Page 52 of Trapped
She shook it. “Everyone calls me Gran.”
I nodded. No way in hell would I incur the wrath of Ashley by calling her grandmother, Gran. Looking over Gran’s shoulder, Ashley’s scowl confirmed I’d made the right call.
“Come join us. We have beer and plenty of food,” Gran offered.
“Thank you, but I’m work—”
She cut me off. “Working? Here? Why?” She might be using a walker, but her mind was sharp. Her stare felt like she was trying to penetrate my mind with her eyes.
Shit. I’d dealt with a lot of unexpected situations in my life, many of them dangerous, but none had felt as dangerous as this conversation.
“He needed to report in after finishing a job, right, Nathan?”
“Right.” I nodded, grateful for Ashley’s quick thinking because I felt like a deer in the headlights under her grandmother’s watchful eyes.
Terrorists with rifles in the Middle East, no problem.
Little old lady using a walker in Weatherford, scared stupid.
“Well, you can just march your handsome self to the backyard and report to the boys in person.” It was easy to see where Ashley got her feisty attitude.
I couldn’t very well say no to Mrs. York, but accepting meant pissing off Ashley. It was a lose-lose situation for me.
Fuck my life.I erred on the side of not pissing off Ashley’s grandmother.
“Yes, ma’am, Mrs. York,” I corrected myself.
All sass disappeared once I agreed. “Ashley, be a dear and go inside and fetch me more iced tea.”
If she’d had the ability, Ashley would have shot daggers out of her eyes and shredded me to pieces. “Yes, Gran,” she said before walking away.
“Now, Nathan, be a gentleman and help an old lady cross the street.”
Wanting to keep all my body parts, I didn’t remind her that she hadn’t needed my help the first time she’d crossed.
“Look, everyone,” Mrs. York announced as we walked through the gate to the backyard. “Nathan decided to join us.” She said it as if I’d had a choice.
Surprised faces turned to see me holding the fence gate for Ashley’s grandmother. I took my time making sure it latched as I closed it.
“Glad you could join us, Blaszek,” Jack said, a shit-eating grin on his face.
AJ raised his beer. “Welcome to the party.”
Jamie handed me an open, cold bottle of beer. “Sorry, she overheard me telling Ashley.”
“Don’t worry about it.” I couldn’t blame him for telling Ashley, or for her grandmother overhearing. I tapped my bottle against his. “Thanks.”
“She’s a force to be reckoned with,” Jamie said.
That she was. Watching Ashley’s grandmother in action was like getting a glimpse of the future Ashley. A future I was disappointed I wouldn’t get to witness.
“If you’re hungry, we have burgers, hot dogs, Meg’s bacon mac and cheese, salad, and snacks.”
Too unsettled to eat, I passed.
As we sat around the backyard talking, I kept to myself. Observing the people I worked with, and their families, as theconversation flowed. I envied the easygoing relationship they shared. Even Blake, the newest member of the group, seemed to fit in.
Not like me. They didn’t exclude me from the conversation, but that didn’t mean I felt like part of the group.
