Page 95 of Just a Plot Twist
“I rarely have a shirt on, to be honest. I’m breastfeeding twins!” She laughs and then pauses to yawn. “I haven’t had a shake yet this season, so I’m looking forward to that.”
“Now that the babies are home, I can see them in person, right?”
“Yes. Can’t wait. And listen, Claire? Even though they don’t show it very well sometimes, your grandparents love you, okay? You didn’t need to bring them shakes to soften the blow.”
“What’s wrong with bringing them something they love? I’m just trying to express my…appreciation for them.”
Inez pauses. “Nothing wrong with that. So, what are you going to say to them?” she asks.
“Well.” I lick my lips, suddenly wishing I’d bought myself a shake to occupy me on the drive. But when I picked them up, my stomach was in knots, so I didn’t want one. “Grandma and Grandpa, thank you for all you’ve done for me. I owe you so much. Also, I need to tell you, I’m…dating…Benson Kilpack.”
“Good. Bold and to the point.”
“Right.” I nod. “I’m dating him and he’s, he’s a…well, his father is Thomas Tate.”
“Oooh, what?” Inez is trying to impersonate my grandmother, with her high pitched, formal tone. “Thomas Tate doesn’t have a son named Benson!”
“Inez, you sound like a British Julia Child! It makes zero sense.”
Inez laughs. “What’s your response going to be?” One of the babies starts crying and there’s rustling feedback on the other line as she picks her up.
“I’ll explain about the birth mother and the adoptive parents and everything. And I’ll tell them about my feelings for him and then I’ll ask if they’re business partners with the Schillers. And I’ll mention that I’m not going to run for public office. Ever.”
“That’s a lot,” Inez says. “But it’s necessary.”
“I realized something, Inez. My whole life, I’ve been blaming myself for the fact that Grandpa never ran for office like he’d dreamed. I thought it was somehow my problem to fix.” My throat grows hoarse as I go on. “But you know what? He still could have run for mayor or city council in Longdale. And he could have run for office when they moved back to Boulder over ten years ago. It’s not my fault he didn’t! They want me to achieve their dreams for them, but I can’t do that. I need to stop taking ownership for their feelings.”
“Those are the wisest words you’ve ever spoken, Claire.”
Nerves flutter in my belly. “I’m tired of doing things I don’t want to do just to please them.” I clear my throat. “And I still want to be there for them. I wish I was more like Sophie and didn’t care what they think.”
“Sophie probably wishes she was more likeyouand got along with them better.”
“Interesting how that works, huh?”
I can feel Inez’s smile, even over the phone. “You’ve got this, you ferocious beast of a woman.”
Icanactually live my life for myself, not for them. We’ll both be happier this way in the long run, right?
Okay. Maybe I can do this. Maybe it’s not going to be so bad.
Things really are that bad.
First of all, the shakes melted sitting in a their ice bath. Grandpa’s even tipped over when I braked in front of their house. I lost about half of it.
Then, they weren’t home, even though they said they would be. After I waited for a half hour in their living room, with the shakes sitting snugly in the freezer, they finally roll in.
“Oh, we forgot you were coming!” Grandpa says. He has the decency to look embarrassed. “We were at a rally for one of Norm Davie’s candidates. He’s coaching so many good people.”
Excitement pools in his eyes. And in Grandma’s too.
Crap. This is going to be hard.
I first go to the freezer and produce their shakes. They’re polite about it, but neither of them want them. Grandma even asks if they’re still safe to eat.
“They were always cold, Grandma! They’re fine.” I put them back in the freezer. If they don’t want them, maybe I’ll take them and eat them both on the drive home. Comfort in the form of cold, creamy sugar.
“You look like you have something important to tell us,” Grandpa says after we’ve gotten settled in their sunken living room.
