Page 101 of An Introvert's Guide to Life and Love
Chapter 34
The sky outside melts from strawberry sorbet into a deep huckleberry purple. Daniel proposes that we paint one of the smaller bedrooms, since we’re here. So we do—after putting our clothes back on—and it’s a movie-montage-like hour of painting and giggling and screeching as we chase each other with paintbrushes. We admire our handiwork, and I wipe a dot of eggshell paint from his chin, and we kiss in the middle of the empty room.
“Worth it, even though it can only be one night?” he asks, his arms around my waist. I know he’s referring to the conversation we had in the pool, when we forced ourselves to stop, but the words still send a pang of disappointment through me.
“Worth it,” I say. “Even if it can never happen again.” I say it lightly, teasingly, secretly holding my breath and half hoping he’ll say that it can.
“Hey, never say never. I sure hope you’ll call me next time you’re in town.”
“Yeah.” I remove myself from his arms. I have no idea when that will be, but I don’t want to get into all that right now. “We better get out of here before we get lightheaded from paint fumes.”
Outside, the dark sky flecked with stars, we share one last kiss under the magnolia tree.
“Well,” Daniel says, “see you at the barbecue tomorrow.” Thismakes us both laugh way too hard. We bike down the street together, and then he goes his way and I go mine.
Gramps and Wally and I arrive at Daniel’s mom’s house around one the next afternoon. We agreed it would be a faux pas to arrive at a party early when we barely know anyone there.
Arriving fashionably late was a good call; people are swarming in and out of the house, chattering and laughing, so we slip in basically unnoticed.
I’m excited to meet Daniel’s family, but I also don’t want to make a big deal out of, well, the fact that I’m meeting his family.
Gramps, on the other hand, appears to be brimming with excitement, calling out a robust hello to everyone we pass. We’ve barely reached the kitchen before he’s surrounded by people who want to pet Wally.
I find Daniel pulling water glasses out of a cabinet and stacking them on a tray.
“Hey, Mallory,” he says lightly.
“Hi. Thanks again for inviting—”
“You brought the girl home!” A woman I can only assume is Daniel’s mother joyfully clasps her hands over her bosom, which is wrapped in aKISS ME, I’M A CHEMISTapron.
I widen my eyes at Daniel.The girl?
He answers his mother with a laugh. “Mom, this isn’t—there is no—I mean, Malloryisa girl, yes, but—”
He’s interrupted by two slightly older guys, each holding a bottle of beer, who clap him on the shoulder and then bombard me with a chorus of “Mallory!” All I can do is gape at them as they shower me with “Finally”s and “We meet at last”s. Daniel’s protests go completely ignored by his brothers. As they carry on, Daniel’s eyes meetmine with a knowing twinkle. I’m pretty sure if anyone caught the smile passing between us, they would know our secret immediately. As his brothers elbow one another, each trying to shake my hand first, his mom swats them with a dish towel, shooing them away.
“Sorry about them,” she says to me. “I’m Annette.” She covers my hand with both of hers, which are small and warm. “Very nice to meet you, Mallory.”
“Nice to meet you, too. Thank you for inviting us.”
“I’ve heard all about you and your grandfather. Where is he?” She turns to her three sons, all of whom tower over her, and says, “What are you all standing here for? Someone needs to get the burgers on the grill.”
“I got it, Mom.”
“Leave it to the master.”
“Give me the tongs back!”
Daniel grins at me as his brothers retreat to the backyard, arguing all the way. “So yeah, those are my brothers.”
Gramps manages to extract himself from the group of dog lovers.
“Annette, this is my grandpa, Leonard.”
“Thank you for having us in your lovely home,” Gramps says, shaking her hand.
“Of course.” Annette reaches up and grips Gramps by the shoulders, giving him a motherly squeeze. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
