Miss Me Not

"Okay, time to pop your eyes back in, Sport-o," I said sarcastically as Dean continued to stare at me with open admiration.

"I can't help it. You're a freaking knockout. Now I'm wondering how I'll keep all my cousins from hitting on you today."

"Right, because I'm sure that will be a huge issue," I said.

A look flashed across his face, but he let the subject drop. "Ready?" he asked instead.

"As ready as I'll ever be."

"It's going to be fun. You'll just be facing my family, not a firing squad," he said chuckling as he opened the vehicle door for me.

"At least a firing squad would be less painful," I retorted as he closed my door behind me. I could hear him chuckling as he rounded the jeep. Not finding the situation nearly as funny as him, I fought the urge to elbow him in the ribs.

"Chuckle it up there, Sport-o. It's all fun and games until your grandparents chase me off their property with a shotgun for corrupting their grandson."

"Isn't that supposed to be a guy's line?" he asked, laughing at my expression. "Trust me, Mads, everyone is going to love you. Besides, there's going to be so many people there today, I'm sure Papaw won't even be able to find his shotgun," he teased.

"Ha-ha, you're a freaking crackup. You should consider taking your comedy show on the road," I said drily.

"So, my mom really had a lot of fun yesterday," he said, changing the subject.

"Really?" I asked, hating the vulnerability in my voice. It shouldn’t matter to me if she had a good time.

"Yeah, she hasn't given herself much alone time since the twins were born. My dad has been encouraging her to get out with her friends. You know, the whole girls’ night thing you chicks like to do."

I shrugged my shoulders. Anything girl-related was foreign to me.

"Right. Well, anyway, he's been after her to get out of the house and hang out with her friends for months now, but she keeps putting him off, claiming she's not ready to leave the twins yet."

"Great, now I feel bad for keeping her out so long yesterday," I said, feeling like a complete ass.

"Nah, that’s my point. She not only jumped at the opportunity to go out with you, but it was her idea. She did a complete one-eighty from every other time an outing without the twins was suggested. My dad was as happy as a kid in a McDonald's Play Place that she stayed out all day with you and came home with her nails and hair done. You're like his new hero now."

"Really, it wasn’t me," I said, uncomfortable with taking the credit. "All of it was your mom's idea."

"Well, you must've done something right. She was practically glowing when she got home. So learn to take a compliment," he said, reaching over to lace his fingers through mine.

I mulled his words over in my head. Compliment. Is that what compliments sounded and felt like? I always figured compliments were supposed to make you flush with pride and were a coveted treat to be enjoyed and pimped. Maybe like everything else, I was a failure at receiving them. I wasn't flushed with pride. Instead, my stomach had an uncomfortable pinch, like it was being tugged on by an invisible string. Only one other person had ever really complimented me, but I didn't allow myself to think about his compliments. At the time, they hadn't filled me with pride or the pinching sensation I was experiencing now, they had made me feel powerful, but I was wrong. He had proved me wrong.

"Are you still nervous?" Dean asked thirty minutes later, breaking up the silence that had filled the car.

I shrugged my shoulders, not really sure how I felt. "I've pretty much resigned myself that there's no turning back now," I said truthfully.

"Mads, I'm not going to let anyone say or do anything that will upset you. I promise. I feel like a complete asshole dragging you here, knowing how uncomfortable you are. I just had this crazy plan to show you what a real Thanksgiving feels and looks like. I don't want you to be miserable though."

"Hello, have we met? Misery is my best friend. We hang out all the time. You know, painting each other's nails and fixing each other's hair," I joked. "Don't worry about me, Sport-o. It's not your fault I'm socially stunted."

His jaw tightened at my words, but he let the subject drop.

"Where does your Papaw live again?" I asked, feigning interest. It was time to throw him a bone. Even if the day sucked as much as it was destined to, I would rather walk down the halls at school buck naked than ruin his day. I could pretend, fool him or hoodwink him, whatever you wanted to call it. After all, I was the master of disguise.

"His house is on the outskirts of Flagler County. The property his house sits on has been in our family for generations. My Uncle John and Aunt Cindy have a house on the property, and so do my Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda. There are a few houses that are sitting empty right now that the rest of us use when we are staying overnight. My parents and the twins headed down last night so the girls would fall asleep in the car."

"Really?” I asked with genuine interest this time. "Your papaw's property must be pretty big."

"It's huge. I think it's something like forty or fifty acres. We all drive golf carts to get around while we're there," he said, once again smiling at me.

His smile strengthened my resolve. I could do this for him. I would chalk it up as my ultimate test in acting like a human.