Her soaring spirit suddenly folded over, crumpling in on itself like a dying star.
Chapter 32
Nice to Meet You, Rod Serling
Ashit-show. No other way to describe what Gage had walked into. Stunned to find his mother and Jessica at his house, he’d been even more astonished to learn they’d met Lily and Daisy. Now he wished he’d told his mom about them, but he hadn’t wanted to subject himself to the third degree. Besides, the cow was out of the barn now, or whatever the hell the expression was, and he was in damage-control mode.
According to his mom, the meeting had been brief but cordial, though she couldn’t understand why “the woman dressed so suggestively in front of her daughter.”
“Obviously things are a little different in Denver,” she’d said. He ignored the jab, his mind instead distracted by how many starstruck “idiots” were ogling Lily. He needed to get to the venue pronto.
Being away from her had been tough, and ghosting her even tougher. But he’d thrown everything into playing for his team while trying to come to terms with his Grimson quandary. He’d been thoroughly occupied and exhausted. Through it all, he’d rediscovered his mojo. He was keeping it simple, focused on only hockey, and he was playing out of his mind back on the first line. And honestly, he’d been a little hesitant to reach out to Lily and possibly jinx his turnaround.
But, God, he missed her!
And right now all of him wanted to get to her and convince her to forgive him for going dark, but he didn’t know how soon he’d get the chance because his mom wouldn’t stop talking.
“Oh, and I also changed your front door combination. This way, the wrong people can’t get into your home because you never know …”
Yeah, Nola was right. Heshould have changed it before she showed up. It was the same combo he’d had when she’d been here with Sarah helping him set up his place. Won’t make that mistake again.
“So,” his mother beamed, “where are you taking us for dinner? Or we could stay in and cook for you, if that’s better. Whatever you want, son.”
What the actual fuck? The “whatever I want” is not what I’m dealing with at the moment.
Jessica hadn’t said two words. Just smiled a lot. Yeah, he wasn’t going to get backup from her. She was as much a part of this hostile takeover as Nola.
“I’m sorry, Mom, but you two are on your own tonight. I promised Lily I’d—”
“What? We fly all the way out here, for you, because we were worried, and you’re just walking out for that … that—”
“Mom, I had other plans. I wasn’t expecting—”
“Well, that’s obvious,” she huffed. “And here I thought we could all get your grandmother on the phone to make her feel better.”
“Why? I just called this morning and—”
“Did you actually speak to her?” His mother’s eyes narrowed.
“No.” Grandma had had absolutely no idea who he was. Mistook him for a damn telemarketer. Even though Oscar had gently coaxed, Grandma would have none of it. That had sucked. Big-time.
“Well, she’s not doing so hot.”
“Then why are you here? Shouldn’t you be there?”
“Oh, you mean like how you’re here and not there?” his mom countered.
Behind Nola, Jessica was shaking her head and giving him a disapproving frown. “Gage,” she said, her voice laced with a grating motherly tone, “maybe you could tell your, ah, singer friend you’ll meet her later? Surely she’ll understand. This has been a rough week for your mother, but she didn’t want to bother you. I know you weren’t expecting us, but now that we’re here, it would be nice if we could all sit down for a quiet meal so Nola can fill you in.”
There was something they weren’t telling him. The clangor of a five-alarm fire was rising inside him.
“Please,” Jessica added with saccharin sweetness.
“Yes, please, Gage.” Were those tears in his mother’s eyes?
Jesus Fucking Christ!
“All right,” he sighed dejectedly. “Let me text Lily.”
Dinner was a trip to the twilight zone. Both women chatted and laughed as though absolutely nothing was wrong. He was regaled with stories of Jessica’s countless accomplishments as a financial analyst, volunteer, and blah, blah, blah. Gage smiled politely at first, but his composure began cracking. He had to find out about Grandma, and he still had a decision to make about Grims—something he’d put off long enough already.
After stealing into his office, Gage called Oscar, who had no idea what Nola was talking about. With Oscar’s help, he established a FaceTime connection and invited the two women in so they could all see for themselves what was up with Grandma. His mother’s eye-darting between him and the screen reminded him of a panicky rabbit, and he soon understood why. The little patience remaining in his reserves completely imploded. Nothing out of the ordinary was wrong with Grandma. She was still in and out of reality. Still doing outrageous, though benign, crap. And despite his graciousness, poor Oscar suffered Nola’s disdain.
“It’s not good for her to be squinting into a computer! We can see her when we get home,” Nola groused.
“Mom, you’re not making any sense.” Gage kept his voice low. “Let’s just talk to her now while we’re together.”
“Together” became his mother and him because Jessica soon drifted out of the office. What should have been a pleasant virtual visit turned strained, and his mother also left the conversation. Gage was oddly relieved and closed the door to take advantage of the privacy.
“Oscar, I really appreciate your help, and I apologize for my mom.”
Wise eyes crinkled with a smile. “No need to apologize, son. At my age, pretty much everything rolls off me like water off a duck’s back.”
In her most lucid moment of the evening, Grandma interjected, “Gage, I love your mother, but she is a bossy thing. Don’t let her push you around. You’re a good boy, and you work hard to put everybody
