The Accomplice(74)

“It’s just how we do things. My mom has a new boyfriend. I don’t want to get in the way.”

“All of that sounds highly suspicious to me, but I’d still like to come with you,” Griff said. “Besides, I have a car and you don’t.”

“Casey said I could borrow her car.”

“I’m a good driver,” Griff said.

“Wouldn’t your parents want at least one of their sons around?”

“No,” Griff said. “In fact, they might prefer an obligation-free holiday season.”

“Interesting,” Luna said.

“Multiple-choice question,” Griff said. “You’re not inviting me because: A, you don’t want to spend three days with me; B, you don’t want me to meet your mother; C, you’re tending to illegal business across the border; D, none of the above.”

“There’s never an E,” Luna said.

“What’s the answer?” Griff asked.

“B, maybe,” Luna said. “Or D. None of them were on the nose. I haven’t seen my mom in a while. I don’t know what you’d be walking into.”

“How about I just come with you on the trip? I don’t have to meet your mom. I can stay in a motel and watch movies. Then we’ll go to Niagara Falls. It’ll be fun.”

“You won’t miss your family?”

“Now you’re being stupid,” Griff said.

Once Luna agreed to the road trip itself, she knew she was agreeing to Griff meeting her mother, who was a true wild card.

“Did Owen ever tell you anything about my mother?”

“He said you don’t see her that often.”

“Anything else?”

“I don’t think so.”

“Before you change your plans, I want you to be prepared. It could be weird. Like, really, really weird.”



* * *



—

They drove straight through on Christmas Eve morning, stopping only for gas, bathroom breaks, a quick lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Buffalo, and, of course, the border. Griff did most of the driving, while Luna navigated from internet directions she’d printed that morning.

When they arrived at the London, Ontario, address, Griff was sure they were at the wrong place. The rambling ranch house was festooned with Christmas decorations. The eaves were dripping with lights, the lawn littered with elves. There was even a cheesy Santa sled, with reindeer, traversing the front lawn.

“Wasn’t expecting this,” Griff said.

He couldn’t decide if the garish display was comforting or unsettling. Luna had claimed that she didn’t know what to expect either and that talking about it would only cause stress. While they were still sitting in the car, Luna reached into her backpack and retrieved a bottle of Maker’s Mark. She’d seen Griff drink it a few times and assumed he liked it enough.

“This is for you,” Luna said.

Griff searched for a hidden card somewhere on the bottle.

Luna took the bottle, uncorked it, and handed it back to Griff.

“Drink,” she said.

“Wait, is your mom a teetotaler?” Griff asked.

He was the driest member of the Mann family, but he couldn’t imagine a Christmas Eve, especially under unknown circumstances, without some inebriation.

“I hope not,” Luna said. “She wasn’t the last time I saw her. Drink.”

Griff took a swig. “Ready?”

“One minute,” Luna said.

She removed a pill from a blister pack and swallowed it dry. Then she took an EpiPen from her bag. “You know how to use one of these things?”

“Why?”

“You just hold it against my thigh and press the button.”

Griff had assumed that the prime source of weirdness that night would be Luna. He’d also assumed that her caginess was partly punitive, the price he’d have to pay for inviting himself along.

When the pair reached the front door, Luna took a couple of deep breaths before she rang the bell. Then Luna’s mother swung open the door and smiled. She had short gray hair in a can’t-be-bothered cut. Griff was too distracted by her Christmas sweater to notice anything else about her appearance. A bright-red knit thing with stuffed animals on it. That’s what he thought until the stuffed animals started moving. A startled Griff yelped and stepped back, tripping on the stairs, falling on his ass. Luna turned around and offered her hand. She bit her lip to fight a smile.

After Luna helped Griff back onto his feet, introductions were made.

“Mom, this is my…uh, friend or something, Griff Mann. Griff, this is my mom, Belinda Grey.”

“Mrs. Grey,” Griff said. “Thank you so much for having me.”

“Call me Belinda or Bee,” Luna’s mom said as she plucked the living creatures from her sweater and held them out for formal introduction. “And these are Luna’s brother and sister, Lysander and Hermia. Say hello.”

Griff couldn’t tell whether Belinda was talking to him or the creatures, which he later learned were ferrets.

“Hello and hello,” Griff said to Lysander, then Hermia.

Luna appreciated that Griff addressed each one individually, which would score points with her mother.

“Come in,” Belinda said.