“I’m not. This is how I act.”
“Like a loon?”
“Yeah. I’m a loon. I get it from my grandfather.”
“On your dad’s side maybe. I’m the smartest man you know.”
“If you say so.” I grabbed the remote and pointed it at the flat screen. “If that’s all ... .”
“I guess.” He grumbled as the kitten padded out of the bedroom and stopped in the middle of the room. The ball of fluff seemed confused by our guest. “Are you keeping this thing?”
“I’m going to take him to the shelter.”
“It’s been about a week.”
I made a face. “It hasn’t even been two days.”
“That’s like a week.” He glanced at the flower box the kitten was using. “You need to at least get him a proper litter box. That box will be gross before you know it.”
“Well, the faster you do your business, the faster I can shower and make a run to the store. He needs regular food, too. He can’t have tuna for every meal.”
“So you’re going to buy a litter box and cat food for a kitten you’re not going to keep.”
“It’s the weekend. The shelter isn’t open weekends.”
“Yes it is.”
“I don’t feel like taking him there today.” I was feeling cross. “Why do you even care? You said I could keep him.”
“You can. He doesn’t seem destructive, and I think it’s good for you to have a friend who doesn’t go by the name Jim, Johnny, or José.”
It took me a moment to grasp what he was insinuating. “It’s been a rough few days. I’m just getting back in the swing of things. I have no intention of drinking every night, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
“I’m worried that you have a tendency to cover your real feelings until things build to the point you blow.”
“What feelings am I covering up?”
“I’m going to say Hunter.”
I glared at him. “I don’t want to hear his name come out of your mouth again.”
“Well, you’re doomed to disappointment if you think you can tell me what to say. Nobody is capable of controlling me.”
“I guess we have that in common.”
“Not as much as you might like to believe. I have no problem expressing my feelings, good or bad, and I don’t spend my time hiding. You’re an adult now. You need to learn to deal with this stuff.”
That was easy for him to say. “I am dealing with it.”
“No, you’re not. You’re avoiding it. That’s what you do. Why do you think you spent years traveling even though you knew you were in trouble with the books?”
“Because I like to see things.”
“No, because you didn’t want to admit you needed help. That’s your biggest problem. You insist on doing everything yourself. You need to get over that.”
I bit back a nasty retort and turned on the television. “I’ll take it under advisement.” It was as close as I could come to a dismissal without risking him kicking me out of the apartment.
“No, you’re going to keep avoiding for as long as you can. That’s the wrong move, Stormy, but you won’t understand that until it comes back and bites you ... so have at it.”
“I think I know how to live my own life.”
“If that were true, you would’ve figured this out five years ago.”
He had a point. There was nothing to say. My life was a mess and nobody knew it better than Grandpa.
I WAITED UNTIL ALMOST ONE TO VISIT my grandmother. I wanted to make sure none of her friends were around. I let myself into her house without knocking — that’s the way it works in the Archer family — and searched through the kitchen and living room for her. I found her on the patio flipping through a magazine in the shade.
“Hey, Grandma.” I greeted her with a bright smile as I walked through the sliding glass door. The pool — bigger than most — looked pristine and clear, and I made a mental note to come back when I could swim some laps. It was time to get into a fitness routine now that I no longer had a gym membership. Shadow Hills didn’t even have a gym.
“Hello, Stormy.” She seemed taken aback to see me, but dutifully closed her magazine and gave me her full attention. “This is a nice surprise. What brings you to my neck of the woods?”
How could I broach the subject without looking like a crazy person? “I just wanted to see you.” I sank into the chair next to her, making sure my smile was firmly in place. “I’ve been busy getting settled and haven’t had much time to visit with everyone. You were first on my list.”
She didn’t look convinced. “Have you seen your mother?”
Of course she would ask that. My grandmother was tiny — like, four-foot-eleven — but she had a fiery disposition when she wanted something. I had no doubt my mother had been bitterly complaining about the way I’d been dodging her. My grandmother was predisposed to take my mother’s side. “Not yet.”
“Is she next on your list?”
“Not today. I have errands to run and stuff. You’re the only one on my list today.”
“I see.” Grandma sipped her coffee and narrowed her eyes. She had a helmet of blond hair that she curled and sprayed into submission every morning. I couldn’t remember ever seeing a hair out of place on her head. “How are things at the restaurant?”
That was a question I could handle without too much struggle. “They’re okay. Getting used to morning shifts is a bit of a chore, but Grandpa says he’ll give me more choice once I’m off probation.”
“I can’t believe he put you on probation. It’s not as if you don’t know what you’re doing. You spent your teenage years in that restaurant. The skill didn’t simply fall out of your head.”
“It’s been an adjustment,” I hedged. “I forgot how fast-paced things can get. I’m okay working with a safety net right now.”
“At least you have a good attitude about it.”
She was the only one in the family who thought so. “Yeah, well, Uncle Brad is still a trip. Can’t you guys take his computer away from him or something? He reads and watches some ridiculous stuff on the internet.”
“It had better not be porn.”
I almost choked. “I was talking about the political nonsense he spouts.”
“Oh, that.” She waved her hand. “He likes to think he’s informed. He has anxiety, so he thinks if he knows everything he’ll be able to head off any disaster that comes his way. What he doesn’t realize is that nobody would want him to help deal with a serious situation because he can’t get his head on straight. He’s horrible in a crisis.”
“He’s definitely not on the zombie apocalypse team,” I agreed, speaking before I thought better of it. “I just mean, you know, if there’s a zombie apocalypse, he probably wouldn’t make my team.” It was a lame explanation, but her eyes twinkled.
“I know what a zombie apocalypse team is. I already have mine selected.”
“You do?” I was dumbfounded. “Who’s on it?”