and Adam signed in unison.
“ Jenn .” Hannah shifted in her seat. “ Her dad said two more could come. Please? ”
“ Who’s the other person? ” Grace noticed Hannah’s excited expression.
“ Daniel. ” Hannah’s fingerspelling took on light year speed.
Fatherly lines formed between Adam’s eyebrows. “ Who’s Daniel? ”
“ Jennifer’s dad wants to take you, Jennifer AND Daniel? ” Grace pursed her lips.
“ Who’s Daniel? ” Adam repeated.
“ I’ll explain later. ” Grace bit her lip. A fast-moving conveyor belt was about to dump her into the throws of teenage puberty.
“ Yes? ” Hannah balanced on the edge of her seat.
Grace shot her daughter a weak smile. “ Let me and your dad talk, okay? ”
Obviously not the answer she wanted, Hannah grimaced and nodded.
Adam tapped the table. “ I have a surprise .” He leaned forward, eyes dancing.
“ What? ” Hannah signed. Grace wondered the same thing.
“ I telephoned Mr. Weiger this morning .” Adam rubbed his hands together. “ We get the beach house, third week of July. How’s that? ” Port Aransas, their favorite vacation spot.
Mother and daughter stared, wide-eyed. Hannah excited, Grace bewildered.
“ I love the beach! ” Hannah jumped up and assaulted her dad with a bear hug. “ I’m telling Jenn ,” she signed and bolted out of the room.
Grace stared at Adam. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“I have to go back to Chicago in August.” A haunted look shadowed his face, his fingers shredding his napkin.
“Again?” Grace’s jaw clenched.
“Sorry. Can’t be helped.” Adam’s voice lowered to a near whisper. “That’s why I called Mr. Weiger.”
Grace studied the paper napkin scrap-pile. Her insecurities regrouped. He’s bribing me with a vacation. What the hell is going on? For the first time in weeks she seriously longed for her closet. Or bed…or a pill.
“How long this time?” A pout formed at her mouth.
“Same as before. Three-four days.” Pushing the napkin pieces aside, Adam rested his elbows on the table, his fingers forming a tee-pee. “But hey, we don’t have to think about that now. You and Hannah have three more days of camp and then we head to Branson. Josh’ll love the beach, don’t you think?”
She cringed at the irritating don’t you think? phrase her mother had used to make a point. She crossed her arms. “I guess.”
They sat in awkward silence before Adam spoke.
“Grace?”
“Hmm?” Her mind vacillated between rising apprehension and self-pity.
“I’m proud of you. I mean it,” Adam reached and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a moment of tenderness. “You’re doing something really worthwhile; something that’s getting you back on track.”
“I’ll never get back to that place,” Grace whispered, fighting back tears welling behind her eyes. She missed her mom. She feared for Cherry and felt a growing disturbance between herself and Adam. The poisonous cocktail combination mingled with her own splash of insecurity burned her throat on its way down to her belly.
“Maybe to a better place, then.” Adam stood and stacked the plates.
“Whatever,” Grace mumbled. “Mind if I take a bath?” Feeling particularly immature, Grace had the urge to leave Adam with the messy kitchen.
~~~
“Get to a better place,” Grace sniveled, pouring bath salts into the filling tub.
“What the hell’s wrong with that?” #2 asked in one of her many annoying tones.
“It’s like he thinks something’s wrong with where I am.”
“Yeah…that’s because it sucks.”
Grace felt perfectly content sulking alone. “Why are you here anyway? You haven’t bothered me in weeks.”
“You haven’t been letting that whiney pansy-ass run the show.” #2 didn’t pull punches. How like her. “When are you going to get rid of that cry-baby? She makes me gag.”
“Oh, and what do you suggest I do with her?” Lame comebacks on rapid fire now.
“For
“ Jenn .” Hannah shifted in her seat. “ Her dad said two more could come. Please? ”
“ Who’s the other person? ” Grace noticed Hannah’s excited expression.
“ Daniel. ” Hannah’s fingerspelling took on light year speed.
Fatherly lines formed between Adam’s eyebrows. “ Who’s Daniel? ”
“ Jennifer’s dad wants to take you, Jennifer AND Daniel? ” Grace pursed her lips.
“ Who’s Daniel? ” Adam repeated.
“ I’ll explain later. ” Grace bit her lip. A fast-moving conveyor belt was about to dump her into the throws of teenage puberty.
“ Yes? ” Hannah balanced on the edge of her seat.
Grace shot her daughter a weak smile. “ Let me and your dad talk, okay? ”
Obviously not the answer she wanted, Hannah grimaced and nodded.
Adam tapped the table. “ I have a surprise .” He leaned forward, eyes dancing.
“ What? ” Hannah signed. Grace wondered the same thing.
“ I telephoned Mr. Weiger this morning .” Adam rubbed his hands together. “ We get the beach house, third week of July. How’s that? ” Port Aransas, their favorite vacation spot.
Mother and daughter stared, wide-eyed. Hannah excited, Grace bewildered.
“ I love the beach! ” Hannah jumped up and assaulted her dad with a bear hug. “ I’m telling Jenn ,” she signed and bolted out of the room.
Grace stared at Adam. “Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“I have to go back to Chicago in August.” A haunted look shadowed his face, his fingers shredding his napkin.
“Again?” Grace’s jaw clenched.
“Sorry. Can’t be helped.” Adam’s voice lowered to a near whisper. “That’s why I called Mr. Weiger.”
Grace studied the paper napkin scrap-pile. Her insecurities regrouped. He’s bribing me with a vacation. What the hell is going on? For the first time in weeks she seriously longed for her closet. Or bed…or a pill.
“How long this time?” A pout formed at her mouth.
“Same as before. Three-four days.” Pushing the napkin pieces aside, Adam rested his elbows on the table, his fingers forming a tee-pee. “But hey, we don’t have to think about that now. You and Hannah have three more days of camp and then we head to Branson. Josh’ll love the beach, don’t you think?”
She cringed at the irritating don’t you think? phrase her mother had used to make a point. She crossed her arms. “I guess.”
They sat in awkward silence before Adam spoke.
“Grace?”
“Hmm?” Her mind vacillated between rising apprehension and self-pity.
“I’m proud of you. I mean it,” Adam reached and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear in a moment of tenderness. “You’re doing something really worthwhile; something that’s getting you back on track.”
“I’ll never get back to that place,” Grace whispered, fighting back tears welling behind her eyes. She missed her mom. She feared for Cherry and felt a growing disturbance between herself and Adam. The poisonous cocktail combination mingled with her own splash of insecurity burned her throat on its way down to her belly.
“Maybe to a better place, then.” Adam stood and stacked the plates.
“Whatever,” Grace mumbled. “Mind if I take a bath?” Feeling particularly immature, Grace had the urge to leave Adam with the messy kitchen.
~~~
“Get to a better place,” Grace sniveled, pouring bath salts into the filling tub.
“What the hell’s wrong with that?” #2 asked in one of her many annoying tones.
“It’s like he thinks something’s wrong with where I am.”
“Yeah…that’s because it sucks.”
Grace felt perfectly content sulking alone. “Why are you here anyway? You haven’t bothered me in weeks.”
“You haven’t been letting that whiney pansy-ass run the show.” #2 didn’t pull punches. How like her. “When are you going to get rid of that cry-baby? She makes me gag.”
“Oh, and what do you suggest I do with her?” Lame comebacks on rapid fire now.
“For
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