Page 89 of Nerdelicious
I stare at her long enough and hard enough that she smacks me in the arm. “Open it.”
As I tear open the envelope, the words on the paper blur before my eyes. It’s an acceptance letter to the CIA, in New York. The one Fred told me about.
I blink to clear my vision, emotion gripping my throat, but this time it’s not because of anxiety or apprehension.
My gaze flies back to Grace and holds.
She bites her lip. “I’ve been selfish. I can’t hold you back from what you want. I love you. I care about what you want more than what I want. And you will be happier wherever she is.” She swallows and then talks in a rush of words. “So I might have sort of hacked into your computer and stolen your résumé and sent it in. If you love me, you’ll go. Because nothing is more important than your happiness. You are always looking out for everyone else, and it’s time that someone looked after you.”
I put my hands up to sign, but she stops me with a shake of her head.
“And it might be possible that the time you applied to that other culinary school in Dallas, maybe I made sure you wouldn’t get in. But that was wrong, and now I’m trying to make it right. Besides,” she continues, “if you had gotten in to the other place, then you never would have met Fred, so really I did you a favor.”
Okay, even I can admit that’s stretching. But still.
“It’s my turn to sacrifice something for you,” Grace says. “Just like you did when we lived withhe who shall not be named.”
I smile. Fred made Grace watch all of the Harry Potter movies over Christmas break. And then a week later, during a fit when Grace threw her laundry at Fred, Fred danced around yelling, “Dobby is free!” and Grace laughed so hard she cried.
I blink through a film of tears. Shake my head. How can this be real?
I sign,How can I leave you behind? And I still can’t talk.
“Don’t argue with me. A lot of people don’t talk. And you’re learning. You will talk. I know it. There’s no reason you can’t continue your voice therapy in New York. And maybe,” she bites her lip and her head droops, “maybe I need to learn how to be on my own, too. But I’m not really on my own. We will always have each other no matter where you live. Jude and Granny and the rest of them won’t let me be lonely. And I’ll visit you. Please, Beast, follow your happy.”
I yank her to me, hugging her tiny frame. When she was born, she almost fit in my hand, she was so tiny.
She pulls back first. “I had to pull some strings to make sure you could start when the next term begins in a month. And Granny wants another party before you leave, so it’s going to get busy. Are you going to call Fred?”
My grin is so wide it hurts my cheeks.
Fred was the hero in her story, and now it’s time for the rest of us to follow suit.
Chapter Twenty-Five
All those letters,they were you...
All those beautiful powerful words, they were you!...
The voice from the shadows, that was you...
You always loved me!
–Cyrano de Bergerac
“Do you want to come over later? We can watch a movie or something. I’ll even let you feed me cupcakes.”
Scarlett laughs, the sound tinny from my phone’s speaker. “I would love to stuff your face with cake and frosting, I’ve got some new flavor ideas for the truck and I could use some advice, but Guy has something planned for us tonight.”
“Oh.” I sidestep a questionable puddle on the sidewalk. It hasn’t rained in weeks. That’s either booze or urine. “Maybe tomorrow? Or Sunday? I could use a distraction.”
“You’re not hanging out with your new friends tonight? I thought maybe you had plans.”
“Nah, they’re cool and all, but I didn’t feel like being social.”
I have hung out with my coworkers periodically over the past few weeks. I’ve gone for drinks, out for dinner, I even went to a movie with a fellow new hire. I’m practically a social butterfly. It’s helped ease the incessant longing pushing at my heart, despite the excitement and gratification with my job.
I haven’t talked to Beast as much lately. We’ve both been busy. And I can’t help but wonder, is he slipping away? Will our calls and texts get more and more infrequent and eventually cease entirely?
