Wardrobe Malfunction(76)
I just don’t know how to ask her again. I don’t want to push. But I want it. I want her.
I feel a tug on my pants and look down to see Nora.
“Hey.” I smile at her.
“Uncle Vaughn, will you dance with me? My brothers won’t dance with me.”
“Course I will, beauty. You don’t mind, do you, Charly?”
“No, of course not. I need to use the little girls’ room anyway.”
I pick up Nora in my arms and start to dance with her as Charly makes her way through the dance floor that is filled with my family and friends whom I’ve known all my life.
That’s another thing. She fits in so effortlessly with my family. They all love her. She couldn’t be more perfect for me.
The more I think about this, the more determined I become about wanting to go public. I just need to figure out how to get her on board.
“You look so serious, Uncle Vaughn.” Nora’s chubby little hands press to my face. And they’re sticky. I’m pretty sure with cake.
“I was just thinking.”
“About Charly?”
Kid is smart for a three-year-old.
“I like her, Uncle Vaughn. She’s really pretty and funny.”
“Yeah, she is.”
“I think you should marry her. But don’t wait as long as Mommy and Daddy did.”
I laugh. “Because you want to be a bridesmaid again?”
“Course.” She smiles. “I love being a bridesmaid. Look how pretty my dress is.”
“You look beautiful, Nora.”
“There you are. I’ve been looking for you.”
I turn to my sister, and her eyes are on Nora.
“You feeling tired yet? ’Cause Nanny Porter said she’d put you to bed in Gran and Granddad’s house, and she’d sit with you.”
“No, I don’t wanna go to bed.” Nora pouts, arms wrapping around my neck, clinging to me.
“Okay, baby.” Sasha laughs. “You don’t have to go to bed yet. Wanna come and dance with me and Daddy?”
Nora looks at me and then her mom. “Okay,” she says, letting me go.
I hand her over to Sasha.
“Where’s Charly?” Sasha asks.
“Bathroom.”
“Have you met Ed yet?”
“No.” My eyes narrow. “When did he get here?”
Apparently, he couldn’t make it to the ceremony because it was his granddaughter’s sixteenth birthday, and they were having a party for her. Sounds suspicious if you ask me.
“A few hours ago,” Sasha tells me.
“Where is he?” I scan the dance floor.
“In the tent with Gran. They were chatting with Dad.”
“Right.” I kiss Sasha’s cheek and then Nora’s. “See you in a few. Oh, and if you see Charly, will you tell her I’m in the tent?”
“Will do,” Sasha answers.
I head off the dance floor and in the direction of the tent.
I spot Gran and Ed. They’re not with Dad anymore. They’re sitting at a table not too far from the bar.
I make my way over, staring at Ed. He’s got a lot of hair for a seventy-year-old guy. Probably a wig.
“Hey, Gran,” I say as I approach the table. I lean over and kiss her cheek, giving Ed the evil eye as I do.
“Vaughn, this is Ed. Ed, this is my grandson, Vaughn.”
“Nice to meet you.” He gets to his feet and shakes my hand.
Weak handshake.
I sit on the chair by my grandma.
“So, your grandmother told me that you’re an actor.”
I glance at my gran, and she’s just smiling at Ed.
I look back to Ed. “Yeah, I’m an actor.”
“What kind of actor? Theater? I used to do a little amateur theater when I was younger.”
Is he taking the piss?
“Ed doesn’t watch movies,” Gran tells me.
“Not unless they’ve got Frank Sinatra in ’em.” Ed chuckles.
Ah, okay. He doesn’t know who I am, and my gran clearly hasn’t enlightened him. I love her a little bit more in this moment. I relax a little toward him.
“So, you do movies then?”
“Mmhmm.”
“Interesting.” He nods and then looks off across the room.
And that’s the end of that conversation for Ed.
“So, how did you two meet?” I ask him.
“On Tinder,” my Gran says.
“Tinder.”
“Yeah, you know, the dating app that you swipe left or right on. Well, let’s just say Ed didn’t get swiped left.” She winks at him.
And I want to vomit.
Aside from the fact that my gran just winked, she’s on Tinder. I have no clue what swiping left or right has to do with anything, and I’m not sure I want to know.
But my gran is on a dating site.
What the fucking fuck?