Comfort Zone (Awkward Love 4)

“Are you okay?” Becca asks, after Grammy’s latest episode.

“Yeah. I’ll be happy if she doesn’t try and make a break for it through the window. I should be asking if you’re okay though.”

Last time she woke, Grammy accused Becca of taking Neil from her. I glance at Becca, then reach for her hand. She’s still shaken from the verbal assault Grammy unleashed on her.

“Who’s Neil?”

“Her husband. He died young.”

“On the flight?” I give her a curious look. How did she know about that? “Jake,” she says.

“It wasn’t just on a plane,” I explain. “He was flying the plane.”

“No,” she gasps.

I nod and glance at Grammy in the back. She can’t hear anything without her hearing aids in, but I still don’t like talking about this with her here.

“I swear that’s the truth. Grammy was a hostess. She was actually one of the first female stewardesses to fly internationally. That’s how they met. They did flights together as often as they could. So one day, he snuck her into the cockpit—”

“Which is suddenly such an appropriate word,” she interjects.

“True. So she gets down to business, then all of a sudden, he’s keeling over, clutching his chest. She goes running out, screaming. There was a doctor on the flight, but it was too late to save him.” I shake my head. “It was a long flight too, so she had to sit there, knowing that he was gone.”

“Wow.” She shudders. “That must have been awful for her.”

“It was. She had my mother at home, who was three, and she was five months pregnant with Jake’s dad.”

Becca shakes her head. “That’s horrible.”

“Enough to put you off having sex in the bathroom with me if we do fly together anywhere?” I murmur.

“No. Having my mother tell me that she and my father joined the mile-high club was enough to do that.”

I chuckle. “For what it’s worth, I think your mom’s hysterical.”

“I feel the same way about Grammy.” She glances over her shoulder at Grammy. “It must be hard for her, being alone.”

I nod.

“I’m sure it is. I don’t think losing your soul mate would ever get easier.”When we finally hit the city, I adjust my position in my seat and let out a loud sigh. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to this drive being over. Time with Becca I wasn’t ready to give up just yet, but the hours of driving were getting tedious.

We head along the back streets of town, toward my Aunt Jacquie’s apartment. It’s only a little after eight, but I’m struggling to stay awake. I’m not sure how much of that is tiredness and how much is from looking after Grammy. I look in the mirror. She’s still asleep, so I reach over and put my hand on Becca’s thigh. She looks at me in surprise, but then she smiles and puts her hand over mine.

“Glad that’s over?” she teases softly.

“I’ll be glad to have some time alone,” I admit. “But I wouldn’t say I’m glad that it’s over.”

“Time alone, you say?”

I tilt my head and think about that. “Maybe alone isn’t the right word. Alone, inside Becca?” I suggest. She laughs and swats my arm.

I swing into a spot in the front of Aunt Jacquie’s building, then turn off the car.

“Are you coming in?” I query.

“Sure,” she says, unclipping her belt.

We get out, and I unload the trunk before waking Grammy. This is the fun part; trying to wake her without sending her into a panic because she can’t hear what I’m saying. I open the door. Her hands are clenched into tight fists in her lap. I take her hand and try to rouse her. The fist unravels to reveal her hearing aids. I chuckle to myself.

“Oh Grammy…”

I carefully place one in her ear, then the other.

“Grammy?”

She stirs, then opens her eyes, frowning as she looks around.

“We’re here, Grammy. Aunt Jacquie can’t wait to see you.”

“Surprising, considering she couldn’t wait to get rid of me last time,” Grammy grumbles.

The she glares at me, her face vacant. I can almost see her mind trying to figure things out. I’m shocked when she lets me help her out of the car, but she draws the line at Becca holding her other hand.

“Do I look like a puppy?” she snaps.

“No, but I’m not in the habit of walking puppies on two feet,” Becca mutters under her breath.

Aunt Jacquie waits at her front door for us, but Grammy pushes right past her and walks inside. She mutters something under her breath about expecting the place to be cleaner.

“Becca,” Aunt Jacquie says, surprised to see her here with me.

“Hi Jacquie.” Becca grins. She leans forward and kisses her on the cheek. “I had my parents anniversary in Vegas, so I offered to help Liam.”

I smile at her. Offered? Not quite how I remember it.