Ten, p.14
Ten, page 14
“And you are?”
“Mom, this is Mr. Geoffrey Lambley,” Georgia said, while he took off his hat and sunglasses. “He’s my boss.”
“You brought your boss to Thanksgiving?”
“Well he’s from England and has no family in town, so I thought it would be nice to show him, you know, our customs—”
“Well, I won’t presume that I’m welcome,” he said sheepishly, “but it is an honor to be inside your lovely home, Mrs. Borden.”
Georgia’s mom blinked a few times. “My, how charming. Of course, you’re invited,” she said.
“And handsome too,” Aunt Kate gushed as she fluttered her eyelashes. “You should sit by me, Mr. Lambley.”
“Please, call me Geoffrey,” Mr. Lambley said.
“My, I can see why you moved in with him,” Mrs. Sutherland sighed.
Georgia peered around her mom to see the same puffy, pasty face and distinct lack of chin that she had seen almost every day for the past two years. He did stand up straight and tall, with a striking red mane and a warm smile, but he was far quirkier and unusual than classically handsome.
“It’s nothing like that, Mom,” Georgia sighed. “In fact, one of the reasons I wanted to come to Thanksgiving was so you could meet my. . . meet my. . . boyfriend. Mom, this is Ren, um, Ren—”
“Ren Ivanov Lyashev,” he offered.
“That’s quite a name,” Georgia’s mom said as she sized up his yellowish skin and jet-black hair. “Certainly not what I was expecting.”
“Maggie, the timer went off on the bird!” a merciful voice called from the kitchen.
“Well, I’m sure your father will want a word—”
“Can we at least get settled in and get a drink before I get a lecture from Ted?” Georgia asked. “Is that too much to ask?”
Maggie shook her head. “No, I mean your father will want a word, Georgie. I managed to get him here for Thanksgiving too.”
She yanked off her coat and took the pie from Ren. Aunt Kate took the parcel and returned with two glasses of something white and oaky smelling. Ren dared to stand closer to Georgia, while Mr.
Lambley slipped among the remaining family members and all but disappeared.
“It seems that Mr. Lambley’s miasma is working again,” Ren whispered.
Georgia, however, had already turned her attention to a tall, dark-haired gentleman in a blazer and T-shirt. His perfectly groomed stubble and slicked back hair showed off that magical mix of salt and pepper that made a man seem utterly distinguished. He smiled sheepishly as he noticed Georgia’s gaze.
“Wow, there’s a Chinese guy,” a younger sounding voice called from the living room.
“Come on, we have lunch to get going, and you have people to meet,” Georgia’s mom ordered. “Then I want to find out everything you two have been up to.”
“So, who is Ted?” Ren asked.
“Stepdad. He’s going to be obsessed with your earning potential since he’s in sales.”
“So, your mom brought her ex to Thanksgiving?” Ren asked as the well-groomed gentleman started wandering over.
“No, that’s her brother and my dad,” Georgia said flatly.
Ren actually took a slight step back. “Excuse me—”
“Ah, Georgia must have explained what a tangled little mess our family is,” the gentleman said. He opened his arms wide and drew Georgia in for a long, rocking hug. Once he finally let her go, he stuck out his hand towards the still stunned looking Ren. “Shane Sutherland, pleased to meet you.”
“Ren,” he replied as he shook the outstretched hand.
“Well, it’s a real pleasure to meet you. Holy Hannah, are those contacts? Because if they are, they must have cost you a small fortune,” Shane said as he stared at Ren.
“My dad is a professional makeup artist. He’s even gotten to do some Hollywood films,” Georgia said proudly.
“Mostly, I do the local news and make a killing around wedding season,” Shane confessed. “I taught this young lady how to put on lipstick. Not that she usually wears it, am I right?”
“Well, I have no complaints,” Ren said diplomatically.
Shane squeezed his daughter again. “I am glad to see you, kiddo, even if it’s awkward.”
“Me too. I brought pie,” she said weakly.
“Sweet potato?”
“You bet.”
“Georgie is a pretty damn good cook, I must say. You’re a lucky man, unless you crave steak. You’re still a vegan, right, luv?”
“Vegetarian,” she corrected. “Come on, let’s park by the wine, and maybe if we are lucky you’ll get a chance to meet my other guest.”
“Oh, you brought someone else, hon?” Shane asked.
“Yeah, I brought my boss,” Georgia said sweetly. “There he is over there. Dad, that’s Geoffrey Lambley—”
Shane staggered, and his jaw dropped. Ren immediately wrapped his arm protectively around Georgia and eyed her father suspiciously. “Mr. Sutherland, you really shouldn’t stare like that,”
Ren said, his voice dangerously low.
“Georgia, um, sorry, I thought he was someone else. Come on, let’s go perch by the wine, and catch up.”
“So you bit someone and turned into a werewolf?” Steve asked.
“Isn’t it supposed to be the other way around?”
“Yup, I totally bit that asshole that attacked me.”
“That’s my girl,” the vampire said proudly. He stared at the big, institutional-looking building outside the truck window. “And that’s when you got the tail? Like, did it just start growing?”
She rolled her eyes. “It grew along my spine and then my back split open and it sort of flopped out. Think of it like the world’s biggest and most disgusting ingrown hair.”
“Eww,” he said as he popped out into the afternoon sun.
Paige watched in awe as he hopped nonchalantly into the light.
He raised a brow right back at her and tipped his fedora.
“Aren’t you supposed to flinch, or be in pain, or something?” she asked.
“Pipsqueak, I once went sunbathing on the Côte d'Azur. As long as I’m well fed and take care of myself, this is no worse for me than for your average white boy. Um, it’s a full moon tonight. Should I be worried?”
“Should I get crosses and holy water in case you’re feeling frisky, Great-Grandpa?”
“So, the full moon thing is bologna too? That’s almost disappointing. Still there is one thing I really want to know—”
“One thing?” she sighed as she led him towards the Sunset Meadows nursing home.
“Can you turn all the way into a wolf, or do you go all Underworld and stand on two legs?” he asked softly as they stepped into the mauve and putty colored lobby.
Paige ignored him and pranced up to the desk. She set her shopping bag on the counter and flashed a winning smile to the guard. The older, balding gentleman took one look at the name on the bag and burst into a huge smile.
“Why I wasn’t expecting you, Miss Carmichael,” he said.
Paige flipped out her ID. “It’s DeMarco now, Ray. Mom said she’d be by later with proper food, but I did bring cannoli because as mama says—”
“You can always have cannoli on a holiday. Happy Thanksgiving, Paige! Who is that?”
“Um, this is my… cousin, Steve,” she said.
“Cousin?” Ray asked.
“Um, Mom never talks about that side of the family. So, you getting off in time for dinner, Ray?” She kept making small talk, while Steve pulled out a surprisingly good fake ID. Paige eyed the dead ringer in the photo, and then stared at his jawline, nose, and big brown eyes.
Once they were signed in and on their way, Steve leaned in and muttered. “Photoshop is nothing short of miraculous. My servant could make Nancy Reagan look like me if you gave him enough time.”
“But how can you Photoshop a man who can’t be in pictures?”
she hissed.
“You weren’t wrong about having some distant illegitimate cousins. My dad was a traveling salesman after all. Oh, I bet she was a looker,” he said as he winked at a particularly sassy octogenarian strutting down the hall in her walker.
“Really?” Paige sighed.
“I’ll be a hundred in a few years, you know.”
Paige led him up a flight of stairs. He slowed down dramatically as he saw the door at the end of the hall. He gulped as his superhuman eyesight picked up the name on the door. His feet went leaden and he stopped dead in his tracks.
Paige took his hand. “You said you wanted to do this,” she reassured him.
“Look, I’ve just had to kiss a doctor with halitosis to cover up the fact that my great-granddaughter is a werewolf. Maybe this isn’t the best time—”
“Well, there isn’t going to be too much more time, Great Grandpa Steve,” Paige said flatly.
“There’s always time,” the vampire said.
“Not for him.”
“Pipsqueak—”
“He’s here for hospice,” she said softly. “Usually it’s just mom with the balls to come up here, but she let me know that he wasn’t looking too good last time. Come on, you’re here, and it’s Thanksgiving.”
He shook his head. “No, I can’t think of what to say. Look, I have made sure that every medical bill—”
“Which means that you care, so why don’t you just speak to him?”
“What the hell am I supposed to even say? Gee, sorry I missed your whole life, but I thought I’d stop by before you croak—”
“Then just stay out here and regret it for eternity. I’m pretty sure that vampires have a whole different scale for guilt,” she said as she left him gobsmacked in the hall. Just as she made it to the door, she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“You. . . are definitely related to me, Pipsqueak,” Steve sighed.
He did his best to hide behind the woman over a foot shorter than he was as they slipped in the room.
“Maria?” a raspy voice said from the bed.
“No, Pops, it’s Paige. I thought I’d bring you some Thanksgiving treats and say hi,” she said sweetly.
“Paige, how lovely,” he said softly. She dragged a chair next to his bed. His pale face blended with the pillow, but a few of his remaining curls remained defiantly dark. Despite the tubes in his nose and the dark circles around his eyes, he smiled and showed off his yellowed teeth. “Is someone else here? Paige, did you finally find yourself a fella?”
Both Steve and Paige snorted at the thought. She took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Well, I do have a fella, but he’s helping Mama set up for the big feast,” Paige said softly. “This is, um
—”
“Steve,” he said.
The old man’s eyes lit up. “Well that’s my name too!”
He squinted at the stranger with the dreadfully familiar face. He even pushed the button to raise his head so he could get a better
look. After rubbing his eyes a few times, he let out a long, low, whistle. “You look just like—”
“You remember a trip to Atlantic City? You know, the one with the waitress with legs for miles?” vampire Steve asked.
“Oh my,” Grandpa Steve, said. “The State-of-the-Art Appliance Show of seventy-two?”
“Her name was—”
“Gina,” Steve the vampire finished. Paige stared over in horror.
The vampire rubbed his hair sheepishly and shrugged. “I bet you don’t remember all of that night, but I heard it was one hell of a good time.”
“That means. . . I mean you’re… we’re—”
Steve walked over and dared to put his hand protectively around both their hands. “Let’s just say we’re related.”
“Wow,” Paige’s grandpa choked out. “I always figured my lawyer would have let me know—”
“My grandma and mom never wanted any trouble. Grandma just got engaged to her local mechanic boyfriend and had an awesome life. I just wanted to see you since I heard from Paige—”
“How did you even find me?” Grandpa Steve asked.
Paige piped in with, “It’s my fault. I was helping Mom go through your stuff—”
“And she found the one postcard from Atlantic City when Grandma said she needed to talk—” Steve added.
“I thought I threw that out,” Grandpa said. “Look, I’m so sorry—”
Steve smiled just shy of showing off his fangs. “Oh, trust me, you have nothing to be sorry for. . . . I really just wanted you to know that you have family out there that you didn’t know was even alive, but that they never held it against you—” He trailed off abruptly. “I mean, I just wanted you to know that—”
“You’re just as awful at this touchy-feely crap as I am,” the old man snorted.
“It runs in the family,” both Paige and Steve said at once. They all broke out into laughter until the old Steve began to cough. He motioned to a little bowl of yellow candies on his bedside table.
“Go on, have some lemon drops,” old Steve said. “I’m not supposed to have them, but I like the smell. Oh, and I sneak them when Nurse Ratchet isn’t on duty. Come on, Paige, keep me from being tempted.”
Paige took a few out of the dish and handed one to the vampire.
Steve stared at it thoughtfully. “These were always my favorite too,”
he whispered.
“Well, have a bunch!” old Steve ordered. “She may not look like it, but that little runt there could eat a whole bag.”
“Runt, I love it!” Steve said. “Don’t you think she’s more of a Pipsqueak?”
“So, how’s the football?” Paige asked as she pointed to the TV.
“You a Giants fan?” Steve asked.
“Oh, hell no,” Old Steve snorted. “I became a Cowboys fan after meeting their lovely cheerleaders—”
“Grandpa!”
“You have not been raised right,” Steve sighed. “The Cowboys?
Really? Please say you aren’t a Red Sox fan. That would break my heart—”
“My mother would have disowned me,” Old Steve snorted. “My dad was a big-time Yankees fan. He proposed to my mom after the Yankees beat the Cardinals in the forty-three World Series—”
“Wow, that’s the story she told?” the vampire muttered. Paige stomped on his foot.
“Well I’m glad you’ve got the baseball team right,” Steve said as he stomped the foot of his great-granddaughter right back. “I’ve got season tickets you know—”
Paige eased out of the seat and let Steve take his place to babble about sports. She watched the two of them go on and on as she let the tart yellow candy melt in her mouth. For a while, the lines faded, and a bit of color returned to both men’s faces. She wiped a tear out of the corner of her eye as her phone vibrated in her pocket.
“My mom is gonna be here in about thirty minutes. I hate to break this up, but I have to take over turkey duty and don’t you have to get going too, Steve—?”
“Oh, but you guys just got here! I want to hear all about what you’ve been up to. Junior here has to tell me his whole story, and you have to tell me everything you’ve been up to, Paige.”
“I never thought about being Steve junior,” the vampire said with a little laugh.
“Well, technically, I’m Steve junior,” Paige’s grandfather noted.
“Makes me feel young to say that.”
“Well, you are pretty young,” the vampire noted.
Grandpa Steve, smiled. “That’s the funny thing about living hard when you’re young. It catches up to you. You might not realize it now, but there will come a day where you start to regret some of the choices you made when you were young and dumb.”
“You’d be surprised,” Steve said with a little catch in his throat.
“Look at me,” Grandpa Steve, wheezed. “I smoked a pack a day for forty years, and it was my wife who died of lung cancer. I only got it when I finally quit. Irony, eh?”
“Oh, this room is full of irony,” Paige muttered.
“I mean, I can stay in town for a bit, if I don’t upset you too much to visit again—” Steve started.
“Aren’t you the one who’s supposed to hate me? I’m the deadbeat that abandoned your grandma, right?”
“Grandpa—” Paige started as she flashed dagger eyes back at the vampire.
“Trust me, I could never, ever hate you,” Steve said. “I didn’t get a chance to know you back then, but there is still time.”
Grandpa broke into a big smile. “Yeah, there is still time,” he said before coughing. “You know, my dad died before I was born, so I know a thing or two about missing family.”
“You must hate him,” Steve sighed.
“Oh, you can’t hate someone you never knew, but I’m glad I got to meet you. I’m glad it wasn’t too late for us,” the old man said.
Vampire Steve looked away. “I’ll come back and tell you some of my stories,” he said softly.
“Oh, I’ll have to tell you some of mine!” Grandpa Steve, countered. “Also, they give you awesome morphine in this place.”
“Grandpa!”
Grandpa gave a sly wink worthy of his vampire father. “Is your mother bringing me something better than this hospital food?” he asked.
“Yeah, Pops,” she said before leaning in to give him a kiss on the cheek. “I promise that we’ll be back to visit soon, but you know, I don’t want to upset Mom on the holiday, so if you could leave the newly discovered member of our family out—”
“Oh, you are a wise little lady. I don’t think my ears could take that today,” Grandpa Steve, said. “But you’re both coming back, right?”
“Yeah,” both Steve and Paige said.
“Love you, Grandpa,” she said with one last squeeze. The old man motioned to the younger looking one beside him. Steve gave him an awkward half hug.
“Good to meet you, boy,” Grandpa Steve, said. “We’ll talk.”
“Yeah, good to meet you,” Steve said. The moment he was at the door, he finished with the word, “Son,” under his breath.
“Your aunt has been talking to Mr. Lambley for almost two-hours straight,” Ren muttered as he leaned next to Georgia. The pair sat at Mrs. Borden’s breakfast bar, nibbling at pie, while most of the family crowded around the TV and yelled at the screen. Aunt Kate and the vampire, however, remained cozy and tucked away at the now emptied dining room table, babbling about British TV shows on the local public television.
