Page 35 of Silver Edge
“Hi, Drake. It’s good to see you. Your grandmother is waiting in the dining room for you.”
“Thanks, Sam.”
I opened my eyes to find Drake signaling me to follow him. Shuffling down the hallway, I tried to ignore the sour milk smell coming from one room and the human waste smell from another. Old people and I didn’t mix. Swallowing down the rising panic, I moved closer to Drake and took a whiff of his shampoo an earthy scent.
He cocked an eyebrow at me.
“I’ll explain later, but you better get used to weird if you’re going to hang out with me.”
We rounded a corner and I spotted a group of women giggling at a table, playing cards in hand.
“Linda Samson, you cheat!” A frail hand smacked her hand of cards on to the tabletop with more gusto than I thought possible.
“I don’t know why you’re upset, Martha darling. You know she’s a card shark and she’s gonna beat us all. It’s the same every time.”
“Not all the time. Winter of 2008, I beat her fair and square.”
The woman with her back to me shook her head and I realized she was probably the one named Linda. “Fair and square? Ha, only if you count slipping an ace into your Depends fair.”
“Nana, are you not playing nice with others again?” Drake leaned down and kissed an orange-haired lady.
I remained in the doorway, already being bombarded with five different overwhelming floral perfumes and a gallon of Aquanet hairspray.
“Drake!” She grabbed her cane and lifted from the chair, revealing black leather pants over a leopard-print body suit.
I blinked, trying to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating.
“Hi, Drake.” A woman with bright silver hair waved her cards at her face. The two other women giggled like little girls.
“Down, ladies. He’s my grandson. Hands off.” She slid her arm around his back. “Let’s get you out of here. There’s nothing worse than horny old bats desperate for a good—”
“Behave,” Drake scolded. His eyes shot to me as if he was concerned she’d offend me. No one had ever been concerned about offendingme. It was always the opposite.
Linda smiled, her peach-tinted lips spreading wide. “Who’ve we got here?”
I stepped forward and offered my hand. “Hi, I’m Scarlet. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Well, ain’t she formal?”
Drake’s brow crinkled and he chuckled. “Not often.”
I shot him a sideways glance but recovered quickly.
Drake held out a hand. “Let’s go to your apartment so we can spend some time away from staring eyes, if you don’t mind.”
Linda waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t mind them. They can’t catch you.”
“Don’t be so sure. I just had my scooter tweaked,” the silver-haired lady screeched.
Linda placed her hand in the crook of Drake’s arm, and he escorted her out the back door, down a winding path, to another building. For a woman with a cane, she moved quickly. I trailed several steps behind them.
Squirrels skittered across the path, and birds chirped up in the trees, hidden by some golden-red leaves still clinging to the branches. Drake and Linda whispered to each other along the way, but I couldn’t make out what they were saying. He glanced back every so often with a smile on his face and a nod.
We reached her apartment and he opened the door into a comfortable living area. “Have a seat, darlin’.”
I followed the direction of her hand to a loveseat next to a recliner that Drake assisted her into. I lowered to the edge of the seat, my hands on my knees. It was the way ladies were supposed to sit, right?
Purging all other scents and the knocking of something in the ventilation system, I concentrated on remaining upright and attentive. My eyes still wanted to drop to the floor, but when she spoke, I forced them to her face.
