Page 56 of Silver Edge
“I thought he’d never leave.” Linda rested her thin elbows on the table and propped up her chin. “We need to talk. My grandson’s got it bad for you, but that knucklehead seems to be screwing it up. He told me about what he said and how he’d upset you. Listen, I know he cares deeply for you. I’ve never seen him so knotted up before. He doesn’t know which way to go. That boy has never been in love. Oh, he might’ve been in lust a few times in high school, but lately he’s been so caught up with making money and a name for himself he hasn’t cared about anyone else.”
“What about Barbie?”
Her eyebrows pinched together, deepening the lines on her forehead. “Who?”
“Oh, sorry. Margo,” I corrected. “The blond girl.”
“Plastic girl? Oh, I’ve seen pictures in the paper of him with that woman. She’s nothing but a leech, that one. That woman’s been trying to get her claws into Drake since she first met him in college. You see, when he turns twenty-five his trust fund will be released and he’ll be worth a fortune. That girl only sees dollar signs when she looks at him. That’s all that matters to her.”
“Money?”
Linda arched an eyebrow. “You didn’t know?”
“It’s none of my business.”
I heard whispering outside the dining hall and I turned to see several of the ladies from last weekend.
“Pay them no mind.” She squeezed my hand in her death grip again, her eyes softening into a far off gaze. “You’re perfect for him. I’m so glad he met you. It feels good to know I’m not the only one he has left in this world. When I’m gone, I don’t want him to be alone.”
“You’ll be around a long time.” I knew that was the proper thing to say. I’d learned that line when one of my foster moms was diagnosed with cancer.
“You’re a good girl. You’ve had a rough life. Take it from me. Don’t waste a minute of right now worrying about yesterday. Life’s too short.”
Drake entered the dining hall. “Here you go, Nana.” He set the white container on the table and we returned to our meal.
“Don’t forget to take your pills.” Drake motioned with the tomato at the end of his fork.
“Oh, yeah.” She opened the box but didn’t take any. “Silly me. I must’ve already taken my daytime pills before I came. These are my before bed pills.”
Seemingly unfazed by his wasted trip, Drake speared another tomato. “I wish you could come to the show. It’s going to be amazing. I think Devon would be proud.” He took a sip of his water.
I scooted what I realized was half of a purple grape around my plate. There was something wrong with the chicken salad. The meat was too soft and I couldn’t manage to take more than a bite, but the green salad seemed edible.
“There’s no way these old bones would be able to go slam dancing again.”
I choked on my water at the image of her on the dance floor at Bands.
“They call it moshing now, Nana.”
She giggled like a schoolgirl. “Silly me.”
The image of her crowd surfing popped into my head and I dabbed the napkin to my lips to hide my laughter.
“I’m sure it’ll be a great show. I listened to you in that radio interview yesterday. That was sweet of you to dedicate the show to your brother.”
Drake cleared his throat. “I hope you’re okay with that, Scarlet. It kind of just came out of my mouth while I was talking.”
“It’s your club.” Based on the looks both his grandmother and Drake gave me, it appeared I’d said something wrong.
“Yes, but without you this event would never happen. It’s as much yours, if not more than it is mine.” He set his fork down on his plate and laid the napkin on the tablecloth. “Aren’t you hungry?”
“Not so much right now, sorry.”
His grandmother shook her head. “You girls are always watching your waistlines. Well, I guess I can’t criticize since I was the same way once.”
I thought about confessing that the food looked unappetizing, but I knew it was rude to criticize a meal, especially one given freely, so I didn’t say anything.
“We have a little more time. Do you want to go for a walk in the garden before we leave?” Drake stood and pulled out my chair for me, then his grandmother.
