Page 59 of Truck Me
“Grams has helped us out with Rayne since she was a baby. All those Mutter boys think of her as family. But I’ll admit, she’s the closest with Garret.”
I’m back at my workstation by the window and glance back up just in time to see Garret take a snowball to the face. It makes me chuckle.
“He smiles when he’s with her.”
I feel Mom’s gaze on me, but I don’t look at her.
“What are you getting at?” she asks.
“Nothing. Just that it’s nice to see him smile. She seems to bring out the best in him.”
Mom doesn’t respond to that. She returns to the stove to give the onions and peppers she’s sautéing a stir. They must be softened to her liking because she dumps the ground beef in to brown.
We continue to cook in silence. She’s focused on her chili, and I’m focused on watching Garret with my niece.
“Was he close to Carol?” I ask after a few minutes of deliberating. If they were, it would make his attachment to Rayne make so much more sense. I don’t know why I can’t just accept that they’re close without any other reason than being neighbors. But something just feels off to me and I can’t put my finger on it.
Mom frowns at me. “Not that I know of. I mean, they obviously knew each other. Everyone in this small town knows everyone else. But that’s about it. Why do you ask?”
“Just curious. I don’t recall them being friends when we were younger, and I was just wondering if that changed after I moved away for college. Carol and I didn’t talk as much that last year before … Well, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.” Mom sighs. “And no. They weren’t friends that I’m aware of.”
Sensing Mom is about to probe more about why I’m asking so many questions, I quickly change the subject. “I think I’ll make some hot chocolate too. The fancy kind from those dark chocolate bars I bought. With whipped cream. Rayne will love that when she comes in from the cold.”
“That’s a great idea.” Mom grabs a hand towel and wipes her hands clean. “I’ll invite Garret in too. That poor man needs someone to take care of him. He has to be lonely in that tiny house of his with no one to cook for him.”
“Maybe he likes being alone,” I say under my breath.
Mom scoffs. “No one likes being alone, dear. We’re not built that way. Everyone needs at least one person that’s theirs.”
I turn around, expecting to find Mom watching me, but she’s not. She’s already at the back door getting ready to call Rayne in.
I think about what she said while heating up the milk. Do we all need one person to call our own? I have Sierra. We’d do anything for each other, but I don’t think that’s what Mom meant. She’s referring to a life partner, the other half of a couple, a lover, a soulmate.
I thought Brad was that person for me, but I was so very wrong about that. In fact, I’ve hardly thought about him since my conversation with Sierra last weekend. Even before that, my thoughts were sparse. What does that say about my feelings toward him?
If I’d truly been in love with him, I’d still be broken. Right?
What does that say about my ability to choose my person?
I’m guessing whatever it is, it’s nothing good.
* * *
Right as I finish whipping up the heavy cream, Rayne comes rushing into the kitchen with Garret trailing behind her. While she barges right up next to me, he stops just inside the entrance.
“Is it true?” Rayne bounces on her toes. “Are you really making us hot chocolate? Like, the good kind.”
I chuckle and tap my finger on her red nose. It’s so cold it feels like an ice cube. “Yes. I am. But you have to go clean up first and put on dry clothes.”
She claps her hands but doesn’t turn to leave. “And you made cookies. You make the best cookies, Aunt Char.” She looks over her shoulder and grins at Garret. “Do you see these, Garret? Coconut cookies. They smell so good.”
He nods but doesn’t smile. “I do. But I’m going to head out. Leave you all to your afternoon snack.”
“Nonsense,” my mom says at the same time Rayne cries out, “No!”
“Stay.” Mom steps up next to him and reaches her arm out. “Let me hang up your coat, then take a seat at the table.”