Page 36 of The Luck of Finding You
Beth is smiling from ear to ear.
“Well, it’s about time!” Gran says, clearly happy for them.
“Congratulations,” I say. It would feel inappropriate not to say anything, even though I don’t think I’ll earn any points from Tally by saying it.
“Why so soon?” Tally asks quietly.
Beth's smile becomes more tentative now and she looks at Joe.
Tally’s hand starts to shake under the table, and when I reach over and wrap it in mine, she doesn’t pull away.
Joe is staring at his daughter as if he doesn’t know the right words to say. It’s obvious the man loves Beth and that he’s happy but also aware of Tally’s feelings.
“It’s time, sweetheart,” he says finally, his words so gentle that it breaks my heart.
Tally is silent for a moment. “I am happy for you. But I don’t understand why you are rushing this. You guys have only been dating for a few months.” Tally pulls her hand from mine and stands. “I’m going to go to bed. Thanks for dinner, Gran.”
“Tally...” Joe obviously wants to say more and I’m surprised he doesn’t. Her outburst isn’t something that should just be ignored, right?
Tally just shakes her head. Joe stands and gives her a hug. “I love you, baby girl,” he tells her quietly, and she nods, then turns. Her eyes fill with tears.
“Night, Dad. Gran. Beth.” She looks at me briefly. “Noah.” Then she heads down the stairs.
We’re all quiet for a minute.
Beth looks sad now; this clearly didn’t go the way she’d hoped. Joe rubs her shoulders. “It’s going to be okay. That actually went better than we thought.”
That went better than they thought? What were they expecting to happen? I know I’m missing a lot of info here, but if Tally thinks they’re rushing it, maybe they are.
Beth sighs. “I guess so. I know she likes me. I like her. I know it’s hard…I’m not trying to replace—”
Joe cuts her off. “No one thinks you are. It’ll take the girls some time though. We’ll pick a date and everyone will have a chance to warm up to the idea.”
“Do you think I should go talk to her??” Beth looks up at him. I pull at my sleeves; this feels like a conversation that I shouldn’t be a part of.
“No,” Gran declares loudly before Joe can answer. “When Emily died, it was like the life went out of you. Your light is back, Son. Your daughters know that; they see that. It might be hard for them, yes. But they’ll survive. They both love Beth, you know that. You both know that.”
Then Beth is crying and hugging Gran, thanking her.
“I’m going to go say bye to Tally, then head out,” I say, but the women are still hugging and don’t hear me.
“Her room is the first door on the left, downstairs,” Joe tells me. I give him a grateful nod.
“Thanks for dinner,” I say, but the women aren’t listening. They’re already talking about flowers and table settings.
My heart is pounding in my chest, and I don’t know what I’m going to say when I see Tally. I just know I can’t leave without saying something, anything. Now I know that her mom is gone—I don’t know when, but maybe it was recent and that’s why she thinks this is sudden. Or maybe it’s been a long time, but either way, it still sucks because her mom is gone.
I don’t know what I’ll do when my mom dies. I don’t talk to her as much as I should, but she’s only a phone call away.
I knock on Tally’s door.
“Come in,” she calls from the other side.
I’m not sure what I expected, but opening the door reveals two walls covered with bookshelves, a twin bed in the middle of the room because that’s all there’s room for, and a desk shoved in the other corner. Beyond the furniture, the room is spotless and very Tally.
“Hey,” I say, awkwardly standing in the doorway. She invited me in and is sitting at her desk, so the only place to sit is on her bed, and I don’t know if she’d like that. “You really okay?”
Her face is red, as if she’s been crying, but her cheeks are tear-free.
