Shine Not Burn(91)

“What I’ve done?” My voice went up an octave, wondering if she was talking about what I thought she was talking about. How does she know about me and Mack?

“The food, darlin’, the food.” She gestured to the banquet table covered in dishes with foil on them. “What’d you make? What’s your specialty?”

I breathed out a sigh of relief. “Oh, I didn’t make anything. Maeve did it all.”

“Don’t you cook?” She looked a little bit outraged, and it was hard not to smile at her reaction.

“No, not really. I never learned.”

“Well, what about your mother? Didn’t she cook?”

I shook my head, not trusting myself to speak. My mother didn’t do a whole lot of anything other than act as a human punching bag for life’s biggest losers, but I wasn’t going to tell Grandma Lettie that. I had a feeling she’d ask why my mother hadn’t cut their testicles off.

“Not everyone comes from a family of great cooks, Grandma,” said Mack, setting her dish down on the table. “Maybe you can teach Andie a few things.”

“Sounds like I’m going to have to,” she said, once again focused on getting to the table. She took careful steps, but they were solid. I had a feeling she didn’t need to hold onto me, that she was just keeping me close so she could conduct her interrogation.

I glanced at Mack to find him grinning at both of us, like he was enjoying some inside joke. I stuck my tongue out at him but that only seemed to make him happier.

“Lift up the lid there,” she ordered, pointing at her pan.

I did as she asked. The only thing visible inside was a big hunk of aluminum foil.

“That there’s a beef brisket. Best one you’ll ever taste, guaranteed. I don’t mess around when it comes to brisket.”

I nodded sagely. “I can see that.”

She looked up at me with a frown. “I don’t see how, since it’s covered in the tin foil like that.”

Ian snickered behind me, but I ignored him. “But I’ve heard. So I can imagine what it looks like.” I smiled and nodded.

“You ever eat brisket?” she asked.

My smile fell off. “Uhh … no. Can’t say that I have.”

“Then how are you able to imagine it if you’ve never even seen one?”

“I’m creative?” My face went red as Ian busted out in guffaws.

She grinned at me, revealing perfect dentures. “I like you. You’re sassy.”

I grinned back, relief washing over me. “I like you too. You’re kind of sassy yourself.”

She cackled. “You’re dang right I am. Life’s too short to be sickly sweet all the time, don’t you think? Like that aspartame. Nasty aftertaste. Bah.”

I nodded. “Absolutely. I like the real stuff. Sugar all the way for me.”

She let go of my hand and squeezed my arm. “Good. You and I are going to get along just fine. She teetered in a circle and faced the clan. “Now which one of my grandsons are you here with? It better be one of my boys and not that Boog person, I’ll tell you what.”

Boog’s mouth fell open while everyone else laughed. I dropped my gaze to the ground, too embarrassed to answer her question. Mack stepped up beside me and put his arm around my shoulders, pulling me against him firmly. “She’s with me, Grandma. She’s here with me.”

Grandma Lettie looked at both of us critically for a few seconds and then nodded. “Good enough.” Then she faced the crowd. “Boog, get me a chair, will ya? My feet are tired. I went to a barn dance last night and stayed up ’til one a.m. Now I’m too pooped to piddle.”

Boog walked away grumbling, but he grabbed a chair and dragged it back anyway. I wandered away with Mack as others closed in on Grandma Lettie, standing around her like she was visiting royalty.

“Well, that was interesting,” I said, the feeling that I’d just dodged a bullet soothing my frazzled nerves.

Mack took my hand and led me back over to the food table. He reached inside the big pan and removed some of the tin foil from the top. “This is what a beef brisket looks like.”

I stared down at the hunk of brown meat. “Oh. It looks … boring.” I didn’t know what I’d been expecting, but this sure seemed like very little to get excited about.

He laughed and then spoke in a soft voice. “Don’t you dare let Grandma Lettie hear you say that.”

“I wouldn’t dare,” I whispered back. “She scares me.”

Mack leaned in like he was going to kiss me, but I drew back.

“What? I can’t kiss you?” He looked hurt.

“No, you can’t kiss me, you fool. This is not happening.” I pointed to him and then me. “We are not happening.” It felt horrible to say it, but it had to be said. The longer we played at being a couple, the harder it would be when I left. And I was leaving, papers signed or not, tomorrow.

“Bullshit it’s not happening. It very much is happening.” His good mood was quickly evaporating.

“Please don’t make a scene,” I said, glancing back at his grandmother.

“You’re the one making a scene,” he said, his tone going soft again. “I’ll tell you what … Just give me one kiss, and I’ll leave you alone. Otherwise I’m going to harass you all day.”