“God, I wish I was that phone right now,” he said, shifting in his seat, while giving me a sideways glance.
“Don’t even think about it buddy. You aren’t getting any kind of rewards from me on the way back, times a ticking, and you don’t need to be distracted.” His bottom lip stuck out into a pout, and I laughed at his puppy-dog expression. “I texted Grams to tell her to kill some time for us, I’m sure she can make it happen, so we don’t end up getting a ticket.”
I spotted an expensive looking rental car as soon as we pulled into the driveway, only about five minutes late. Justin must have seen my hesitation because he scooped up my hand, kissing each finger as he went. I could tell he was nervous too.
He looked even sexier than usual in his dark washed jeans and long-sleeved navy shirt that seemed to make his gray eyes shine brighter. His hair was tucked under one of his favorite black beanies, and I smiled when he tugged it off quickly and ran a hand through his hair. He was chewing on his lip where his lip ring normally was, and I could tell that it was all ready raw. But he was trying to be supportive for me and that made me fall in love with him even more.
My mother sat stiffly on the front porch, dressed in a crème colored pant suit, her dirty blonde hair, that was so similar to mine, pulled into a tight bun at the nape of her neck. She gave me something that I think was supposed to resemble a smile, and I figured she had more Botox injections since the last time I had seen her.
“Adelaide,” she said, flicking a quick glance behind me at Justin, whose hand was at the small of my back. “So nice you could grace us with your presence this afternoon.” No hug, no how are you, but I really hadn’t expected it.
“Sorry, we were running a little behind.” I turned around to smile at Justin and pulled forward on his hand. “You could have gone inside without me. I’m sure everyone would have been so excited to see you.”
“I’m sure,” she scoffed, as she eyed Justin a little more closely, a flirty smile playing on her lips. Of course she was going to flirt with my boyfriend, what mother wouldn’t?
“This is Justin Parker, Justin my mother, Lillian Conklin.” He stuck out a hand and she politely held hers out, holding onto his hand for longer than necessary.
“Well, let me just say hi to Grams and Grandpa and we can head out for lunch. Do you know if Dad’s here yet?”
“Hopefully not,” I heard her mutter before I opened the door and pulled my suitcase inside. Justin stayed on the front porch with my mother, and I could hear her making some kind of small talk. At least she wasn’t treating him like he was the scum on the bottom of her stilettos like I had expected, even though there would be no reason.
I breathed out a sigh of relief as soon as I stepped inside, the scents of cookies wafting from the kitchen, mixed with the cinnamon potpourri Grams always kept around the house. I found Grandpa sitting on the couch, staring out the front window with a scowl on his face. “Is that mother of yours too good to come in here or something?”
“She thinks she is,” I replied. “Sorry, I have no idea what her issue is.”
“That’s all right, Della. Not your fault.” He stood up to give me a hug and grabbed my suitcase for me. “Did that fella of yours surprise you?”
He had, but I was even more surprised that Grandpa knew anything about it. “Yeah, it was nice,” I answered vaguely.
“Good, I knew you would love the beach. He called last week to talk to your grandmother and me for a bit and ask for permission to take you on a little getaway. I thought it sounded like a fine idea.”
Say what? “Well, I guess I owe you two a little of thanks then. He certainly did surprise me.”
“He’s a fine young man, has a good head on shoulders. Someone I could see you spending your future with.”
Well the surprises just kept on coming over and over again. “That he is. I’m glad you think so too. Is Grams around? I wanted to say hi before I left.”
He pointed up the stairs and shook his head. “She’s taking a nap, said she could feel a headache coming on once Lillian showed up in that fancy car of hers.”
Now that he mentioned it, I could feel one coming on too. I wonder if anyone would notice if I snuck upstairs for a nap. “All right then, we’ll catch up later. I’ll see you in a bit.”
I walked back out onto the porch just in time to see my mother throwing her head back in laughter at something Justin said. The sight was strange and one I definitely wasn’t used to.
“Oh, Adelaide, I think you have yourself a keeper here,” she purred, batting her eyelashes. If Justin was worth more money, I’m sure she would be trying to steal him for herself for an upgrade.
“Well, are you two ready for lunch? Where is Mia by the way?”
“She’s here,” my mother replied blandly. “She decided to wait in the car.”