“I hope my grandson gets here soon. I would love you to meet him. He’s very handsome,” she tells me with a big smile on her face. I can see her mind racing with ways to hook us up. “I keep telling him he needs to settle down. He has never brought a girl home, and he’s getting too old for all that playing around business that men these days do. I want great grandbabies before I leave this earth. Back in my day, it was normal to get married young. I was eighteen when I got married and I stayed married until I lost my James. I miss him every day and still love him. I want that for my grandsons.”
“Well, I hope they all find the kind of love you had, Miss Alice. It sounds beautiful,” I tell her truthfully. I can see the love she still carries for her husband whenever she talks about him.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I jump and Beast barks at the sound of the voice. I slowly turn around, praying I’m wrong.
“Asher James Mayson, you watch your mouth. Don’t talk to my guest like that,” Miss Alice scolds him. I can feel all the color drain out of my face and my stomach drops to my toes. Oh my God, he’s more beautiful than I remember in his dark green thermal with the sleeves pushed up to his elbows and the colorful tattoos on his arms. They are so bright that even his tan does nothing to take away from their beauty. His jeans are light blue, over washed, and hug him perfectly. Great! Just flipping great. He’s Miss Alice’s grandson. Can my life get any worse?
“Hi,” I say, trying to smile but I know I probably look like I’m in pain. I stand up ready to bolt. “Come on, Beast. Miss Alice has a guest and we need to go to the store.” Yes, now I’m talking to my dog out loud in front of hot jerk-face. Ugh, I’m such a loser. “Well, Miss Alice, I’ll see you in a few days,” I say, leaning down to kiss her cheek.
“Okay, sweet girl,” she says quietly. She looks like she wants to say something but she closes her mouth, and then glares at her grandson. I’m sure if she could make him catch fire, she would. If I could make him catch fire, I know I would. I turn and walk down the short hall toward the exit when I feel pressure on my elbow.
“I’m gonna walk November out. I’ll be right back, Gran,” Asher says from behind me.
Crap, crap, crap. “Umm…no−no, that’s okay,” I say, trying to pull my arm free from his touch. I can already feel his fingers burning into me.
“No, I’ll walk you,” he whispers near my ear, causing goose bumps to breakout across my skin.
“Fine,” I mutter because I don’t want to cause a scene in front of Miss Alice. I’m sure she likes me, but I’m not so sure she would like me to ruin the chances of her having great grandchildren when I ‘accidently’ kick him in the nuts. She doesn’t say anything as we leave. She just waves goodbye with a face-splitting smile. Oh, if she only knew.
“Come on, Beast. Asher is walking us out,” I say, and then bite my tongue. I really need to work on not talking to my dog in front of people. Once out the door, I pull my elbow from his grip. “Look, I’m sorry. I had no idea that she is your grandma. I just bring Beast here to see anyone who wants the company. I watched a show on TV about animals visiting with people in hospitals and nursing homes; it said how much joy it brought them. I figured I’d give it a try. I have a beautiful dog who loves attention, so why not, you know.”
Asher’s not saying anything and I realize I’m rambling. Crap. “So we’re just gonna go.” I turn to leave, but he grabs my hand, pulling me back.
“Hey, not so fast. You just surprised me. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Well, I really like your grandma and she likes Beast, so if you just tell me the days you’re gonna come, I’ll make sure not to show up then.”
“That’s not gonna work for me.”
“Okay,” I say, feeling my shoulders slump. “Well, have a good day.” And don’t fall off a cliff. I say under my breath as I turn to walk off again.
“Meet me tonight,” he says and I know that I must have heard him wrong. His rough voice and his southern accent are making it hard to concentrate on what he is saying. I swear I heard him wrong. I look over my shoulder.
“What?” I ask, scrunching my nose.
“You, me, tonight, beer, a game of pool?”
“Um…” Nope, didn’t hear him wrong. I look around to make sure that it’s still just me and him in the parking lot.
“It’s just a beer,” he says, smiling.
“You’re kind of a jerk,” I tell him. It’s something he probably hears all the time.