Boycotts and Barflies (25 page)

of weakness. Grace felt Meg give her a small kick under the table to snap her  out of it.

“Oh  that, yeah! That was funny. Meg, remember when ‘M’ did that? It was all a  joke. I’m sorry if Liam thought he was serious. He was just messing around.”  Grace started laughing and gave Meg a nudge with her elbow to signal her to  join in.

“Oh, that was too funny. Gosh, Liam thought he was serious?” Meg giggled for a  second and then took a large gulp of soda.

“M? Who is this M character? Is he someone you’re seeing?” Susan asked  hopefully.

“No, mom, remember? We’re a ‘No Man Zone’ —it’s girls only for another we ek  and a half. M is just a friend of mine. And for your information, he’s not  sleeping with girls anytime soon!” Grace blurted out, taking the elaborate lie to  a whole new level. Meg started coughing, apparently choking on a piece of ice. “He’s gay?” Susan asked as more of statement that question.

You mean cheerful and merry? Yes, he’s gay, Mom …

“Absolutely. He’s helping us … explore all our dating options. Because of him,  we met Vicki and her partner. Vicki’s great, Mom, she has fourteen piercings all

over her body,” Grace revealed, still not knowing how she was keeping a

straight face, especially as Susan’s eyes began to bug out of her head.

“Actually, Grace, she has eighteen, but you can only see twelve,” Meg added a

wink to make sure Susan got a good idea of where the others might be located.

Her comment added some support to their carefully built lie. “And she wears

the coolest leather biker boots too.”

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“Oh.” Susan scowled, mulling over the line of crap they’d just given her.

“Well, did you give Liam the number to that pizza place by accident or on

purpose?” she countered, already sensing the answer.

“Mom, he was … it was … I’m not …” Grace stammered, flabbergasted that Liam

ran home and told his mother that bit of info.

What a baby.

“Mom, the guy looked like someone being electrocuted on the dance floor. He was vibrating all over the place, and I think his mom may want to get his hearing checked because I don’t think he ever came close to dancing on the beat. If it’s not his hearing, then he must be having seizures. Either way, he needs medical attention.”

Meg finally exploded with giggles. “If Grace ended up with him as a husband,

Susan, your grandchildren would be … well, I’m sorry to say, dorks.”

Grace completely lost her composure and burst out laughing when she saw

Susan’s face as Meg called her future grandchildren dorks. Her mother’s mouth was hanging open and her eyes were huge. As she looked back and forth between the two of them a light bulb suddenly went off in her head. Susan’s jaw snapped shut and a wide smile spread across her face as she leaned over the table.

“And what kind of grandchildren would I have if Grace married this guy named

M?”

Damn my observant mother. Grace glanced over at Meg, who looked like she’d just seen a ghost. Grace gave her friend’s chair a kick to wake her from her stupor.

“Wh- what did you say?” Meg asked, still baffled about how to respond.

Susan was smiling broadly now, feeling Meg was about to crack.

“I said, dear, what kind of grandchildren would I have if Grace married M?”

“I never really thought about it before. I guess … tall?” Meg replied innocently as she batted her eyelashes. It was such a perfectly generic answer that it threw Susan off the scent of a relationship completely.

“Well, I guess tall is better than dorky. This could get awkward when Dad and I go to the Sullivan’s tomorrow.” Susan cleared the plates from the table, lightly laughing.

The rest of the evening was spent putting the remaining decorations up throughout the house. There were lights to wrap around the banisters and popcorn garlands to be made. Henry and Grace worked on setting up the train under the tree while Meg and Susan finished boxing up the last batch of  Christmas cookies. By eleven o’clock, Henry and Susan were watching the news, 190

and Meg and Grace were exhausted so they decided to go to bed. Grace said a  quick good night to Meg in the hall and heade d to her room.

In the pitch black bedroom, she noticed that her cell phone was on the  nightstand, blinking. She threw on the light and quickly snatched it up. There  were two missed calls and one new message. When she saw who the message  was from, her heart dropped knowing she’d missed Michael’s call. She quickly  found the message he left.

Grace,

I’m sorry for dashing out on you yesterday and not calling. My mom’s house is a disaster and we have been dragging boxes and trying to fix pipes since we got here.

I miss you, I miss talking to you. And right now, I hate all indoor plumbing. I’ll try and call you tomorrow if my phone cooperates.

Good night, sweetheart.

Michael

Grace had just finished reading it for the second time when she heard a tap on the door. “Come in,” she said absently, still upset she had missed his call.

Meg’s head poked through the doorway.

“Did you get one too?” she asked with a small pout, as she held out the phone in her hand. Grace nodded her head in sad agreement.

“Did you call Bianca?” Grace asked.

“Yeah, she still sounds terrible. Amanda will check on her in the morning.

Don’t worry,” Meg said with a wave as she headed back out the door. “See you in the morning.”

“Good night.”

Once she was gone, Grace opened the phone and read his message one more time and then sent a quick note back.

Michael

Sorry about the pipes. I hope everything is OK at your mom’s. My parents’ house is the usual torture.

I miss you too—a lot. I’ll keep my phone on me tomorrow, just in case.

Go od night.

Grace

“I love you,” she whispered to the screen before she hit the ‘send’ button.

Grace laid the phone back on the nightstand beside her bed. As her head hit the

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pillow, she hoped somehow tomorrow she would get to hear Michael’s voice. Grace lay in bed and listened to the hum as the furnace turned on for a few  minutes before she fell fast asleep.

y

Grace awoke to the rich smell of coffee and the clanking of dishes downstairs.

She glanced at the clock and was surprised to see it was already after ten. She

hopped out of bed, snatched her phone, and ran next door to Meg’s room to see

if she was still asleep. Grace tapped on the door and opened it only to find her

friend still curled up in a ball under the thick green comforter.

“Good morning,” Grace said softly as she sat down on the bed, rubbing Meg’s

back to help wake her up.

“Ryan?” Meg murmured as she started to wake up. Grace laughed.

“Sorry, it’s just Grace.”

Meg’s eyes opened and she rolled over and stretched. “Damn, I was hoping …”

she laughed as she climbed out of bed. “Good morning. Bless Susan for letting

us sleep in today.”

“I’m going to shower, but I was hoping I could ask for a favor.” Grace smiled as

she bounced on the edge of the bed.

“Sure, what do you need?” Meg asked with a smirk.

“Would you babysit my phone, and if he calls, come get me?” Grace asked in a

super sweet voice, all the while blushing, because she couldn’t believe she was

asking her to do that.

“Of course. As long as you return the favor when you’re done showering,”

Meg said with a laugh and a hug. “We’re quite a pair.”

Unfortunately, Grace and Meg showered and the only call either of them got

was from Amanda who reported Bianca looked a bit better and that she got her

to eat some toast and orange juice before she left the apartment. When they

were showered and dressed, with their phones safely tucked into their

pockets, they bounded downstairs together, finding Henry in the kitchen

having a cup of coffee and reading the newspaper.

“Here they are. Good … morning, ladies,” Henry said with a glance to his watch

to make sure  he could still say morning.

“Good morning,” they said in unison as they headed to the coffee and crumb

cake that was sitting on the counter.

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“So, where’s Mom?” Grace asked as she joined Henry at the table, Meg sat down

beside her.

“She’s out running an errand. Dropping towels off or something,” Henry said

absently as he buried his nose deeper into the sports page.

Grace and Meg ate their breakfast and were half way through the crossword

puzzle from the paper when Susan  came home, her arms full of groceries.

“Girls, girls, girls,” she said with a smile as she set the bags on the counter.

Uh-oh, she ran into someone at the grocery store.

“You’ll never guess who I saw today,” she started as she began putting the

groceries away.

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Henry shook his head knowingly and whispered “It starts …” before heading out to the family room.

“Well, actually, you’ll never guess, but that’s beside the point. Wait until you see who’s coming over later. And you owe me! I found you some men.” The  joy in her voice terrified both of the girls. Meg grabbed Grace’s hand as visions of

Bib Boy danced in her head. If only she knew about all the other ones. She would be running and screaming down the street, Grace thought to herself as she lowered her head and readied herself for the fight that was about to start.

“Mom, we aren’t interested in being set up right now,” Grace said through her clenched teeth.

“Oh, come on, Grace! They’re cute with a capital C,” she said, grinning.

“You just might change your mind about this silly boycott thing.”

“No, Mom, no set ups. Do you understand me? Or I will do something drastic!”  Grace glared at Susan as she slouched against the counter, sensing defeat. She  knew Susan remembered vividly the year she’d invited the boy wh o was  named the state Math Olympics champion in the hopes of getting Grace her  first kiss. In protest to the set up, Grace had dyed her hair blue and scared him  and everyone else away. Grace glanced over at Susan defiantly and looped her  arm in Meg’s, and  in a show of feminine affection, bent to rest her head on  Meg’s shoulder like they were a happy couple and sighed blissfully. Susan’s  eyes narrowed but then she threw in the towel, knowing her stubborn  daughter wouldn’t back down.

“Fine, be alone for the rest of your life, Grace. I’m just trying to help you find  love,” she snarled as she stormed from the kitchen.

“Already found it, Mom,” Grace whispered to Meg who was laughing with her  head down on the table.

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The rest of  the afternoon, they avoided Susan, who was still fuming. Grace took  Meg on a tour of Spokane. Then Meg wanted to get a gift for Grace’s parents to thank them for letting her stay with them for the holiday, so they did some quick shopping. A few hours later they returned home, grumpy, not having heard from either Michael or Ryan all day. When they walked in the door, they found Susan in the dining room, tangled up in a wad of red ribbon, cursing. “Mom? Need some help?” Grace asked with a laugh as she started untangling her mother’s arm.

“Grace, Meg, you’re back. Oh, thank goodness. I have all these things left to  wrap for my friends and you know how bad I am with tape, and people are

coming over tonight.” Susan looked helplessly at Grace and held out the

scissors and gift wrap.

“Just leave it to us; we can wrap them for you!” Meg offered happily. She was

anxious to get back into Susan’s good graces after the showdown earlier.

“Thanks, girls. I need this one done first, if you don’t mind.” She threw a green

sweater at Meg’s head and ran out of the room. Grace shrugged her shoulders  and they dug into the pile of gifts, wrapping like department store  professionals. They had an elaborate system worked out. Grace was the paper  person while Meg was the ribbon decorator and label master. In a matter of  twenty minutes, they had finished the large pile Susan placed before them, plus  a few extras she threw in along the way.

“All done, Mom!” Grace shouted into the kitchen where her mother was  frantically making something to eat.

“You girls are lifesavers! Thank you,” she yelled from the other room as dishes  clanked. “Go relax. I’ve got everything under control.” Of course the sounds  coming from the kitchen sounded like they were anything but in control.

“I’m going to go upstairs and try to call Ryan,” Meg said as Grace made herself  comfortable on the family room couch.

“Go ahead. I’m just going to plant myself here and listen to some music until we  have to hide from her guests.” Grace laughed as Meg headed up the stairs.

She lay down on the couch and turned on the stereo. Her eyes closed and she  found herself wondering about Michael, what he was doing and whether or not  he missed her. She imagined how it would feel to be in his arms or to hear his  voice. The smell of his pillow filled her memory as she imagined how it would  be to kiss his incredibly warm lips again. Grace even debated sending him a  text message, but thought it might be a bit too desperate, as Meg would put it. 194

If she gets hold if Ryan, then I’ll try and call him, Grace thought, a dull ache in her chest from missing Michael. She took her phone out of her pocket for the tenth time and checked for a message, only to find she didn’t even have a signal. Susan flitted into the room and started placing small bowls of snacks on the end table, a sure sign someone was arriving soon.

“So, who’s coming now, Mom?” Grace asked. Of course her real question was  “Who’s coming and how quickly do I need to find a place to hide?”

“A friend o f mine. She’s a sweetheart, and she’s bringing—” But her mother never got to finish because the doorbell rang and she immediately rushed over to the door. Grace could hear her laughing as she greeted her guest in the foyer.

The music from the stereo made Grace miss out on most of the conversation, but she could hear other voices now.

Great, a group of people I need to hide from, Grace thought as she sat up on the couch and ran her fingers through her hair to make herself slightly more presentable. She heard the voices growing louder as they approached.

“I hope you called the Realtor and told her about all the trouble you’re having,  Liz,” Susan said sternly.

“Don’t worry. We’ve been on the phone all weekend with her and a number of handymen. These guys saved me, I have to say.” Grace heard a female voice grow louder as heels clicked on the wood floor.

“Come in, please. Just set your coats down. I want you to all to meet my daughter. She’s home for the holiday.” Susan and a beautiful woman with chocolate brown hair stepped into the room, arm in arm. “Liz, this is my daughter Grace. Grace, this is my dear friend Liz.”

Grace gave an awkward wave from her place on the couch. “Hello, nice to meet you.” Grace smiled and couldn’t help but notice her mother was beaming.

I’ve never met her before, Grace thought to herself as she watched Liz and  Susan put their heads together and whisper back and forth. Susan threw back her head and laughed.

“No, sorry, Liz. I forgot to mention, my daughter here is apparently trying her hand at being a lesbian,” Susan said as she nodded her head skeptically in her daughter’s direction. Grace’s face turned bright red at Susan’s comment. Liz however raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled as she turned and reached her arm behind her.

“Well, then, she just has to meet my newly gay son. Come here, Michael,”

Liz hissed as she pulled a handful of a gray shirt through the doorway, and a

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very embarrassed Michael stumbled into the family room, his eyes glued down

on his shoes.

Grace was certain she was hallucinating. He couldn’t be here, in her living room. He was a figment of her very active and very desperate imagination. She was losing it. Grace slowly stood up, but the hallucination didn’t move or look up at her from his position in the doorway, instead he fidgeted nervously in front of her.

“Michael?” she said softly in disbelief, still unsure if he was real.

His head shot up at the sound of her voice, and his look of embarrassment turned to complete joy in a fraction of a second. “Grace?” he said in astonishment, his blue eyes dancing.

Grace didn’t remember making the decision to  do it, but the next thing she knew, she was on her feet and catapulting herself into Michael’s arms. Her arms flew around his neck, and he stumbled back slightly from the force with which she crashed into him. Grace felt his arms wrap tightly around her as her feet left the floor and he swung her around.

She felt her feet slowly touch the ground, and only then did she look up into his gorgeous face. He looked just as astounded and confused as Grace felt.

“What are you doing here?” they said at the same time.

A voice from the doorway said suspiciously, “I take it you two know each other?”

Shit! Susan! God, how am I going to pull this one off?

She hid behind Michael’s chest and said very softly, “Please go along with whatever I say. She wil drive us crazy for  the next few days otherwise.” He smiled and winked, letting Grace know he would follow her lead. She moved around him to face their smirking mothers.

“Sure, we know each other. Mom, this is my friend ‘M’ I was telling you about earlier,” Grace said casually pointing her thumb in his direction. Michael raised his hand and waved, grinning.

“And where did you two meet?” Liz asked, staring intently at her son now.

“Um, at the bar,” Michael fumbled, not knowing what Grace had told Susan already. Behind Susan, Grace saw a tall blond figure in the doorway.

“Ryan?”

He poked his head into the room, his hair slicked back into a ponytail, and smiled. Grace couldn’t contain her excitement.

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“Go upstairs, first door on the left.” She pointed behind him to the stairs so he  could go surprise Meg. He saluted, then turned on his heel and Grace heard his  heavy footsteps as he made his way up the stairs. Susan and Liz just looked at  each other in confusion.

“Ryan and Meg know each other too,” Grace said, trying to make it sound like

no big deal. Of course the scream and crashing noise from upstairs made that a

tad bit more difficult. Michael chuckled softly next to her.

“You have no idea who we’re dealing with here!” Grace hissed through her

clenched teeth.

“I think I do. Our mothers seem very much alike, don’t you think?” he muttered,

barely moving his lips.

“Shit, we’re so screwed,” Grace whispered, shaking her head. Susan and Liz

continued to examine them as they stood nervously side by side in the family

room.

Grace didn’t dare glance over at Michael while facing her mother or it would be all over; she would know without a doubt that Grace was completely in love with him. She had always been able to read Grace like a book, and since she hadn’t been able to tell Michael how she felt yet, she didn’t want her mother spilling the beans.

From what Michael had said, his mom was going to be just as difficult to fool.  Their mothers whispered something between them, and then announced they were going to the kitchen.

“Well, you two kids chat. I’m going to get Liz some coffee and a bite to eat.”  Grace could hear them talking and laughing as they walked away. “Is Mike coming over too?” Susan asked and Grace heard Liz mention something about a malfunctioning water pump as their voices drifted out of earshot. Grace waited one more second before turning to Michael just to make sure they were, in fact, gone.

Before she could look at him, she felt Michael’s arms clasp around her waist, and Grace found herself being pulled tightly against his chest. “Hello, beautiful,”he murmured into her ear as he kissed the side of her face. Grace felt her heart

pounding  in her chest.

“Hello there. How in the world are you here with me now?” she asked as she

ran her hands up and down his back, still not completely believing he was

standing in front of her.

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“I’m not sure myself. The pipes burst at my parents’ new house, so we came up  here to help my mom move all the stuff out of the basement because it was  filling up with water. My dad did what he could; but for the past two days,  we’ve been moving furniture, boxes, and learning all there  is to know about  plumbing, pipes, and water heaters —and swearing a lot.” He laughed.

“But I thought you said you grew up in Salt Lake City?” Grace laced her fingers  in his and held on tightly to his hand.

“I did, but just before Thanksgiving, she and my dad announced they were  moving to a small town just outside of Spokane. My dad got a job offer and

mom was all excited because she was going to get to live near an old friend of  hers. I guess that’s where your mom comes in,” he said as he smiled down at  Grac e and brushed the hair out of her face.

Grace was so happy she couldn’t contain it anymore. Once again, she wrapped her arms around his neck and found herself nearly strangling him.

“I missed you so much! And now, we get to spent Christmas together,” she

squealed. Releasing his neck, she slid down his chest, grabbed his hands and

started pulling him toward the kitchen. “Come here.”

Cautiously, she poked her head into the kitchen where Susan and Liz were

having a glass of eggnog and a bite to eat. They didn’ t stop their conversation

while Grace hid in the doorway with Michael.

“Mom, Michael and I will be upstairs if you need us.” Grace turned to walk out,

but Susan caught her.

“Grace, do you think that it’s appropriate for you to have a young man up in

your room … alone?” she said, giggling. Liz was doing her best to contain her  laughter as well.

“Get a grip, Mom. Michael and I are friends. Got it?”