One Enchanted Summer

Chapter 20

CHAPTER

TWENTY

Quinn

Grayson’s celebration sex is on an entirely different level. I don’t think I got more than an hour of sleep last night. We stayed up late celebrating and then went back to his place and celebrated until the morning. We’ve had sneaky sex in a public place, we’ve had tipsy sex, and beach sex but celebration sex is my new favorite. Grayson’s excitement is contagious. I’m truly happy for him and this opportunity. I try not to think about the risks that could come with it. It has to be more dangerous than what he’s currently doing and that scares me. I’ll never be one to hold him back from his dream, but I still haven’t shaken the feeling of watching that girl fall and get hurt.

“When do I get to come to this show?” Gertie asks, breaking me out of my thoughts.

“What show?” I ask.

“The one that has you all worried. The pirate show. I can see you thinking about that fall again.”

“Am I that obvious?” I sigh. “It’s silly. I know I’m making a big deal out of it but watching her fall was terrifying. What if that had been Grayson?”

“Then he would have a broken collarbone, and be fine.”

I huff out a breath.

“You cannot control him,” Gertie says.

“I don’t want to!” I quickly defend.

“Well then, you’ve just got to let him live.”

“How about we do something fun today?” Gertie asks, perking up. I’m instantly wary of what she considers fun.

“Like what?”

“I want to go to the park with my favorite granddaughter,” she declares proudly.

I laugh, “You really think that’s a good idea?”

“Are you trying to say I’m too old for the park?” She raises her eyebrows at me.

“Of course not. But you might be a little too fragile.”

Gertie narrows her eyes at me. “Quinn, I am not fragile.” Her tone is almost menacing. Until she adds, “And I’ll use a wheelchair.”

An hour later, I’m wheeling Gertie around the park and I realize how convenient it is that this is when she actually needs help. She grins over her shoulder at me in a knowing way and I shake my head at her. I love this kooky lady. Honestly, I’m excited to be spending the day at the park with her again. Some of my best memories with Gertie were staying at the park all day together. She always bought me the best treats and rode all the rides with me. I spot the Key Lime Pie stand and wheel her over to it. It’s located in America since key lime pie came from Key West, Florida. This was one of the treats we always got at the park. I buy one for each of us and hand it to Gertie. She smiles up at me thankfully.

“You’re a good girl, you know,” she says sweetly.

I reply by taking a big bite of my key lime pie on a stick. I remember thinking how absurd this was as a child. How would you eat pie on a stick? But sure enough, key lime pie is frozen on a stick and dipped in chocolate. It’s fantastic.

“Just as good as I remember,” I say out loud.

“You haven’t brought Grayson here yet?”

“I’m sure he’s tried it before. He’s been coming to the park his whole life.”

“What’s his favorite treat?”

I stop and think for a minute. “I don’t actually know.”

Gertie throws me a judging look and I pull out my phone. “I’ll text him right now.”

On a hot day: mochi ice cream. On a cold day(when we have those): bicerin drink in Italy

I read it aloud to Gertie and she laughs. “Guess we know where we are going next,” she declares.

When we reach Asia, it’s just in time for one of their parades. I quickly wheel Gertie to the front, and we watch dancers come through the crowd dressed as a dragon. They guide the dragon to move up and down and side to side. More people follow the dragons playing the drums and waving beautiful gold and red ribbons. I glance down and see Gertie clapping along, a big smile on her face. It fills me with joy seeing her out and happy. I wonder if this is how it feels when Grayson sees me enjoying the park. It’s such a happy place. It feels impossible to be sad here. Except for the kid that starts crying in the back because the drums are too loud and he’s too hot. I smile kindly at the mom as she tries to comfort him. As the parade ends, I turn and wheel Gertie away. The mom and child are a few steps back from the crowd now and although he’s calmed down he still looks grumpy. As we wheel past him I make a funny face at him and he giggles. I notice Gertie wave at him and the mom looks at us appreciatively.

“Kids will always laugh at a little old lady,” Gertie jokes as we continue walking.

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“I made a face at him to try and cheer him up,” she replies.

“You did? I did too!”

Gertie laughs. “We make quite the pair, don’t we?”

We cross over a bridge made to look like the Great Wall of China and find a mochi stand at the end. I’ve never had mochi before, and I’m skeptical when Gertie says it’s made from rice. Rice and ice cream don’t sound overly appealing to me. I order chocolate for myself and strawberry for Gertie. I turn the small ball around in my hands and Gertie laughs.

“You need to get out more. Mochi is not uncommon,” she says. “Seems like Grayson is good for you.”

I stop myself from rolling my eyes at my grandma thinking I’m uncultured and take a bite of my mochi. The outside is the dough made from steamed rice and the inside is a delicious fudge chocolate ice cream.

“This is so good!” I exclaim.

Gertie nods as she pops another one in her mouth. She holds one out for me to try, but I like the chocolate more.

“Where to next?” Gertie asks.

“If we’re continuing Grayson’s food tour then I guess we head over to Italy,” I reply.

“Andiamo then!”

We pass back through China and start to walk through Greece when we pass the Greek mythology show. It starts in five minutes.

“Hey Gertie, mind if we take a little detour?” I ask.

“I have all the time in the world,” she cheerily replies.

The theater is set up to resemble the Parthenon with big pillars along the outer edge and benches to sit on. We take our seats just in time for the show to start. It’s a fun show about each of the gods and their powers. When Apollo enters the stage I’m happy to see that it’s Grady.

“That must be Grayson’s brother,” Gertie loudly whispers to me.

“They look a lot alike,” I respond.

“No kidding.”

We missed the performance last time, so I’m instantly drawn in as I watch Grady now. He’s graceful in a similar yet different way than Grayson. Apollo is the god of dance and the sun so Grady beautifully dances to wake up the sun. He’s able to convey a friendship and connection between himself and the sun. It’s moving and I’m unable to take my eyes off of him.

“Wow,” Gertie says when Grady is done.

“That was beautiful,” I say.

“Seems like they are one talented family,” Gertie jokes.

I hesitate after the show ends. “Should I say hi?” I ask.

“Sure, why not?”

I chew on my lip as we hesitate in our row. The crowd is thinning around us and I look back towards the stage. I’ve only met Grady one time. Would it be weird to say hi to him when Grayson isn’t here?

Gertie sighs, “You worry too much, my dear.”

I know she’s right. It’s something I’ve been trying to work on. I take a deep breath and step out of my comfort zone by waving at Grady. It takes longer than I want for him to notice me. I’m about to give up and melt in embarrassment when he catches my eye and waves back. He walks up a few steps to meet us and smiles brightly at Gertie.

“Hey Quinn,” he says.

“Hey, great show! I wasn’t sure if it was weird to say hi or if I should just go,” I reply and it comes out more like a ramble.

Gertie looks at me flatly. “I’m Gertie,” she says, turning to Grady. “This weird one is my granddaughter.”

“Hey!” I exclaim.

Grady laughs. “It’s cool. I already feel like we’re friends based on how much Grayson talks about you.”

My cheeks flush, and I can’t stop the smile from growing on my face. He chuckles.

“I’m glad the feeling is mutual,” he grins. “He deserves that.”

“Pretty exciting about the movie,” I say, trying to change the subject.

“Yeah! I almost can’t believe it. Grayson has talked about two things his whole life, being in the WOE show and doing stunts in movies. It’s so cool. Can’t say I know many people that actually accomplish their childhood dreams,” Grady replies.

Hearing Grady talk about Grayson makes me even more proud of him. Grady is right, not many people grow up to do exactly what they said they wanted to. Then again, thanks to Grayson, I guess I did get to be a princess.

I’m a little apprehensive of bicerin when the waitress hands me the warm drink. It’s summer in Florida, and the last thing I want is a warm drink. However, it looks and smells delicious. I’d never heard of bicerin until now, so when I asked exactly what it was, the waitress explained its three layers: coffee, cocoa, and frothed milk. The layers stay separate in the glass creating a beautiful-looking drink. Gertie holds up her glass and I clink mine against hers as we both take a sip. Gertie’s eyes widen dramatically and when she pulls back her glass she has a little bit of a milk mustache.

“Wow, wow, wow,” she says. I laugh and motion to her face. She dabs at it with a napkin and grins. “I haven’t made it to Italy yet, but if this is this good here, just imagine what it must taste like there.”

I look around at the cute cafe we are sitting in. It’s a small brick building with green ivy and flowers growing up the side. A flower box is perched on the side of the consistently open door. The outdoor seating is quaint with small tables and wooden chairs. I love the atmosphere and understand exactly what Gertie means.

We sit at the cafe and finish our drinks as we talk. It’s easy in the park to pretend you’re actually in another country. For a momen,t I can picture us relaxing at a cafe after a long day exploring Italy. But I’m happy here, in Florida, with her. I can’t help but think that I never planned any of this but how quickly I’ve grown to love my life here.

“What are you thinking about?” Gertie questions me. “You’ve got a funny look on your face.”

“Thanks,” I deadpan. “I’m thinking about how glad I am to be here. Obviously I never planned on living with you for a summer but I’m glad I am.”

She nods and looks at me. “Yeah. I’m glad too. You seem to be doing better.”

“Better?”

“You needed to get away.”

I tilt my head and look at her. “What do you mean?”

“Quinn, I may not have been there but I know.”

My heart falters a bit at her words. “You know what?”

“That you were struggling. I think some of us knew before you even did.”

I swallow hard. I thought I did a good job of hiding it. I never cried in front of anyone. I never told people the harsh things Collin said to me. He acted respectfully around my friends and family.

“How did you know?”

“Your light, dear. Your light was gone.”

Tears well up in my eyes before I can stop them. Gertie looks at me with such a strong sense of love and compassion that I can’t hold them in anymore. I quickly wipe them away, and Gertie gives me a small smile.

“You’ve always been such a bright light, Quinn. You brighten every room you walk into. You are so full of love and life. It was quite obvious when you started to dim because of him. I don’t know what exactly happened, and I don’t need to. But I’m happy you’re here, and I can see your light again,” Gertie says as she gently places her hand over mine.

I’m too emotional to answer. I try to swallow down the tears but it comes out in an awful gargle sound which leads me to laugh.

“I’m a mess,” I manage to choke out.

Gertie waves a hand, “We’re all messes here.”