| Chapter Seven |
| The Sound of Silence. Grace was listening to the Simon and Garfunkel song in her head; it seemed so appropriate at the moment. Justin hadn’t said a word after she’d dutifully promised not tell Lynn anything he said about the party. Trying to be patient, which was usually not one of her virtues, Grace had started the oldies jukebox in her head, waiting for him to mention the subject again. It was another two minutes before Justin turned to her, looking like he was intent on discussing a very serious subject. Grace held her breath, praying he wasn’t going to unload his girl problems. Anything but that. “Do you always wear that sweater?” Anything but that too, Grace thought. Unconsciously, she pulled her trusty security blanket closer to her body. “Pretty much.” “I thought so,” he replied with a nod. “Do you always change the subject?” He smiled. “Pretty much.” “I thought so.” She grinned at him; never in her wildest dreams had she imagined having a conversation with Justin where she actually sounded witty. It was a mystery to her why she wasn’t tripping on her tongue like she usually did when he was near. “How did you spend your last birthday?” Grace realized Justin must suffer from the same “blurt out what’s on your mind” disease she had. He always managed to surprise her. “Umm…I went to my mom’s house. She made pot roast. It was pretty boring.” “Was it just you and your mom?” Thinking back, Grace shook her head, “My sister and her children came over, and my Uncle Tony. He can’t resist a good pot roast. My dad was away on business, but he called. Like I said, it was boring. Just my family.” Drowning the last few drops of his drink, he murmured, “That’s what I want.” “Huh?” He sighed before revealing everything. “This is the first time I’ve been at home for my birthday in five years. I wanted to spend it with just my family. Not at a party with a bunch of people I hardly know. My brothers even flew down with my dad, but I could only spend a few minutes with them before it was time to go. I haven’t seen them in almost a month,” he was studying his empty glass, watching her reaction from the corner of his eyes. Grace didn’t know what to say; he’d caught her completely off guard. “You won’t get to see them tomorrow?” “I will. I might take them to the zoo or something like that, but it won’t be that same as being with them on my birthday.” Grace thought about laying a comforting hand on his shoulder, but even though they were having ‘a moment’, she didn’t feel at ease with the intimate gesture. “Is that why you left your party?” He nodded briefly. “It’s hard to enjoy something when you had your heart set on something else. I had to get away for a few minutes.” “Why didn’t you tell your mom that you wanted a quiet birthday?” “I don’t know. I guess I just figured she would know. She always seems to know what’s on my mind. She dropped the ball this time.” Even though she felt extremely sorry for him, Grace wasn’t about to let him put the blame on Lynn, “You can’t blame Lynn for this. You should have said something. She’s not a mind-“ “I was joking,” he interrupted, “I know it’s my fault.” He was starting to look as somber as he sounded; Grace knew it was only a few minutes before he would be completely depressed. “I didn’t mean that. It's not your fault. I blame television.” He furrowed his brows at her cryptic statement. “You blame TV?” She nodded before delivering in a serious tone, “TV has destroyed communication in the family.” Justin stared at her blankly before erupting into laughter. “Good, I was hoping you’d laugh,” Grace smiled, “it was entirely too serious in here.” “Sorry. I don’t know why I dropped everything on your shoulders like that; I promise I’m not usually so whiny. I just feel comfortable around you.” It was her natural instinct to counter a compliment with a self-deprecating statement. “You don’t feel like you have to put up a façade around me. I’m just your mom’s PA.” “No, that’s not it at all. I think it’s because you’re one of the nicest people I’ve ever met. Even before we talked, I could tell you would be incredibly friendly. It sounds stupid, but your aura is welcoming.” No one had ever said such nice things about her aura. No one had ever mentioned her aura period, but she supposed it was one of those weird things only celebrities cared about like crystal therapy. “You didn’t have to say all that. I wasn’t fishing for compliments.” “I know you weren’t.” She responded the only way she knew how. “Oh.” This time she hadn’t even tried to make him chuckle. “You know you make it really hard for a guy to pay you a compliment.” Grace sighed, “I’m not used to them I guess.” “Then I’ll have to compliment you more often,” he spared a quick glance at the clock above the bar, “but first we have to get back to the party. Mom’s probably searching the place for me. That is if they haven’t played “In Da Club” yet. Once that song’s on, she’s in ‘the party zone’. ” Grace studied his face, trying to figure out if he was joking. She couldn’t image Lynn as a party girl; she didn’t even know that Lynn listened to 50 cent. Justin stood up and extended his arm, “Shall we?” Heart racing, she hooked her arm with his. “I’m nervous,” she blurted out. “Don’t be,” he soothed as they started walking for the exit, “You deserve to have a good time after spending three weeks planning this thing.” “I was being modest before. I think it was more like four.” She was being sassy, hoping it would help her nerves. Unfortunately, it backfired on her. “Four weeks? In that case, I’ll have to save the first two dances for you.” Justin really did have a knack for catching her off guard with his surprising statements. This time he’d shocked her so severely that she was knocked off her feet. Literally. |