to face the window, hoping not to acknowledge the infamous light we were under. It would always be embedded in my mind no matter what streetlight I looked at from now on.
I could see the green illuminating the intersection and beaming off of the hood of his truck. He slowly put the truck in park and stepped out with a sexy grin on his face. I kept my eyes on him as he sauntered over to my side, opened the door, and put his hand out for me to grab.
“Can I have this dance?” he asked softly.
My heart was racing but for other reasons than a horn honking. I hesitated for only a second before I placed my hand in his. I didn’t know if it was him, or just the way he asked, but saying no wasn’t an option. He helped me out and walked us into the middle of the intersection.
The green light changed to yellow and then to red, keeping the road lit up just enough for us to see each other. My breathing was getting heavy as we did something out of character for me, but in this moment, I was here, all of me. He twirled me around so I was now in front of him. He put my left hand around his waist and took my right hand in his, holding it tightly to his chest. He began to sway us back and forth to absolutely no music or noise around us but the slight sound of the breeze that was blowing.
“Jase,” I whispered as though people could hear me, despite the fact that it was only the two of us in the street. “There’s no music?”
“Stay here,” he whispered in my ear before running to the truck. Then I heard it; the sound of country music coming out of the doors he left open. He turned the volume up so we now had music. Mush. I was turning into mush, what was going on with me?
“Jase?” I said his name quietly. I wanted to talk to him, but he didn’t reply.
He put my hands back into place and pulled my waist closer to his, putting our cheeks side by side, continuing to sway in the dark, under the stars. I started to hear a slight hum echoing out of his throat and noticed he was singing to the song on the radio. The sweet sound of his voice was so velvety and smooth, I closed my eyes and rested my head next to his, taking in his silky effortless voice. I moved my hand from his waist, slowly sliding it up his back so that I could hold onto him tighter, feeling the need to be closer to him. My breathing was getting slower as I relaxed and yet my heart was racing all too rapidly. I was enjoying the feel of his warm cheek with rough stubble on it pressed hard against mine. He slid his cheek away as he moved his head directly facing me and pierced his green eyes right into mine. He took his hand off of my waist and moved it to the side of my head, pushing back a stray piece of hair before he gently cupped my cheek. I let it rest in his hand that he held so softly against my skin. It felt warm and slightly rough, and I loved it. I opened my eyes only to see he was still holding his gaze on me. He slowly put his other hand up to my other cheek so that both of his rough hands were ever so gently holding my face. His eyes were glistening as the green light was catching them just right, making them look even more striking. I was losing my train of thought. I was losing my sense of where I was; all I could see was the green in his eyes and all I could feel was the touch of his hands warming my cheeks. His face was slowly inching closer to mine, making my heartbeat spiral out of control. I wasn’t sure if this was really happening, it all seemed too wonderful. His lips parted and I took a breath in, waiting for what was about to happen, the anticipation was too much.
“God, you are so beautiful, Cassandra,” he said quietly as he looked reluctant to be taking his hands off my face and his body away from mine.
I was taken aback, certainly not expecting a comment like that to come out of his mouth. He grabbed my hand gently before I had any chance to respond and walked me to my side of the truck helping me in. I grabbed his arm before he could close my door, turning down the music first so he could hear me. He looked down at my hand on his arm and then up to me. “Thank you Jase,” I told him, it was soft like a whisper but loud enough that I felt like the world around us heard me. He smiled softly and then walked back to his side of the truck.
My mind was racing. My body tingling all over because of what he said and how it made me feel and but also because I didn’t do stuff like that. I wasn’t raised to let myself dance in the street, but now it was all I could think about. Thinking about how I was feeling every wonderful moment of being out there and dancing with him. I wasn’t sure what was going on with me, but being into someone like Jason wasn’t like me. Yet for some reason, in that moment he just created, I had felt something. My stomach was full of butterflies fluttering around as though they had the time of their life. My life was already a mess and falling for a guy I didn’t know was entirely out of the question. I knew that I had to talk to him about it to find out what was going on or maybe I didn’t. Maybe not talking about anything was easier for everyone. For all I knew, he could have just been showing me a good time, and I was entirely over thinking the situation.
Fifteen
WE ARRIVED BACK TO THE house quickly. Everything in this town was less than ten minutes away. I liked that, less time to stew over things in the truck. We walked in the house, both of us silent. It was almost eerie and I didn’t like not talking to him.
We stopped once we reached the kitchen. I wasn’t ready to call it a night and was hoping this wasn’t the end of it. I wanted to talk more, I missed hearing him speak about things in his life, and part of me wanted to find a way to talk about what happened earlier. I knew the chicken in me wouldn’t though.
“You want to come downstairs for a bit?” he asked cautiously. He didn’t have to be cautious though. I knew him well enough now to know he wasn’t that kind of guy. I knew we would just be hanging out, nothing more.
My chest eased. I was relieved to know he didn’t want our night to end either. “Yeah, I’d really like that,” I told him.
His hand reached for mine and held it as we walked downstairs to his room.
“You cold at all? The basement can get pretty chilly.”
“I’m okay right now, but thank you,” I said, walking over to his sofa.
“So what’s the story with your
grandma Maggie? Why the dinners and stuff?” I asked him once he sat down.
He sunk himself down into the sofa, getting comfortable. He rested his arm over the side of the small couch. Open invitation to move closer to him or just being comfy; I couldn’t read the body language.
“She’s the only grandparent we have left. She’s been doing dinners ever since my grandpa died. We all went over there after the funeral, everyone bringing something over to eat. Ever since then, no one wanted her to be alone, so we all decided once a week we would continue with the dinners. Whoever in town that wanted to come was welcome. It gives her something to look forward to.”
My heart melted as I listened to his story. It was sad in so many ways, but also very loving and uplifting. It’s remarkable that the entire town was there to support his grandma. “That’s a tight knit community.”
“My grandma wasn’t joking when she said it’s a small town, we’re all family, blood or not,” he said. I pulled up a leg underneath me as he put his over his knee.
“I like that.” I said, twisting my fingers together in my lap. “I wished it was something I had grown up with.”
He inched a little closer to me, gently resting his hand that was on the back of the couch, on my shoulder. “You have it here. Blood or not, Cassie. When you leave Keaton, you’ll be taking a little part of this town with you, and you’ll also be leaving a little piece of you behind.”
I looked up and gave him a surprised glance. “What? You’ll be chopping off a piece of my body to keep as a souvenir?”
“Shit. That’s not what I meant,” he said.
“I sure hope so,” I said, a few goose bumps prickling down my bare arms.
He stood up and walked over to another door, disappearing inside what had to be his closet.
“You looked cold,” he said, draping the dark blue blanket around my body, wrapping me up like a burrito.
“Much better. Thank you,” I told him. He sat back down taking the same position he was in earlier, making sure to rest his hand on my now covered shoulder.
“Grandma Helen made it. She’s my mother’s mother. She died before I was born. Cancer.”
