CHAPTER 23
MACKENNA
And here it was. The unavoidable family awkwardness I’d been dreading.
“I don’t need that big fancy hotel room,” Beverly insisted. “Let Jimmy and Mackenna have it.”
Jimmy threw his hands up. “I don’t know why we can’t all stay at the house.”
“There isn’t enough room,” Matthew, Jimmy’s dad, who I’d just been introduced to ten minutes earlier, argued. “I’m not making Grandma or Mackenna sleep on the couch, and you won’t fit.”
Trying to sink further into the very couch they were talking about, my eyes volleyed from one person to another as they discussed the sleeping arrangements.
“The hotel has a two-room suite,” Linda, Jimmy’s mom, interjected. “Both Mackenna and Grandma can stay there; very comfortably, I might add.”
“I’m not going to separate the lovebirds,” Beverly said, motioning between Jimmy and me.
I didn’t have to look in a mirror to know my face was bright red.
When I’d heard Jimmy on the phone with his dad earlier in the week, he simply told him he was bringing a friend. And now Beverly might as well have told everyone that Jimmy and I were banging like rabbits—even though we weren’t.
“Listen,” I finally spoke up. “I have a solution. I’ll get my own room.”
“Like hell you will,” Beverly exclaimed at the same time Jimmy said, “Absolutely not.”
I looked from Linda to Matthew. “I don’t want to be the reason you have to pay for a hotel.”
“We would’ve had to get the hotel room either way.” Linda smiled at me, then pointed at Jimmy and Beverly. “These two are just stubborn.”
“Fine,” Jimmy said before tossing an arm over my shoulder. “Mack and I will take the room. Grandma, you can have my old bed.”
Clearly pleased, Beverly smiled.
But Matthew didn’t seem so happy. “Hang on a second now. I’m not sure it’s appropriate for you two to be staying the night together. No offense, Mackenna.”
“None taken,” I said, deciding it was best not to announce the fact that Jimmy and I had already slept in the same bed multiple times. “I’m fine with whatever you decide.”
It wasn’t a secret that Jimmy and I hadn’t known each other long, and I couldn’t blame his dad for feeling the way he did.
Apparently, Jimmy didn’t agree.
“I’m an adult, Dad. And I’d like to stay with my girlfriend.”
Jaw dropping, my head snapped toward him. Did he just say girlfriend?
I wasn’t the only one surprised by his statement, because four pairs of shocked eyes landed on us.
“I’m not—he’s not—we’re not—” I stuttered, completely lost for words because the term implied a certain level of commitment.
“Well, it’s settled then!” Beverly clapped her hands together and headed toward the kitchen. “Matthew, do you have any whiskey in this house?”
Seeming concerned, Jimmy’s dad chased after her. Linda hid a smile behind her hand, and Ezra spoke up for the first time since introductions were made.
“Thanks for coming to my graduation,” he said shyly, fidgeting in the green recliner in the corner of the living room. “I don’t have a ton of friends coming to see me walk across that stage… So it means a lot to me that you came all this way.”
And just like that, my heart melted.
I thought I was awkward, but Ezra took it to a whole new level. It was endearing, though. The way his cheeks flushed just from meeting someone new. The floppy mess of blond curls that fell over his forehead. He was exactly how Jimmy described him.
“Thanks for wanting me here,” I responded sincerely.
“You’re always welcome,” Linda said before brushing her own blonde curls out of her eyes. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to make sure Beverly isn’t raiding the liquor cabinet.”
*
Something shifted during dinner after the graduation ceremony. As we sat around the dining room table, eating Linda’s meatloaf, I felt the world tilt a little.
Something had changed, but I couldn’t put my finger on it—probably because it wasn’t just one thing.
My heart felt lighter at the sound of Jimmy laughing with his brother as they argued about who knew all the songs to ’90s boy bands and who was better at chess. Ezra proudly claimed the knowledge to the Backstreet Boys lyrics and, apparently, Jimmy was chess champion of the house.
When I told them I was terrible at chess, and would be staying far away from Jimmy during a tournament, his hand caressed my knee under the table and my heart soared in a completely new way.
Pride welled up in my chest when his family asked about my career and seemed genuinely impressed at my accomplishments.
“So you can just work from home?” Linda asked. “You never even have to leave the house?”
“Basically, yes. There will be times when I have to travel to the band for collaborations,” I explained. “But I can record at home and send them the demos. Plus, we can do a lot of our meetings over Skype.”
“That’s so cool,” Ezra chimed in, seeming to be more comfortable around me by the minute. “Can you get autographed posters? And tickets to concerts?”
“Ezra,” Matthew scolded. “You can’t just demand stuff from our guest.”
I laughed. “Actually, you can. Someone might as well enjoy the perks to my job. Yes to both of those things.”
The shy boy from earlier completely disappeared as his face lit up. “Thank you so much.” He pointed his fork at Jimmy. “Keep her.”
Before either of us could respond Beverly asked for another whiskey on the rocks, and her request was denied. She pouted, but I wasn’t oblivious to Jimmy discretely passing her his flask under the table when Matthew and Linda went into the kitchen to get dessert.
They brought out an ice cream cake, which was pretty much a glorified ice cream sandwich. My eyes shot to Jimmy, wondering if he’d requested it on my behalf. He gave me a knowing look and I hid my goofy smile behind my napkin.
My mouth watered as they passed me a slice. It was perfect, with an Oreo cookie crust on the bottom, a layer of mint chocolate chip ice cream, and whipped cream on top.
Heaven.
Then Jimmy’s parents switched to the topic of his classes in the fall, and my heart did a nosedive, plummeting to the pit of my stomach. The fluttery feeling I’d gotten so used to morphed into a sick, churning sensation below my sternum.
My appetite suddenly disappeared and I placed my fork down on the plate while staring at the half-eaten dessert. I’d known all along Jimmy didn’t intend to stay in Tolson, so the dread I felt was unexpected. And unpleasant.
As they talked about the college campus and dorms versus apartments, reality hit home.
There would be a time, in the near future, when I would be alone in my house. Alone in my bed. Just… alone.
Two weeks ago, that was all I’d wanted.
So why did it make me so sad?