Once Upon A Rodeo

14: Gratitude

Gratitude

I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. I stood in anticipation, waiting for the door to open. My hands were sweating and my heart was thumping. I rocked on my heels with my hands in my pockets, trying to keep calm. I waited and waited but no one came to the door. I sighed, turned around, and started to walk back to my truck.

"Honey Bee?" Her soft voice carried out to me.

I froze and slowly turned around. She was standing in the doorway. She was wearing a pink below the knee length skirt and a white blouse. A small smile lit up her wrinkled face.

"Hi, Nana." I gave a small awkward wave.

She opened her arms up to me and in a few strides I was in her arms. I held her tight to me and breathed in her perfume.

"Come on, Annabelle, lets get inside. I don't want the neighbors to think I've gone soft. Especially lil' Tommy Lovell, that nuisance is terrified of me and if he sees me huggin' my granddaughter he'll think I'm a big sappy wuss." She wiped at her eyes and ushered me in.

"I just made some cookies, you want one or five?" She teased.

My nana my come off as stern, uncensored, and intimidating, but underneath her gritty exterior, she really is just a stereotypical sweet old lady. She likes to scare the little kids and demands respect from the adults, but to me she is a harmless and caring grandmother. But I guess that she's always had a sweet spot for me, given that she treats me differently than my uncle's children. Probably because I've never been much trouble, whereas Kylie Sue has always been a bit of a scandalmonger.

We sat down at the round table in her kitchen. "No thank you." My stomach was already in knots from all that has happened today, I didn't need to add cookies on top of it.

She stood up anyways and poured me a glass of sweet iced tea. "Well you gotta have somethin'. " She said as she placed the glass in front of me. She rubbed my shoulders, "what's the point of grandparents if they don't give you money or food, right?" She laughed at herself and sat back down next to me.

"Nana, I'm really sorry I haven't come to see you in so long."

She shrugged it off. "It's ok, baby. I knew you wouldn't stay mad at me for much longer. You were never one to hold a grudge. But I guess now it's my turn to apologize." She took my hand in hers. "I'm sincerely sorry 'bout tellin' you that you should get a boyfriend. You don't need a man."

I gave a small laugh. "It's alright. I do agree with you about not needin' a man, but you were right when you said that I need to get out more. I need to move on from what happened two years ago. I just didn't know how much I was still holdin' on until recently."

"You've met someone, haven't you?" Her lips quirked up into a small smile.

"Umm." I didn't know what to say. I knew she, like everyone else, thinks I'm dating Landon. If I told her about Travis then she'll think I'm cheating on him. I could tell her that he and I aren't actually together, but would that be right? I already spilled the beans to one person today. It doesn't seem okay to do it twice.

"I know you're not with Landon." She said. A mischievous glint in her eye. "You don't act like y'all are a couple. And I remembered you tellin' me not too long ago that he liked Brittany. Plus, I went up to threaten him- like a stern grandmother is supposed to do- and he reassured me that you were just bein' a good friend." My jaw dropped. My nana threatened my "boyfriend"!And he didn't say anything to me about it! "So who is it?" She pressed. "Is it the cowboy- Tanner or whatever?"

"Travis." I blushed and was suddenly very interested in my glass.

"It is!" She laughed. "And I knew his name, I just wanted you to correct me."