Page 43 of Glitz & Goals

“The new… what?” I can tell Grady’s head is spinning.

“Come on.” I grab his plate. “I’ll take these inside, and then I’ll give you the grand tour.”

My purchases are right where I left them. I shove Florida gnome into Grady’s arms and lead him to the back of thebackyard. Blade follows at a trot. There’s a little gazebo back there, partly sheltered from view by the pool house.

Grady stops when he sees the gnomes. “My God,” he murmurs. “This is…”

“Unhinged?” I suggest.

“This is incredible. They’re so tacky.” There’s a note of genuine admiration in his voice.

I’m inclined to agree. In among the hardscaping are hundreds of gnomes, the smallest of which is really just a pet rock, the largest of which is the size of a toddler. A few of them are actually cute, but the vast majority of them are flipping the bird, bending over to reveal their little butt cheeks, or, in one case, holding a trench coat open to reveal a gnome boner. There are meditating gnomes and zombie gnomes and smiling gnomes, girl gnomes and boy gnomes, even a trio of gnomes being eaten by a velociraptor. Grady looks like a kid who just walked into what he thought was the dentist’s office, only to realize that he’s stumbled into the tooth fairy’s living room instead.

“You could charge admission tickets,” he says. “How long have you been doing this?”

I shrug. “Nanny Franny started it. I think I was three or so.”

Grady quirks an eyebrow. “You guys keep saying things like I’m supposed to know what you’re talking about. I’m starting to think you’re doing it on purpose.”

I chuckle. “Sorry. It’s just complicated, and I’m sort of used to people already knowing this stuff. Nanny Franny was like… my second mom. She pretty much raised me when I first came to live with Dad.”

Grady frowns. “Had he and your mom split up?”

I let out a weak laugh. “No. Noah’s not my dad. He’s my uncle. I mean, he’s my dad in every way that matters, but he’smy birth mom’s brother. He became my legal guardian after my parents died.”

Something flashes across Grady’s face. “Oh.” I expect him to follow that up with an apology because most people do. Instead, he licks his lips. “I’d like to know more about you, but I imagine it can be hard to talk about something like that. I’ll leave it up to you whether you want to elaborate, or stick to gnome talk.”

My shoulders relax a little. Sometimes when people hear about my family history, they become borderline obsessed with telling me how I should feel. They’re not doing it on purpose, I’m sure, but it can be exhausting.That’s so terrible. I know just how you feel.Usually, they’re just projecting their assumptions onto me.

“It’s not that hard to talk about, honestly.” I set my stuff down and take Florida Gnome from Grady. “I don’t remember my parents. I was super little when it happened. Six months, give or take. They were in a car accident. I was there, too, but I wasn’t hurt at all.” I hold the gnome to my chest. “Noah could have raised me to think that he was my bio-dad, but he wanted me to remember as much as I could. We’ve always had photos of my parents around the house. It’s nice, but also…” I shrug.

Grady waits a beat before prompting, “Also?”

“It sounds callous when I say it, but I don’t miss them. There’s nothing to miss, really.” I look around the Gnome Gloam, half aware of Blade sniffing his way through the statues. I wonder if he can smell traces of Biscuit after all these years. “I had this awesome childhood with my amazing uncle, my Nanny Franny, Biscuit, and eventually Mom. I even got to have siblings. Viktor’s a turd, but my little sister Vanessa is cool.”

Grady snorts. “Little brothers are all turds. Trust me, I am one. He’ll get better, but it’ll take a while.”

“We’ll see about that.” I brush a stray lock of hair out of my face while still balancing the gnome in my arms. “Anyway,life was good. I missed out on my parents as people but not as a support system, if that makes sense. Noah and Molly never made me feel like I didn’t belong with them, but they never tried to fill the space my parents left. I call them Mom and Dad, because they’ve always been there for me. We love each other, so we created a family even if it’s a little unconventional. That’s what really matters, right?”

I’m suddenly aware of how long I’ve been talking. Grady doesn’t need to know all this. Dead parents don’t make for great casual conversation. I shake my head and smile, even though I can feel that my expression is a little off.

“Anyway, the Gnome Gloam was Franny’s idea, and it’s the best place on Earth. I’ve just kept the tradition alive.”

“I can see why.” Grady crosses his arms over his chest. “It’s wonderful. So, where is this guy going?”

That’s all he says. No condolences I didn’t ask for, no strained sympathy, no prying questions. True to his word, he let me tell him what I wanted him to know and then revert to the emotionally safe topic of garden ornaments. God, I could kiss him right now, even knowing that Mom and Dad are watching from the back deck.

Grady points to Boner Gnome. “I think he should go right next to that guy. They look like they could vibe together. They’re both exhibitionists.”

I nod my agreement. “Shared interests can be a good basis for a friendship.”

Grady takes Florida Gnome back and tiptoes his way across the hardscaping, taking immense care not to dislodge any of the existing residents.

My chest aches. The more time I spend with Grady, the more I wish there could be something more between us. Something real and lasting.

But I know better. If I let myself get too comfortable, it will hurt all the more when this ends.

Chapter Thirteen

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