I come down the stairs and my mom stops in the kitchen and openly gawks at me, probably because I'm wearing a suit. "You look nice. You going somewhere?
"Yep, got a date," I tell her and kiss her cheek. "I'll be back before curfew. Nite, Mom."
"Finn?! Date?! With who?!" My mom is yelling at me but I'm already sprinting out the door and wave to her before I get in the car.
I'm enjoying shaking everyone up a bit. It's ... fun. I stop at the grocery store to buy some carnations I get a bunch in three different colors as I'm not entirely sure what's Gran's favorite and have the woman in the florist section wrap them up for me.
"Sure you don't want roses?" the woman asked and I just smile and shake my head no. She hands them to me. I half thought to bring a dessert but knowing Gran I'm pretty sure she'll have it covered.
I pull up outside the house and park, glancing briefly at my watch. "Right on time," I say to no one as I ring the doorbell. I quickly hide the flowers behind my back and Gran opens the door.
"Hello, Gran," I say.
She smiles at me and steps aside. "Come on in, Loveface. Dinner is almost ready."
As I step in, I pull the flowers from behind my back. "These are for you."
Gran gasps. "Carnations! Oh, Finn, they are my FAVORITE!"
"I cheated," I confessed, "Brynn told me."
"She didn't tell you to get them for me though did she?"
I grin. "No, I wanted to do that on my own."
Gran takes the flowers and pulls a vase out of her china cabinet. Within the minutes the flowers are added to the table for two all set for dinner.
"Do you need help with anything?" I ask as she makes her way back into the kitchen.
"No sweetheart, just have a seat. I'll bring everything out."
"Okay," I say and look around momentarily expecting Brynn to pop up from somewhere but she's really gone and I frown.
"I miss her, too," Gran says placing two plates of food on the table.
"I'm that obvious?"
"Yes," Gran said offering me the salt but I shake my head no.
"This looks delicious," I say wanting to change the subject to something that doesn't make us both sad.
"What happened that night, Finn?"
"What night?"
"When I ordered the pizza?"
"Oh," I say looking away feeling suddenly nervous. "Nothing much."
Gran's eyes narrow on me like I've seen my mom do hundreds of time. It 's an expression that clearly states I'm not fooling anyone.
I sigh and shove some of the creamiest mashed potatoes I've ever tasted into my mouth.
She just patiently waits for me to answer.
"Okay, I screwed up."
"How?" she asks starting to eat her own meal.
This is not what I had in mind for dinner talk but I figure it's best just to be straight up about it.
"I got mad. She keeps pulling away from me. She's broken up with me several times already. Now we're just friends."
"Friends?" Gran's one eyebrow lifts in obvious disbelief. "You told you loved her didn't you?"
I hung my head as I pushed my peas around my plate. I really hate peas but eat a forkful anyway. "Yes."
"She does love you, Finn."
I give a noncommittal shrug. "I'd like to think so. I know she's confused or no that's not the right word..."
"Stressed?" Gran offers.
"Yeah. I didn't mean to make things more complicated for her."
"Oh Finn," Gran says reaching out for my hand, "You've never done that."
"That's all I've done Gran. Since the moment Brynn entered my life. We move in different circles in school and she's taken a lot of flack for dating me, including her getting hurt on the stairs."
Gran leans back and crosses her arms. "How can you hold yourself responsible for someone else's actions. She's always been a target because she chooses to stand out rather than fit in."
"Yet she's made herself translucent," I say with a heavy sigh.
"She wasn't always like that. There was a time where she had so much joy in her heart. I lost that part of her after her mother died and her father gave up custody of her. I think she's convinced herself she isn't worthy of love."
"Or that loving hurts too much so it's better avoided altogether," I add thinking of the many conversations I've had with Brynn.
"Cute and smart," Gran says with a chuckle.
I grin back at her. "Book smarts," I say quoting her granddaughter.
"People smarts," Gran corrects me. "You genuinely care about people, Finn. If you didn't you certainly wouldn't be spending your Saturday night having dinner with an old woman."
"I was worried about you," I confess. "Thanks for having me over."
"I knew it would make Brynn feel better. I am capable of taking care of myself. I do however wish to ask a favor of you."
"Sure." She had my curiosity peaked as I couldn't imagine what she would ask. Cut her lawn? Get her groceries? Take her shopping? Many or any of the things I knew Brynn would do with or for her?
"Don't give up on her? If you truly do love her, please, she needs you," Gran says and I see her eyes fill up with tears. I reach out to grab her hand.
"I have no intention of giving up her, Gran. I can't. I love her."
Gran smiled and tried to pull herself together. "When you were dating, Brynn. I felt I'd gotten my granddaughter back. These last few months she's been...well, not a different person but the one I remembered and cherish...so much."
"She may not be able to admit this to herself, Finn but she needs you. So you need to be vigilant and you need to be strong because she will continue to try and push you away."
"I can only stay in her life if she lets me, Gran." I want to keep this promise but remembering how close I came to never being able to talk to her again, I wasn't sure I could.
"I know, but don't give up the fight. Promise me to always try."
"I promise," I say giving her hand a squeeze. And a strange look that could only be described as peace now graced her face.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
We continued to polish off the delicious dinner and when it came to the dessert she brought out a plate of cookies and I laughed. "Did Brynn tell you, I said I'd miss your cookies?"
"She did but I was planning on making them anyway."
"You should send her out a box, with the recipe she said she'd like to learn how to make them."
This news took Gran by surprise. "You know she can't cook, right?"
"She admitted this to me, yes," I say, taking a bite of a cookie and sighing in utter contentment.
Gran giggled. "I'll tell you what, I'll give you the recipe and you can send her a box."
"Really?" I could believe it. To get this chance to give Brynn a little taste of home... I smirked, "You really don't fight fair do you?"
Gran gave me a knowing look. "A man needs every tactical advantage when going into battle."
"Hmmm... " I say wondering. "Then can I ask you a question?"
"Sure," Gran said pouring me some milk.
"What's the deal between Brynn and Adam?"
Gran stops pouring and frowns at me. "What has she told you?"
"That they aren't really friends but that she feels responsible for him. Did they? Did they ever date? You mentioned Brynn dating other guys."
Gran sighs and sits back across from me.
"It's complicated."
Now she sounds just like, Brynn.
"They did date for a short time. If you could even call it that. They were both a lot younger, this was before high school started, around seventh or eighth grade."
"But they never kissed."
Gran shook her head no. "As far as I know you hold that title."
That made me feel a little bit better. "If she still talks to him why aren't they friends?"
"Adam wanted more than Brynn could give, I guess. They had a huge fight and even though they still looked out for one another, they never really got their friendship back to where it was before. It was a hard blow for Adam. He was such a cute and funny kid."
"Adam? The gloomy Asian kid that walks around with his own personal rain cloud?"
"Finn Nash!" Gran admonished, "You see what you want to see because you believe him to be your enemy."
I shrug taking another cookie. "Possibly, but I can assure you the feeling is mutual."
"Not everything is at seems, Finn. You saw through Brynn, didn't you? Perhaps you could spare some of that kindness for Adam."
I roll my eyes. I didn't mean to but the idea of trying to see a different side of Adam to suddenly become his friend... there was no way...
"I imagine he's hurting as bad as you are right now."
I look at Gran and take another chomp of my cookie before grimacing, which is really hard to do with a delicious cookie in your mouth. She's looking at me and I know what she's asking me without asking me... damn me and my people smarts.
"I'm not making any promises, Gran. That boy creeps me out."
Gran just gives me that knowing smile again and I crumble like the cookie I'm devouring right now. "I'll try and be ..." this hurt to say... "nice to him."
"Thank you, and Finn," Gran says, taking our plates away. "If you do manage to make a friend out of Adam, it will get you another step closer to Brynn."
"How?"
"Not worth discussing, until it happens."
I sigh. "Okay. Any other tips on how to win this war?"
"Yes," Gran said handing me a box of her cookies to take home. She kisses the top of my head when she hands them to me. "Just be yourself."
"I have to admit Gran I was hoping for more insider trader information than..." I use finger quotes "Just be yourself."
"When you have a star player on your team do you trade him out for a lesser player during a championship game?"
"No."
"Then why would I?"
"Thanks, Gran."
"You're welcome, Loveface."