Simon couldn't believe how easily Gran and Jace conversed. It's not like Gran was hard to get along with or anything, but they talked like they'd known each other for years. Then when they got to the synagogue, Jace offered her his arm like he already knew she would refuse to use her walker, but how could he know that? Synagogue was the only place she refused to use it and he'd never been with them before.
That left Simon with a bit of a conundrum. Did he step up and offer his arm on the other side so he could walk her in, like he'd been doing every week since Gramps died? Or should he walk behind with Clary? As he was trying to decide, Clary grabbed his arm and started walking, essentially deciding for him.
"They sure get along well," Simon muttered quietly as they made their way through the parking lot. Gran and Jace were still carrying on their own conversation and were loud enough Simon was certain they couldn't hear him.
"Yes," Clary told him. "I think Gran loved him the first time she met him. Before I even knew I…" Clary paused slightly, "really liked him."
Simon looked at her sharply, trying to decide if she'd almost said she loved Jace, but the only indication he could see that anything was amiss was the blush that had crept into her cheeks and Clary really blushed at practically anything so that didn't tell him much.
They were still quite early for services (something Gran always insisted on) and Simon could hear her proudly introducing Jace to everyone they passed. It really made him wonder what Gran thought was so different about Jace. He'd never seen her act like this with anyone Clary had dated in the past.
This synagogue was not so traditional as to make the men and women sit separately, and left it up to each family to choose their own seats. Still, Simon had never seen Gran allow Clary to sit next to someone she had been dating. Today, Gran entered the row first to ensure Jace would be sitting between her and Clary. Simon followed Clary in, completing the group. He just couldn't seem to wrap his mind around how different Gran was acting. It was very strange.
As soon as the cantor started, all thoughts of Jace, Gran and Clary left Simon's mind. This was his favorite time of the week. There was something very comforting in reciting blessings he'd known as long as he could remember and knowing that people were doing the same in synagogues all around the world on this same day. It was a little strange not to hear his mother's voice joining in beside him, but he knew she would be with Becky at a synagogue in New York saying the same prayers.
Usually they would have stayed after service to eat a little something at Oneg, then come home for a couple of hours to visit before everyone went their separate ways for a nap, but today the plan was a little different. Today they had left right after service because it was to be the first time Gran was meeting Izzy. Simon had to admit he was a little nervous about it.
Because of his distraction, it wasn't until the walk back to the car that Simon recognized the kippah Jace was wearing. He was shocked. Surely, Gran hadn't loaned Jace one of Gramp's kippahs. Those were among the few of his things she had taken with her when they had given up the house and moved to the small apartment. The synagogue had plenty of head coverings available for guests. There was no reason for her to loan him something Simon would have considered so dear to her. Holding Clary back a little so Gran wouldn't overhear, he asked her about it.
"She didn't loan it to him," Clary assured him. "She actually said it was a gift. It is his to keep."
Simon was floored. "What?! Why? Is he even Jewish?" The questions left Simon's mouth before he even had a chance to think about how they might sound, or how loud he had said them.
Clary just shrugged. They were almost to the car, so he didn't have a chance to ask anything else.
"Are we taking you home, or is Izzy meeting you at our place?" Clary asked once everyone was situated in the car.
"She's planning to meet us there," Simon told her. "I'll text her we're on our way now and find out if Alec is coming with her. He wasn't home yet when you guys picked me up."
"What do you mean he wasn't home?" Jace asked. "Where did he go so early in the morning?"
"He didn't go anywhere early," Simon explained. "He still wasn't home from last night."
Simon saw in the mirror that the look on Jace's face turned to one of panic, "What do you mean? Why didn't he go home with you? Where did he go? Have you heard from him? Is he okay?!"
Simon was confused. Why was Jace freaking out? "He's fine. He went home with Clary's b -" Simon was cut off when Clary simultaneously jabbed him in the ribs and started coughing loudly. Everyone looked at her except Jace, who kept his eyes on the road.
"Are you okay dear?" Gran asked, turning her head to look at Clary.
"Yeah," Clary said between coughs, still pretending to choke a bit. "Must have swallowed wrong. Sorry, Simon. You were saying something about Alec and one of my friends he met last night?"
"Oh, yeah," Simon said, embarrassed to have realized his mistake. "Alec and Clary's friend Magnus really seemed to hit it off. Alec wasn't ready to leave when we were, so Magnus said he would bring him home. I'll text Izzy now to see if they're ready to head over."
Now it was Gran's turn to look confused. "I thought Magnus was the name of one of the gentlemen you were dating," she said. "Before Jace," she quickly added.
Clary realized how confusing all the lies were about to get. "We went out a few times, but we turned out to be better as friends," Clary explained.
"But if he likes Alec," Gran mused, "wouldn't he have known you weren't his type?"
"Oh! Uh… he actually likes guys and girls," Clary said. "We've become really good friends though. He's one of the people who is coming for Thanksgiving, so you'll get to meet him."
"Hmmm," Gran said. She squinted her eyes at Clary, who blushed, but didn't elaborate.
Simon felt a little bad. He hoped his slip hadn't messed anything up for Clary. Really though, if she wouldn't lie it would make everyone's lives a lot easier. He made a mental note to remind Clary to tell everyone else her stories so nobody contradicted them on Thanksgiving when they were all together.
Jace still seemed concerned. "Alec doesn't just go home with people though. Have either you or Izzy talked to him today?"
Just then Simon's phone dinged with a text alert. "Izzy says Alec just got home and they'll head out as soon as he has a quick shower."
Jace didn't say anything else, but he still seemed uneasy about this new information.
The first half of the ride back to Clary's was spent in companionable silence. Every once in a while someone would say something about the service or the scenery they were passing, but mostly they were each caught up in their own thoughts. Simon wondered what Izzy and Gran would talk about. He hoped Gran liked her as much as she seemed to like Jace. He should have been listening to what they had talked about this morning. He realized he hadn't paid attention to any of it.
Clary must have known he was anxious because she leaned over and bumped his shoulder with hers, smiling. "It'll be fine," she whispered.
"What are you making for lunch?" Simon asked.
"You know I don't really cook on Shabbat. I'll probably just keep it simple," Clary said. "Maybe salad and sandwiches?"
"I could just stop and get something," Jace offered.
"No thanks. We're not really supposed to avoid working just by making someone else do the work for us," Clary explained. "I've already got all the veggies washed and cut for the salad. It doesn't really take much to put cold sandwiches together. I don't think God will mind that too much. Besides, it doesn't feel like work when I'm doing things for people I love," she finished.
"Izzy offered to bring lunch too," Simon put in, "but once Clary's made up her mind about something…"
"Thank God for that!" Jace said emphatically. He turned to Gran and told her conspiratorially, "never eat something my sister makes no matter how innocent it may look. That girl has a knack for taking the simplest dish and making it inedible." Everyone laughed at that.
"Speaking of not letting Izzy cook," Clary started, "we were kind of hoping you could keep her occupied on Thursday so she wouldn't try to help out in the kitchen."
Gran chuckled, "I'm sure I can manage that. I can always get out the photo albums and show her all the pictures of the two of you when you were children."
"If you do that, I'm not going to be able to help with the cooking either," Jace warned. "Childhood photo albums are not something I'm willing to miss."
Gran laughed. "You're welcome to come over and look at them anytime you want dear," she said. "You don't even have to wait until this one's home," she added, tilting her head toward Clary in the back seat. "In fact," Gran added in a loud whisper, "if you come while she's gone, I can tell you all the stories she'll forbid me from telling if she's there to stop me." Everyone laughed again.
By the time they'd finished laughing with Gran, Jace had pulled into the apartment lot and parked. This time, Simon walked beside Gran and her walker while Clary and Jace hurried ahead to unlock the apartment. Straining, even with his excellent hearing, Simon could barely make out Jace's words as he quietly asked if Clary was sure he couldn't pick up lunch so she could rest. Simon couldn't make out every word, but he knew he heard the word nightmare and figured that Clary and Jace must have slept together and Clary must have had one of her dreams about her mother. No wonder she looked so tired today. He wondered if Clary had shared with Jace what her dream was about. Normally, she didn't share that with anybody, but she didn't normally talk about Sebastian either.
Simon felt Gran's hand on his arm as she stopped beside him. She was breathing a bit heavy and he realized they'd parked a little farther away than usual. "Do you need to rest?" He asked her. "Want me to get you a chair?" She just shook her head.
"Why don't you like him?" She wheezed. "They seem perfect for each other… but if you know something I don't…" Gran was staring into Simon's eyes like she had since he was little. Whenever Clary would tell her a story that was only half the truth she would always look at Simon for the rest because he was worse at hiding things from her.
Simon didn't know what to say. Was there something Clary was still hiding about Jace? Not really. A week ago she was hiding that she wasn't really dating him, but it seemed like now they really were dating. "I don't know," he finally said honestly. "He seems okay. I just really don't want to see Clary get hurt again, but Izzy says he really likes her…" Simon trailed off.
"Oh, that boy doesn't just like her," Gran said confidently. The rest from walking seemed to be helping her breathe easier. "I'd bet everything I own that he's in love with her," Gran continued. "Has been since the first time he came over and they lied about dating."
Simon gasped. "What? How did you-?"
Gran just chuckled again. "So they were lying!" she said victoriously. "Don't worry. I'll never tell Clary I found out from you." Gran patted Simon's back as he felt his face heat. "We'd better get inside before they send a search party for us," she said, continuing along the path toward the apartment.