Chapter 2:
I stretched as I woke up the next morning… you know, one of those awesome stretches you do after a really good night's sleep. And boy, had I had a good night's sleep. I knew I was tired from work, but my dreams made it even better.
I hadn't realized how late it was. I'm usually a pretty early riser. My room was flooded with sunshine and I got very excited. I knew I would be working on my tan today. Sunbathing is one of my few vices. The other one was coffee, which as I sniffed; I could smell it brewing in the kitchen. I got my morning needs taken care of, and then made my way to the kitchen.
"Morning, Gran." I bounced into the room and kissed her on the cheek. She had a mug of coffee waiting on me. She knew me so well.
"Good morning, dear. I take it you slept well." She had that damn smirk on her face again. I'll never understand how she does it… seriously.
"I did, how about you?"
"Oh, fine. So, what are your plans… you're off today, right?"
"Yes Ma'am, I'm off today. I thought I would work on my tan for a while since it's so nice out. I need to run a few errands too. No big plans." Yes, I was hoping to hear from Alcide, but who knew if that would happen. "How about you?"
"I'm going to my meeting then to lunch with Maxine. We may do a small bit of shopping too."
"Ok, sounds like fun." I happily took one of Gran's homemade cinnamon rolls over to join her at the table. "How are the meetings going these days? Any trips planned soon?"
"Oh, I still enjoy them. No, we don't have any trips planned soon. Maybe in the fall. We're thinking of going to South Carolina. After all, it would be very exciting to see the place the war started. We just haven't managed to get a trip set up." Gran was a member of the 'Descendants of the Glorious Dead'; a group that studied the Civil War in nauseating detail and they enjoyed going to visit battle sites and other important landmarks of the time. I knew going to South Carolina, more specifically Fort Sumter, would be a really big deal to Gran and the other members.
"That sounds great, Gran. I hope it works out for y'all to take the trip."
"I do too, dear. Now, I need to get going on these dishes then be on my way."
I stood to block her. "No, I'll take care of them, Gran. You go get ready for your day."
"Well, thank you, Sookie. Maxine is due to be here soon." I hugged her and assured her I didn't mind. I had an ulterior motive anyway.
Once I heard a car coming up the driveway and Gran told me bye, I knew I was in the clear. I went to my room, dug the shopping bags from under my bed and went to redecorate the kitchen. Our stuff was really old and had gotten 'dingy' looking. No amount of washing helped at this point, so Gran and I had talked one night about how we could redecorate it. We'd decided that sunflowers would be nice, but would have to wait for a while. I had repainted the room a few months back and bought the new décor, but had not had the chance to put it up. I really wanted to surprise Gran with it but the timing hadn't worked out until now. She of course thought the paint was "more than enough", but I really enjoyed doing things like this for her.
About a half hour later, I was finished. The new curtains looked great. I made sure to get the nice rugs that were supposed to help Gran's feet and back not hurt so much. I knew a rug wouldn't cure her aches and pains, but I really hoped they would at least help a little. I got a few towels and new placemats too. I finished it off with an arrangement of fake sunflowers that I put in the center of the table. It wasn't much, but it sure did make the room look different. I just hoped Gran liked it as much as I did.
It was about 10:30 by then, so I decided that I would go ahead and run my errands, stop for lunch at Merlotte's, then come back and spend my afternoon in the sun. I know it's sad that I was going to have lunch at Merlotte's on my day off, but I'd been honest with that guy the night before…Merlotte's was just about the only place to eat around here… definitely the only good place. Besides… I had a serious craving for a 'Burger Lafayette'.
I ran up to my room, threw on a pair of jean shorts and a tank top, pulled my hair up into a high pony tail, and slid my feet into my favorite flip flops.
I went by the library to return my books and get some new ones for my afternoon sunbathing. Then I stopped by the bank and the post office. I was pulling into Merlotte's parking lot by 11:30… just before the lunch crowd would be hitting.
"Hey, Sook… couldn't stay away?" Sam laughed as he greeted me. I returned the smile.
"Happens when you work at the only decent place to eat around here." Sam chuckled and nodded.
"Well, take your pick. The crowd will be here soon." I went to a booth in Holly's section and even though I knew it by heart, I pulled out a lunch menu and began looking over it.
"Hey, Sook. What can I get ya?"
"Hey, Holly. I think I'll take a Burger Lafayette, ½ and ½, and a sweet tea. Thanks." I smiled at her.
"No problem… be right back with your tea." I loved that I was treated like a customer by Holly. If it'd been Arlene, she'd have told me to just get everything myself.
I had picked up a real estate booklet and began flipping pages to pass the time. I was startled when I picked up some red, snarly thoughts. Nothing clear, so I looked up, expecting to see Sam, but was very pleasantly surprised to find Alcide coming in the door.
I couldn't stop the grin I felt taking over my whole face as he saw me. He smiled too and came over to my table.
"Ok, I know I saw you leave here last night."
I laughed, "Yes, you sure did. I decided I was a little too lazy to fix my own lunch today and I told y'all last night that this is the only good place to eat in town."
"That you did. Mind if I join you, or have you already eaten?" I loved his smile a little too much.
"Oh no, I just ordered a few minutes ago. Have a seat."
Holly saw him sit down, so she came over to get his drink order. He was sticking to sweet tea today. "So, what brings you back in here today, Alcide?"
"Well, I was taking your advice. I'm working in town again. I didn't want to take my chances with the other place you mentioned like my guys did, so I came here instead. I'm really glad I did too." He winked at me and I melted a little. Course, I was doing my own inner happy dance over his choice as well.
Holly came back with his tea and my order at that moment. She turned to take Alcide's order and he looked at my plate. "What's that you have? It looks great."
I smiled. "A Burger Lafayette, ½ and ½."
"Ok, I remember reading about the burger and thought it sounded pretty good last night. But what the hell is ½ and ½?"
I giggled, "Restaurant lingo… means an order of ½ fries and ½ onion rings."
He smiled and turned to Holly, "Sounds great, I'll have what she's having." Holly smiled and turned to go put his order in.
"I didn't know you could get both of them… smart idea."
"Oh yeah, that way, you get the best of both worlds. Choosing between them can be so hard sometimes." I was still giggling.
"I would have to agree with you there." Seriously… his smile.
We sat in comfortable silence for a minute while I ate an onion ring and he started on his tea.
"So, I know you have a younger sister, any other siblings?"
Holly showed up with Alcide's order as I asked my question. Once he had his food, I didn't feel weird about eating in front of him anymore. "Nope, just me and my sister, Janice. How 'bout you… any siblings other than Jason?"
"Lord no… he's enough of a headache for me." Both of us laughed.
"So, you like working here? It seems like a nice enough place."
"I do like it. Jobs are hard to find these days, and it lets me help my Gran out with the house."
"So, you live with your Gran? How'd that happen?"
"Well, my parents were killed in a car accident when I was 7. After that, Gran took me and Jason in and cared for us. Jason moved into our parents' house as soon as he was 18. I decided to stay on with Gran."
"Shit, I'm sorry, Sookie. I didn't mean to bring up something like that."
"No problem. You didn't know, and it was a long time ago. I can't imagine my life being any different. I love Gran… she's more than just my grandmother ya know. She's my best friend too."
"It's great you are so close to her. I'm not that close to my parents."
"Do they live in Shreveport?"
"Yeah, they do. But, I'm real close to my sister. Truth is, I was pretty unhappy when she decided to move to Mississippi. Thankfully, Jackson isn't too far from here, and since the company has an office there too, I still get to see her a good bit."
"I just realized I never asked… which company do you work for?"
"Herveaux and Son."
"Oh, I've heard of them. They're a pretty well known company around here."
"Yeah, I guess so." He seemed a little off to me… like he didn't like where this conversation was heading. But before I could ask, he moved things along. "So, how long have you worked here?"
"About 3 years. I know it's not much, but I like it."
"Hey, if you're happy, that's all that matters." I grinned.
Talking to Alcide was so easy. I'd never felt this comfortable with anyone before. I let down my shields a few times just to see what it would be like around him without them. I didn't pick up much beyond what I could only describe as a 'red energy' and I had to really be trying to hear him to get that. I could pick up his general mood… but no thoughts. I was so excited. It was looking like I might actually be able to be around him and not wear myself out keeping my shields up. I had only dreamed this would be possible for me one day.
I had been so focused on my conversation and thoughts about Alcide, I nearly jumped out of my skin when I heard, "Well, what a pleasant surprise. I didn't know you had lunch plans too, Sookie."
"Oh, Gran! I didn't see you come in. I didn't have 'plans', I just decided to grab some lunch after I finished my errands. Oh, I'd like you to meet Alcide. Alcide, this is my Gran, Adele Stackhouse."
Alcide stood and put his hand out for Gran. "So nice to meet you, Ms. Stackhouse."
"Well, you certainly are a 'hunk' aren't you?" Alcide was actually blushing as Gran flirted a little… it was too cute. I couldn't stop myself from giggling.
She chuckled as she looked at his hand before pulling him into a hug. "My dear boy – anyone who makes my granddaughter smile like that gets more than a handshake from me. And call me Gran, or Adele, no need to be so formal."
He hugged her back. "Thank you, Adele. Would you like to join us?"
"Oh no… I just wanted to say hello. I do have lunch plans today. Nice to meet you, Alcide. I hope to see you again very soon." She winked at us, then made her way over to Maxine.
I couldn't contain my laughter anymore as we sat back down. Alcide's face was a cross between flabbergasted and amused.
"Is she always like that?"
"Pretty much. I'm sorry if she embarrassed you." I was still giggling.
"Who's embarrassed? She's awesome, Sookie! I can see why y'all are so close."
"She is absolutely awesome." I was nodding my agreement. "She always tells me 'you're as young as you feel' and she is one feisty lady. I don't know what I'd do without her."
Alcide chuckled, "Feisty – that's a good word to describe her." He was smiling at me.
"I'm glad y'all got to meet. She means everything to me and I really like…" I turned bright red the second I realized I was about to tell Alcide how much I really liked him… oh my gosh – I couldn't do that… not yet anyway.
But Alcide just took my small hand in his huge ones. "Don't do that, Sookie. If it helps… I really like you too. I can't explain it… it just feels like I know you." I let out the breath I didn't realize I'd been holding and smiled my biggest smile at him.
We were finishing up our lunch when I excused myself to go to the restroom. When I got back to the table, I couldn't find my ticket anywhere.
"Lose something?" Alcide must've gone to the restroom as well.
"Just my ticket… I'll just tell Sam what I had." I turned to go to the bar, but Alcide grabbed my hand, stopping me.
"Don't worry about it, Sookie… I already took care of it."
"Why did you do that, Alcide? You didn't have to… I can take care of myself." The last thing I wanted was for him to think I was the kind of girl who just wanted a meal ticket.
"It's not a problem, Sookie… I wanted to do it."
"But this wasn't a date or anything… I didn't expect that from you." God, he was so sweet that my sensibilities couldn't help but be too flattered to argue over going Dutch.
"Sookie, this might not have been an official date, but I really enjoyed myself. I do still plan on taking you on a date though."
My inner happy dance was threatening to take control of my body as I said, "I'd like that very much, Alcide."
"Great! Look, as much as I hate it, I do need to be getting back to work. Can I call you later?"
"Sure, I'll be around. My plans are very simple for the rest of the day… work on my tan, then veg out with a movie or a book tonight."
He smiled again, as he moved closer to me. "Then I'll talk to you later, for sure."
He bent down a little and pulled me into a hug. My arms found their way around his neck, completely on their own it seemed. I felt so small, but very safe in his large arms. He placed a kiss on my forehead and I let out a contented sigh. He used one hand to tilt my chin up, so that I was looking at him. "I don't want to let you go, Sookie."
"I know what you mean."
I was getting lost in his eyes and noticed he was getting even closer to me. I tilted my face just a little, waiting for what I so hoped was about to happen when I heard someone clearing their throat behind me.
"Sookie, here's your purse. You left it at the table."
I turned a little, but was still in Alcide's arms, and saw Sam. He looked extremely pissed… well, he wasn't the only one.
"Thanks, Sam." I took the purse from him as he shot daggers at Alcide, who still hadn't let go of me… I wasn't complaining either. Sam just stood there… looking pissed.
"I'm sure you have customers waiting, Sam." Alcide broke the silence… and wow, I liked 'take charge' Alcide.
"You ok, Sook?" Sam was just being a pain in the ass at this point.
"I was doing great, Sam. See ya tomorrow." He had no reason to stay outside with us. He almost growled as he turned and went back inside.
"Well, that was fun."
I turned back to face Alcide. "I'm so sorry about that. I don't know what he thought he was doing."
"Don't be sorry – it's not your fault he was being a jack-ass. Besides… I can handle him." He winked at me and I melted.
"So, I really do need to be getting back now. I'll call you later ok?"
"Sounds good. Hope the rest of your day goes well."
"It won't be able to top lunch. Thanks for letting me join you."
"I enjoyed it too, Alcide." I didn't want him to go, but I knew he had to. He opened my car door for me, but before I could get in, he hugged me again. I was beginning to really like being in his arms. I rested my head on his shoulder for a moment, then pulled away.
"You have to get back to work, Alcide… now scoot!" We both started laughing and I got in my car. Watching him walk to his truck was very enjoyable because I discovered that he had a very nice butt. I giggled at myself as I headed back home.
Lunch had taken longer than I had planned, but I definitely didn't mind. I still had plenty of time left to work on my tan. I let myself in the back door… took a moment to look over the newly decorated kitchen once more, then bounded up the stairs to my room. I pulled out my favorite bikini. It was white with red polka dots. I put it on, grabbed my book and a towel, then headed to the back yard and got comfortable in my lounge chair.
"Sookie… Wake up dear… I don't want you to burn."
I rubbed my eyes and as things came into focus, I saw Gran.
"Oh, hey, Gran. When did you get home?"
"A little while ago. How long have you been out here?"
"I'm not sure about the time, but I came out as soon as I got changed after lunch."
"Then you should definitely turn over, dear. It's been about an hour and a half since I saw you leaving Merlotte's."
Whew, I was so glad Gran had gotten home when she did. I love to tan, but hate sunburn. You're so miserable and uncomfortable. So, I got myself turned over as I saw Gran pulling up one of the other regular chairs. She was so going to ask me about Alcide.
"I enjoyed meeting your young man today, Sookie. He seems very nice."
"Oh, he is, Gran. I was so glad we had a chance to spend a little time together today."
"Do you plan to see him again?"
"I sure hope so! He said he was going to call later."
"That's wonderful, dear. I like seeing you smile like this. You have had to deal with so much during your short life. I'm so glad you are excited about something for a change."
"I like Alcide, Gran… a LOT. Is it crazy that I like him so much after such a short amount of time?"
"No, not at all. Everyone is different, Sookie. You know this better than most people. Some people take a very long time before they let themselves admit their feelings. Others realize how they feel very quickly. I think you fit in with the later group. And if I had to guess, Alcide does as well. I could tell he likes you too."
I was beaming. "I don't know what you saw after we left the restaurant, but he hugged me while we were saying goodbye. I didn't hear him at all, Gran. You know how when I touch people, their thoughts come in clearer?" She nodded. "Even when he hugged me, that didn't happen. I'm not complaining, but I wonder why."
"I can't answer that for you, Sookie. We don't know enough about what you can do to figure something like that out. But, I would have to agree with you, don't complain. You being able to find happiness like this is well worth not having all the answers."
I nodded and realized she was right. Who cared why I couldn't hear Alcide… I was just so glad that I couldn't.
I laid on my stomach for an hour or so before I decided it was time for me to go in. I also realized that when I had spoken to Gran earlier, she hadn't been in the house yet. I wanted to see what she thought about the kitchen.
I walked in the house and heard her in the kitchen. I figured she was getting ready to start supper. I stopped in the doorway and just watched her for a second. She was moving around like nothing was new, but I noticed her fingering the new curtains… rubbing her foot on one of the rugs…
"Do you like it?"
"Oh my stars, Sookie! Now you're the one startling me. I do like it, very much. But I wish you wouldn't spend your money on stuff like this."
I let out a deep sigh. "Gran, we've been over this more times than I care to remember. I live here too. I want to help out with the bills, but you refuse to let me. So, I will continue to fix the place up. I can't do everything at once, but I will do what I can. And while we're on this subject, I will let you know that I have almost saved up enough money to get the driveway redone soon."
Gran sighed too. "Sookie, you definitely have that Stackhouse stubborn streak running through your veins. I want you to save your money so that you can do whatever it is you decide to do with your life. You don't have to worry about me and this house."
"I see it differently, Gran. I want to help because it's the right thing to do. You are on a fixed income and I want to make life easier for you when I can. Besides, I love this house. Now, let's stop this. It's getting a little old… we have this argument way too often."
She walked over to me and wrapped me up in a hug. "You are a good girl, Sookie. I'll agree that we have this argument too often. Just promise me that all of your money doesn't go back into this house. You're young. You need to have your life too."
"I promise, Gran. Why do you think it's taken me so long to save for the driveway? And I'm not there yet… just getting close."
"Alright. Why don't you go shower while I start supper?"
"Good idea. I'll be back in a bit to give you a hand." I kissed her on the cheek, and bounced up the stairs to get myself cleaned up.
A/N: I hope you liked it. So sorry I haven't posted this sooner, but FF has been having lots of issues! Chapter 3 will hopefully be going up on my wordpress site this week, so if you want to sign up for alerts there, please do. :) It's www(dot)carolinagirl96(dot)wordpress(dot)com
And please let me know what you think!
