The Lucky One (2) - Taylor Swift

4

The first week of Grace's new life had been sobering in a way different than being sober. She was exhausted practically all of the time, she had never eaten so many horrible salads and of course, she was actually sober. What she could do with those seven hours a week she was spending in meetings, well, she'd have seven more hours of sleep that she desperately wanted.

The dogs Amber's dad had were not particularly bothersome during the day but she had come to the conclusion that she was a cat person if anything. She could hear them barking when a neighbour half a mile down the road whispered in the night, they barked at just about anything over nothing. She wanted to drop them off outside of the shelter with a note saying Free German Shepherds!

Not that she would really consider doing that... but sober thoughts were scary thoughts sometimes.

The morning Taylor was supposed to drive in was a Saturday during the second week of May. She had flown in from Nashville and had plans to get a hotel in Glenville where Grace was just outside of, about three hours north of New York City, and stay for the weekend so they could spend a bit of time together.

Taylor was working on putting an album rollout together, she had just finished it and she was so proud but terrified of the reception she would receive. Especially now that people would make the connection about who the songs were inspired by.

After breakfast, Grace was sitting at the kitchen table with her niece who refused to wash the syrup off her cheeks, both colouring with crayons on scrap paper. Grace was drawing a house and Gracie was drawing an abstract piece inspired by her past life, as Amber called it.

"Alright, it's Saturday so I'm going to a meeting with your father, which means you are here with the child," Michael looked at their whiteboard calendar while talking to his wife.

"I need to get away from said child," Amber hummed, "We swapped last night so you could go with Grace, it's my turn."

"You could all go together, I can watch her," Grace offered softly. She looked up from her colouring for a moment, "She already ate so she's fine. Right, Gracie?"

"No," Gracie sighed even though she replied to everything with a no. Amber called it a phase but Grace kind of thought it might be the right way to get through life while giving people low expectations.

"Are you sure?" Michael asked, he scratched at his neck nervously, "You don't have any babysitting experience."

"Taylor will be here in half an hour, she loves kids. It'll be fine, Michael. Go, enjoy!" Grace shooed them and then covered Gracie's ears, "Wait! Does she know about non-straight people?"

Amber walked up to the table and crouched down. Gracie quickly shook her aunt's hands off her ears with a groan, "Hey, do you care if Aunt Grace dates a girl?"

"No," Gracie shrugged, she didn't know what that meant but that was always her reply.

"There you go. Just... keep it like, rated G, would you?"

"Jeez, Amber," Michael said, "She has common sense."

"We'll be fine then."

"Gracie, what number do you call if there's an emergency?" Michael asked, double checking because he remembered his childhood.

"One, two, three, four!" Gracie held her crayons up ceremoniously and the brunette sitting next to her started to laugh.

"Say bye!" Grace exaggerated a wave until the little girl copied it and the couple finally left. Grace studied the drawing and hummed, "Have you played chess yet?"

"No," Gracie mumbled without interest, "Play tea party?"

"Tea party?" The former heiress raised her eyebrows, "You like tea? No, wait, you're two so caffeine would be a poor choice. Okay, we can have a tea party once Taylor arrives."