Going back or going home, p.4
Going Back or Going Home, page 4
“You know it!” Dylan says, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.
“Woo hoo!” Cam yells, immediately realizing what she’d done and quickly covers her mouth with her hand.
Andrea giggles. “I’ve never seen you so happy.”
Cam beams, realizing she is genuinely happy. Dylan interjects, “How can anyone not be happy as a pig in shit when they’re with me? I’m adorable. You’ll find this out about me, Andrea.”
He grins, revealing a set of beautiful white teeth. Andrea swallows hard. It’s not entirely cool to be drooling over your best friend’s brother, is it? She’s pretty sure the answer is no.
Dylan raises his eyebrows playfully at Andrea, making her wipe her brow with her forearm. Dammit, he’s flirting with her. And dammit, she likes it.
* * *
With their suitcases stowed safely in the bed of Dylan’s truck, Cam slips into the bench seat beside Dylan then Andrea slips in after her.
Dylan cranks the truck. “Let me get some heat on for you ladies,” he says, pressing some buttons and turning some knobs. The cab of the truck begins to warm up as he puts the truck in gear. Cam leads forward and turns up the radio. The cab fills with country music.
“Ugh,” Cam says, turning the knob to find another station. She stops when she lands on a station playing pop music.
“Oh, hell no!” Dylan snaps, pressing the first radio preset button, “You’re not gettin’ in my truck playin’ radio commando. I ain’t listenin’ to that shit!”
“Dude, come on,” she groans, “you know I hate your music.”
“Tough shit,” he says, turning the music up and singing loudly.
Crossing her arms over her chest, Cam sticks her lip out and pouts. Sometimes the pout allows her to get her way with her brother, but not this time.
She looks over at Andrea and shrugs, thinking Andrea is with her on this argument. But to her surprise, Andrea grins at her and starts singing along with Dylan and the radio.
Cam’s mouth falls open as she stares at her friend. “Since when do you like country music?” Cam snaps.
“I’m a closet fan of some country music. I happen to love this song,” Andrea replies with a grin.
Cam covers her face with her hands. “Y’all suck.”
* * *
About two hours later, they drive through the small downtown of Boone, North Carolina. It is just after dusk and the town is lit with Christmas lights. The bustle of people going to restaurants and congregating on the sidewalks reminds Andrea of her childhood back in Granville, Ohio.
She smiles a bit wistful as she stares out the window. This going to be great.
Dylan continues down the road out of the downtown area. After making a couple of turns, he turns down a road where large wooden sign saying “Mountain Vista Lodge” greets traffic.
Cam sits up straighter in her seat, a wave of nostalgia washing over her. Man, she’s emotional today. Part of it is because she’s tired but a lot of it is the fact she’s about to start her new life near her family with her best friend. Does it really get any better than that?
As Dylan drives down a long, curvy driveway, the lights of the lodge come into view. The warm glow in the windows brings a smile to Cam’s face.
“Welcome home, Sis. And welcome to your new home, Andrea,” Dylan says.
“Wow,” Andrea murmurs, “this is incredible.”
Bringing the truck to a stop, Dylan puts it in park as Andrea jumps out of the truck almost simultaneously.
Cam springs out behind Andrea.
Andrea is staring at the lodge, mouth agape, seemingly mesmerized.
“You, okay?” Cam asks her, while also staring up at the lodge.
Nodding, Andrea murmurs again, “This is just so beautiful.”
Smiling, Cam nods, “It is. I’d almost forgotten how beautiful.”
“Shit, I’d have never left here,” Andrea states.
“Ladies, I’ll take your things to your cabin,” Dylan says.
“Thanks, Dylan,” Cam replies.
“Yes, thank you,” Andrea adds, finally breaking her gaze on the lodge.
“My pleasure,” Dylan says, flashing her a grin, “meet y’all inside.”
Andrea giggles as Dylan walks off with their luggage. Feeling like a teenage idiot, she then covers her face with her hand.
“Um, you wanna tell me what that’s about?” Cam asks with a smirk, her eyebrows raised.
“Not really, no,” Andrea responds. “Can we go in? It’s cold.”
With excitement, Cam grabs Andrea’s hand, “Yeah, let’s go.”
As they enter, three women simultaneously squeal and rush toward them.
Cam rushes toward them and falls into the midst of a group hug.
Andrea smiles at the exchange until Cam turns and says, “This is my BFF, Andrea Haverty.”
The three women squeal again and rush over to Andrea, engulfing her in a group hug.
Andrea can’t help but giggle as she hugs these three women who seem like anything but strangers.
When the women release Andrea, she is still grinning from ear to ear.
Cam says, “Andrea, this is my Grammy Ninny, my mom, Regina, and my Auntie Clementine.”
“It’s such a pleasure to meet you all. I feel like I know you already,” Andrea gushes.
“Oh, sugar, we’re sa happy you’re here. We’ve been a-waitin’ to meet you, too,” Grammy Ninny says.
“We sure have,” Regina agrees.
“This lodge is just breathtaking,” Andrea says, for the first time looking around the rustic lobby.
“Why, thank you, hon. We jus’ call it home,” Ninny says.
“Just, wow,” Andrea says, taking in the quaint, comfy lobby, shaking her head.
“Y’all come on back to our house. We’ve got supper ready,” Ninny says.
7
Everyone follows Ninny down a hallway off the lobby of the lodge to the right. Just past the elevator, she exits through a plain wood door that matches all the other doors except this one is marked “Private.”
They walk down another short hall and through a door into a glass hallway that connects the main building to a smaller structure.
Through the next door, they enter a residence to the sound of frantic clicking sounds against the wood floor.
Andrea’s eyes go wide as she stops in her tracks and watches two dogs and a pig dressed in a burgundy velour outfit running toward them.
“What the hell?” Andrea exclaims, staring at the animals.
“Here come mama’s babies,” Ninny exclaims. “Come say hey to yore niece an’ her best friend.”
Cam drops to the floor on her knees. “Hey there, LuLu,” she says, snuggling the smallest dog, a brown and white Shih Tzu. The dog happily wags her tail as Cam strokes down the dog’s back.
The taller dog, a hound dog, nudges LuLu out of the way so he can get to Cam. “Yosef, hey buddy,” she snuggles the larger dog, scratching behind both ears.
The little pig waddles up to her. “And, Penelope, look at your lovely outfit! You’re such a beautiful girl!”
She scratches the pig’s back, eliciting cute little oinks.
Covering her mouth with her hand, Andrea apologizes, “I’m sorry I cursed. I’ve never seen a pet pig before.”
“Oh, sugar, don’ apologize to us. You’ll hear way worse than that around here,” Ninny says with a laugh. “Penelope likes to dress up, don’tcha, little girl?”
Penelope oinks in response. Ninny continues, gesturing to the dogs, “Now, these two…can’t get clothes near ‘em with a six-foot pole.”
“Grammy Ninny, what smells so good in here?” Cam asks, raising her eyebrows and grinning.
“Oh!” Grammy replies, clapping her hands. “Come on in the dinin’ room! I’ve got supper all ready for ya.”
Cam hugs her Grammy, “Thank you, Grammy Ninny. Andrea got her first taste of your cooking yesterday.”
“How so?” Grammy asks, not stopping her hasty movement toward the kitchen.
“We had your world-famous spaghetti sauce,” Cam says.
“Ohhhh, well you did have a lil taste of heaven!” Regina coos, obviously a fan of the sauce, too.
“Yes, ma’am,” Cam says.
“Y’all didn’t all hafta follow me in the kitchen, we’ve got everythin’ set up through here in the dinin’ room.”
Toward Cam, Ninny says, “Honey, go get your Papa Jack from his room back there. He’s a-watchin’ football. I swear, that NFL package is gonna be the death of me,” Ninny remarks. “Them games, constantly. Even if they’re forty years old. He sits there an’ watches.”
Without a word, Cam rushes out of the room.
“Andrea, hon, come on over here and take a seat at tha table,” Ninny says.
“Thank you,” Andrea says as she sits down in a chair at the huge dining room table.
Regina and Grammy Ninny rush back and forth between the dining room and the kitchen bringing dishes filled with all sorts of food. Chicken and dumplings, mashed potatoes, some kind of brown beans, hot biscuits and green peas.
“Oh, this looks absolutely incredible!” Andrea remarks, her eyes scanning the dishes of food set across the table. “Can’t I help you with something?”
“No, we’re jus’ fine right now,” Regina says with a wink. “We’ll let ya off tha hook for tonight.”
Andrea looks up at Regina and raises her eyebrows in question.
Regina chuckles, then explains, “We have plenty a’work ahead of us all this season.”
Smiling, Andrea responds, “I absolutely can’t wait. Thank you all for allowing me to tag along with Cam.”
“Sugar, you’re jus’ like family already,” Regina says, squeezing her shoulder.
Andrea nods, tears welling up in her eyes. “Thank you,” she squeaks out.
Eyes still wide, taking all the food in, Andrea jumps when someone plops down in the chair beside her.
She turns to see Dylan grinning at her. “What’s with the tears? Y’all made her cry already? That was fast!”
“Oh, shush, you!” Grammy Ninny says, setting down one last bowl and taking a seat across the table.
Cam returns followed by an older man. His right arm is in a sling attached around his body to immobilize it.
“Why didn’t y’all tell me about Papa Jack’s shoulder?” Cam asks with an edge to her voice as she plants her hands on her hips and glares around the room.
“Cammy, we wasn’t keepin’ it from ya. It jus’ never come up,” Grammy Ninny responds.
“He’s havin’ surgery! How can that not have come up?” Cam argues.
Papa Jack takes a seat at the head of the table next to Grammy Ninny. “Cammy, it ain’t no big deal,” he says in a syrupy drawl.
“It is, too!” Cam whines.
Placing her hand on Cam’s shoulder, Regina says, “Honey, we’ll talk all about it later. Right now, let’s enjoy some supper, okay? I know y’all are tired and need some rest.”
“Fine,” Cam mutters, taking the seat on the other side of Andrea. Regina takes a seat around the table also.
With a grin, Grammy Ninny says, “Now, we’re all together. Let’s say the blessin’.” She holds out her hands to the two people nearest to her.
Looking around, Andrea’s hands are grasped by Cam on one side and Dylan on the other. His hands are large and so warm. Cam’s are warm, too, for that matter but her mind is clearly focused on her left hand.
Papa Jack drawls out a lovely prayer of thanksgiving, ending with a resounding ‘Amen’ around the table.
Over the next forty-five minutes, Andrea consumes some of the best food she’s ever tasted in her entire life, enjoys watching this tight-knit family interact, and confirms she’s insanely attracted to Cam’s brother, Dylan. Quite a productive hour, she’d say.
Once everyone has finished their dessert of chocolate pie and coffee, Andrea feels as comfortable and sated as she ever remembers being.
She wraps her cardigan around herself and listens to everyone chat. Suddenly, she is jolted as she hears her name and feels a slight shake of her body. “Andrea, wake up,” Cam says.
Andrea stares up at Cam until Dylan speaks, “See, Grammy Ninny, I told ya, food coma.”
Andrea’s eyes dart over to look at Dylan who is also standing over her.
“Dylan, I’m gonna pop you one if you don’t shush,” Grammy Ninny says, appearing beside him.
“You okay?” Cam asks, obviously concerned.
“I’m so sorry,” Andrea mumbles, trying to get her wits back, “I just—”
“Help me get her up, Dylan,” Cam says.
Working together, Cam and Dylan pull Andrea to her feet. She stumbles into Dylan, who catches her. “Woah, sweetheart, you all right there?” he says.
Andrea holds to his arm. “Yeah, I’m fine. I’m sorry. I just got so comfortable and cozy and well, I guess I’m more exhausted than I realized.”
“I am, too,” Cam agrees, “this has been a whirlwind week and prior to that, a lot of long nights working with very little sleep.”
“Exactly,” Andrea agrees, looking from Cam to Dylan, who nods in understanding.
“I’m glad y’all walked out on those assholes,” he says.
“We all are,” Regina agrees.
“Dylan, how ‘bout you an’ me walk our girls to their new home and get ‘em settled?” Regina says.
“Good idea!” Grammy Ninny exclaims as she kisses Cam then Andrea on the forehead. “Goodnight, my dear girls. Get ya some good rest.”
“Thank you for the incredible meal, Mrs. George,” Andrea says.
“Call me Grammy or Ninny, hon. I won’t answer to no missus,” Ninny replies with a laugh.
Cam hugs her grandmother and grandfather. “Tell Auntie Clem goodnight for us?” Cam says, taking Andrea’s hand and leading her toward a door leading to the outside with Regina and Dylan following.
“Sure will, sugar,” Grammy Ninny says. “Night night. Sleep tight, girls.”
As they walk across the snow-covered ground, light snow falls. “Our place is right over there,” Cam says, pointing toward a cabin about twenty yards from her grandparents’ home.
The windows are aglow with warm lights, so lovely and so inviting.
“Everything here is just beautiful,” Andrea says. “I even love the snow.”
Laughing, Cam says, “Yeah, me, too.”
As they reach the cabin, they walk up the four wood steps onto the wraparound porch. Two rocking chairs sit to the left of the door.
Regina opens the door, releasing a waft of warmth from the inside. The sensation of hot and cold makes Andrea shiver.
As they enter the cabin, Andrea gasps and squeezes Cam’s arm as she takes in the quaint beauty of the rustic cabin. She can’t believe this is where she’ll be living.
Her heart leaps with appreciation for the first time in a very long time.
8
As Cam looks around the cabin, tears well in her eyes. She feels Andrea’s hand tighten around her arm, prompting her to squeeze Andrea’s hand.
She never thought she’d be so happy to be back in Boone or see her family, but she sure is. All the apprehension and doubt she felt earlier in the day has completely melted away and is replaced with extreme gratitude. She’s home.
The den they’re standing in is lit by an artificial fireplace and a Christmas tree strung with warm white lights. The tree has no decorations on it, but the soft glow from the tree and the fireplace bathes the entire room in soft light. A feeling of warmth seems to wash over her, leaving her completely at peace.
Wiping tears that escape over her lashes, she says, “Oh, y’all, it’s absolutely lovely.”
“Grammy wanted y’all to have a tree when you got here tonight. She knew you’d wanna decorate it yourself but she insisted it was already up when you got here,” Regina explains.
“Yeah, Evan dropped everything to make sure it was set up first. And he put the lights on for ya,” Dylan adds.
Cam gasps quietly as she turns to Dylan. “Evan? Evan who?”
“Evan Norwood. He’s our Mr. Fix-It at the lodge,” Dylan explains nonchalantly.
Cam’s mouth drops open. “Evan Norwood works here?”
Regina elbows Dylan in the ribs. He doubles over with an ‘oof.’
“You coulda waited until they had a night’s sleep first,” Regina says, glaring at Dylan.
“Well hell, Mom, nobody told me it was a secret,” Dylan replies, rubbing his ribs. “Cam, I’m sorry.”
“Evan? Who’s Evan?” Andrea asks Cam, eyebrows raised.
Cam shakes her head, her mouth fixed in a straight line.
Andrea repeats, “Who is Evan?” this time turning to Dylan and Regina.
Sighing, Regina replies, “Evan and Camille dated when they was in college.”
Popping Cam’s arm with the back of her hand, Andrea says, “You never told me about this Evan.”
“Why would I? It was over before I moved to Chicago,” Cam replies, her mind still reeling with this news.
“Okay, look, Camille. You don’t have to worry about Evan right now. Get some rest tonight and we can talk about this tomorrow. Okay?” Regina states, being the voice of reason.
Sighing loud, Cam nods her head. “I’m sorry. I just wasn’t prepared for that.”
Hugging her daughter, Regina says, “I understand, hon. Get some sleep, now. Y’all are both ‘bout to fall out.”
“Yeah, we are, Mama,” Cam agree as Regina kisses her forehead.
“Come here, Andrea, gimme a hug,” Regina says with a grin.
Andrea hugs Regina tight. “Thank you for everything,” Andrea says, then turns to hug Dylan, “both of you.”
Dylan hugs her tight. “You’re welcome,” he says in her ear, his warm breath making her shiver.
Andrea is beaming as Dylan releases her from their hug. Cam is smiling when Dylan picks her up in a bear hug. “I’m so glad you’re home, Cammy. I really have missed ya.”
“I missed you, too,” Cam replies, kissing her brother’s cheek, “now get outta our house.”
