“I used to dance,” Korey says, waving her hand to the door. “Come inside.”
“What did you dance?” I ask, following her in.
The house is stunning: wooden floors, high ceilings, old, rustic furniture and the biggest, most stunning country kitchen I’ve ever seen. It has wooden cupboards with white countertops, also wooden. It’s gorgeous.
“Your home is beautiful,” I breathe.
“Thank you. Lez has spent a lot of time on it.”
“Is Lez your husband?” I ask, peering around.
“He is; he’s out back. To answer your question from earlier, I was also a ballet dancer.”
“You were?” I ask, putting my suitcase onto the floor.
“I was, nothing professional, though. I did it until I was sixteen and I got pregnant with Keanu.”
“You had Keanu at sixteen?” I breathe.
She laughs softly. “I know. Shocking, right?”
“I take my hat off to you,” I say, my eyes still wide. “That would have been hard.”
“Lez stood by me and he’s stayed with me. I was lucky.”
“You were.” I smile.
“What about you? Have you got a nice man?”
My entire body stiffens and it takes me more than a few seconds to answer her. How do I answer that question? I close my eyes for a moment and then open them again. Just answer her with the truth—minus Nate.
“I was engaged, but it didn’t end well.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” she says, walking into the kitchen. “Would you like a cup of tea?”
“Please.” I smile.
I watch her as she begins boiling the kettle. I see where Keanu gets his looks. He’s got the same colored hair and eyes—even their skin tone is the same.
“How do you have it?” she asks.
“Black, no sugar, please.”
A door squeaks and I turn around to see the most dazzling older man I’ve ever seen. I mean, this guy is breathtaking. I know right away this must be Lez, because he’s identical to Nate. He’s got the same eyes, the same dark hair and the same olive skin. He’s tall, he’s built, and even though he’s got a little gray scattered about in his locks, he’s still absolutely stunning.
“Well, hello there.” He grins, wiping his hands on his faded jeans.
“Hi,” I say, my voice coming out squeaky and pathetic.
“This is Avery, Nathaniel’s friend.”
Lez steps forward and extends his hand. “Lez.”
“Nice to meet you,” I say, feeling my cheeks heat. Shit, he’s an old man—get a grip. It’s not that I have any kind of sexual attraction to this man; it’s just that for his age, he’s absolutely out of this world. It’s not often I come across a guy that holds his age so exceptionally well. I can only imagine how handsome he was when he was Nate’s age. Probably as handsome as Nate.
“Hey, old man,” Nate says, appearing from the hallway.
“Nate,” his dad says, grinning and walking over. They give each other that awkward man-hug before turning back to us.
“See you’ve met Avery,” Nate says, smiling at me.
“I certainly did. Prettiest darn girl, besides your momma of course, that these old eyes have seen for a long time.”
I laugh nervously, and stare at my feet.
“Stop it,” Korey laughs. “You’re makin’ the girl blush.”
Lez chuckles. “Where’s my granddaughter?”
“She’s sleepin’—big day.”
Lez nods and gives me a strange look before turning back to Nate. “You have problems gettin’ her here?”
“Don’t stress, Dad. I told Avery about Lena on the way here.”
Lez nods. “Right.”
“And to answer your question, no, surprisingly I didn’t have a problem getting her here. Lena is in a bad place.”
“Poor girl.” Korey sighs. “She’s not my favorite person, but she’s had a hard life. This was bound to happen.”
My heart clenches a little at her words and I try hard to keep my face expressionless.
“Lena is making her own choices, Mom,” Nate grinds out. “She’s leaving her daughter unattended and in danger—that’s never okay.”
“I agree with the boy,” Lez says. “Ain’t never okay to put your child in that kind of danger.”
“I understand that,” Korey says, “But she’s in a bad place. She’s had a very hard life and it’s catching up on her. Nate is always away, and . . .”
“Don’t, Mom,” Nate growls and I find myself slinking back into the corner. “She is choosing how she lives now. Yes, she had a hard life, but that doesn’t excuse her drinking herself half to death and leaving Macy without supervision.”
“I’m not saying it’s an excuse, I’m just saying that it must be hard when you’re travelling all the time. When she’s alone she has no one to turn to.”
I feel sick; I feel horribly sick. Realization of the situation I’m putting myself in is drowning me.
“If it wasn’t for my going away, she wouldn’t have the life she has. If I stopped my career she’d crack the shits because we had no money. Don’t start judging something you don’t know, Momma. Lena is creating her own path.”
“Yes, but her parents: they’re awful. She really has no guidance.”