Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73817 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
But the question remained: would it last?
It was the very next morning—after a long night spent in Cooper’s arms, where emotional comforting turned into pent-up frustration in desperate need of release—that I got a very different question answered. I was sent on a quick errand across the street from the bar to the Elysian to pick something up from the handsome manager Armando, when I ran into a familiar face in the lobby.
It was Pearl with a rose-colored rolling suitcase.
Her eyes lit up when she saw me. As if I’d become her actual grandson, she came right up to me and gave me an unexpectedly bone-crushing hug, and said how very happy she was to catch me on her way out. Her husband had gone to pull the car up to the front, so it was only with her that I got to chat a little bit. She said she was headed home a bit earlier than expected on account of something to do with a “particularly needy son-in-law” issue she wouldn’t go into much detail about, except that she’s always the one to come to her family’s aid, even if it’s inconvenient or cuts their little vacation short.
“But that’s beside the point,” she said as she patted me on the shoulder. “You look so happy and healthy, sonny. I didn’t mean to startle you yesterday afternoon. You and … and your Uncle Don seemed to be having a lovely time.”
It was right then that I realized I didn’t want any more dishonest relationships in my life. I had to come clean. I owed it to the woman who might have unknowingly saved my life.
So I gave her two truths. “My name is Sean.”
She smiled warmly at me. “Sean. What a beautiful—”
“And that wasn’t my Uncle Don. I … I don’t have an Uncle Don. That man was Cooper. He’s my boyfriend.”
Her smile broke.
Remember that thing about if something’s too good to be true? And my insistence on believing in them anyway?
I was ready for this day to be the last day I’d know the old lady. I was ready to be thankful for what she’d done for me—and also bid her farewell when she learned too much.
I was ready for all of that.
Then she said: “Well, my sweet boy, if you thought I didn’t already know that, you’re just plain silly.”
It was my turn to lift my eyebrows in surprise.
She spread her hands. “Have you forgotten where we are? The gayest place on the Texas coast! My husband and I adore Dreamwood Isle. We come here once a month.”
I had been rendered officially speechless.
I don’t know what I expected.
“My sweet grandson works here at the Elysian and gets us discounted rooms. Oh, did I not mention that part? My grandson I told you about … you so remind me of him.” She beamed as she said that last part, then put a hand on my arm. “Thank you for telling me the truth, sonny, Sean. I can’t even express in words without crying like a baby how happy I am that you found a home here.”
I apparently couldn’t express my own emotions in words either, so I just returned her hug with a happy one of my own.
It wasn’t the last time we saw each other.
Every time she and her husband are in town, I make sure to drop by the Elysian, and I can always find her by the pool reading a book, just like she promised.
I call her Grandma Pearl now.
She welcomes it.
After all the college kids take off back to campus, the day stretches on with us locals strolling around town. We hang out at the park while Skipper and his friends show off their skateboard moves on the old basketball court. Then we lounge on the beach in the late afternoon, shirts off, baking in the sun while waiting for evening to roll around. Toby and Vann play with each other in the water. Skipper and his friends eventually take off back to his house, leaving me and Mars the whole blanket to spread out on.
Mars peers over at me. “So have you heard from him yet?”
I check my phone, then shake my head. “Nada.”
“Really? It’s been all day.”
“I know.”
“Are things … alright with you guys?”
“Yeah.” I put my hands behind my head with a relaxed sigh. “No news isn’t bad news.”
She’s not convinced. “It isn’t good news either.”
“Don’t worry, Mars. Everything will be fine.” Toby’s laugher rings out after wrestling Vann into the water. The two grapple playfully, trying to overpower each other. I smile and close my eyes, drinking in the last of the day’s generous sunshine.
Chase opens the bar at five, looking smart in his dress shirt and bowtie—which are in no way a required uniform, but he insists on dressing up for his new role, wanting to “feel the part”. After an hour, a surprising amount of locals drop in for beer, laughter, and good conversation, keeping the Easy Breezy full of love and warmth. The crowd ebbs around seven, and soon, the bar is calm and quiet. Toby and Vann finally head home. Mars takes off soon after. Chase mans the front of the bar with a proud smile, now and then fidgeting too much and deciding to clean tables that have already been cleaned, too restless to stand still.