The Truth About That Summer

seven

"Grams!" I shout before the door is fully open. Shifting the grocery bags I'd picked up from the only other store in town on my arm, I drop my keys in the bowl by the coatrack. "Guess what?"

I slip off my shoes and tread barefoot through the plush carpet, feet sore from another day of walking.

Grams laughs loudly in the kitchen but makes no reply. Curious, I make my way to the sound and continue with my good news anyways.

"I'm employed!" I cheer just as I turn the corner and the dining table comes into view. My good mood immediately deflates as I realize the source of Grams good mood. "Luke, what're you doing here?"

I cross my arms over my chest stubbornly but he just barely glances up at me anyways. Dropping the grocery bags onto the counter, I let out a deep sigh seeing the empty bags from Henson's.

Great, Luke beat me to it.

"Hey, Dyl." Luke stretches his arms over his head, his shirt lifting just barely above the waistband of his pants, revealing a tan strip of muscled abdomen. I avert my eyes before the sight can do anything to my hormones. "I was just having lunch with June."

He stands and begins to clear the table of their plates and dirty napkins, leaving a bowl of chips for Grams to munch on.

My brows furrow and my lower lip juts out in a childish frown. I don't know when Grams and Luke became so close but I hadn't expected to be a third wheel all summer, either.

"That's very nice of you." I grit my teeth together, thinking of our conversation at town hall. He is helping Grams, which does make it pretty hard to complain. But still.

"Thanks, hon." Grams pats his forearm, his pushed up sleeve revealing a smattering of dark tattoos. I try not to let my eyes linger, curiosity gnawing at me - when did Luke get tattoos? "So a congratulations is in order?" Grams narrows her eyes at me and I can practically hear her telling me to use my manners.

Glaring pointedly at Luke, I take a seat at the kitchen table and nod my head, purposefully vague. "I got a job today."

"Details, darling." Grams pushes glasses up her nose, giving me a patient but persistent smile.

Luke seems to slow down his movements a little, turning down the pressure at the sink while he's washing their dishes. I try not to read too much into it, but it seems he's curious, too.

"At the daycare center," I explain, popping a salty potato chip on my tongue. "I'll be an assistant in the toddler room."

A chuckle from the sink makes me swivel my head in Luke's direction. "What is so funny?"

"Nothing." He answers quickly, wiping his hands on the thighs of his light wash jeans. When they're no longer dripping, he offers a small shrug. "Erica over at the center is great. Should be a good summer."

Narrowing my eyes at him and wondering why he thinks I care about his approval, I turn back to Grams.

"It'll be good for us, too. The schedule isn't too crazy, I'll get you settled before I leave in the morning, check in on you during my lunch, and then be home in plenty of time for dinner." I explain the already incredibly coordinated plans I have in mind. I'd even timed my walk back and made sure it would fit in my work break.

"I can give you a ride, if you don't want to walk." Luke offers, returning to the table to grab his baseball cap.

"You're still here?"

"Dylan Grace!" Grams snaps as I knew she would. I stubbornly place another chip in my mouth, chewing slowly and deliberately.

Pushing hair off his forehead, Luke secures it back with his ball cap, a smirk growing on his lips at my grandmothers scolding. I roll my eyes at him, resisting the urge to stick my tongue out and he tosses his keys in his hand, raising a brow at me.

"Just let me know about the ride," He pats Grams shoulder as he passes through to the front hall.

"Won't have to!" I shout after him as the front door is pulled closed. Rolling my eyes to the ceiling, I run through the check list of things still left to accomplish. "So your appointments and med list - are you sleepy or can we go over that now?"

Grams purses her lips at me, eyes stern behind her thick glasses. She drops her gaze to my feet. "Nice blisters." I flinch, knowing she's thinking about Luke's offer. When I don't speak, she concedes. "Now is fine."

"Great," I grab the med list from the bulletin board she keeps on the side of the fridge, running through her daily schedule.

"They're the same ones I've been taking." She mutters, flicking through her newspaper distractedly.

I nod. "I know." But apparently her fall was due to her accidentally missing a few doses of her vertigo medicine. Luckily, she only got a concussion... this time. Eyeing the staircase, I start to wonder if it's worth moving her room downstairs. Grams won't admit she needs help and although it's just normal forgetfulness for her age, she needs someone to help her remember.

"And your appointments - I think I've got them onto my phone calendar, but I wanted to confirm a couple of dates." I pull up the app on my phone but Grams delicate hand rests on my rapid fingers.

"Dylan. I don't need all this."

I bite my lip to hold in another sigh. Now I know how people feel dealing with me.

"I just want to help my favorite lady," I rub the soft wrinkles on the back of her hand with my thumb.

She softens at my words. "Fine. On two conditions."

Leaning back in my chair, I cross my arms over my chest and narrow my eyes. "Go on,"

"One. Be nicer to Luke." I open my mouth to argue but she stops me by raising a crooked finger. "Polite at the very least, Dylan. We raised you better." Her stern eye makes me hold my tongue. "And two, you can drive yourself crazy checking in on me a hundred times a day, so long as you have at least one social outing a week."

Eyeing me down seriously, Grams waits for me to argue.

Perhaps feeding into her hands, I shake my head. "Not happening Grams. I don't want friends."

"But you need them. You used to be so social, you were always on the move, the two of you." Her smile is far away, like her mind is lost in a memory, and my chest tightens painfully.

"Things are different now."

Grams shrugs. "These are my conditions. Take 'em, or I call your parents and say I got a home nurse, you can spend the summer at home."

My mouth pops open and shut, gaping like a fish out of water. "You wouldn't."

With a chuckle Grams goes back to her newspaper, knowing she has me exactly where she wants me. "Trust me my girl, I would."

Pushing up from the table, I collect Grams paperwork and tuck it neatly into the folder I'd just bought.

The promise already filling me with doom, I give in with a regretful sigh. "Fine."

Grams smiles at her victory, but I feel my frown forming a deep wrinkle between my brows. One social outing a week, on top of being nice to Luke? I'm in for a long summer.

Still, I think to myself, climbing the stairs to my room, No where near as bad as spending an entire three months drowning in Mom and Dad's disappointment.