Author's Note: Thanks to everyone who's been reading from the start, I know
my updates aren't as frequent as they used to be, and I know the stories
kinda- I guess- boring at the moment. But um, this season is drawing to a
close; I just think I need a bit of a break for a while, to maybe write
something else. And then I can come back to this. Also I know I've sort of
forgotten the whole Judy storyline, but I'll be getting back to that as
well.
Chapter 44 | Dinner (Part 1)
"Grace, honey! When your finished doing that would you mind coming upstairs?"
"Sure mum!" grace called up to her mother, from where she was setting the table. Setting down the last plate, Grace quickly counted the number of places she'd laid out, "Jessie makes 5, Eli 6 and . . ." Grace paused for a second, knowing she had forgotten someone, "Oh! And Judy makes 7"
They had all been surprised when Judy had told them about a week ago that she was going to see Sam. They could understand that Judy had issues to sort out with Sam, after all it had been a couple months since Judy had come to stay with them and he didn't yet know about the miscarriage. But actually going to see him was a huge step; he didn't even know she was coming.
But when Grace had answered the phone the previous morning, Judy had sounded happier than she had been in a long time.
With a smile Grace quickly gave the table one last tug, straightening out any left over creases, it had been a long time since they had all been together for dinner, and Grace knew Lily wanted everything to be perfect.
[Grace- I only hope we don't let her down]
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mum? What happened?" Grace said in bewilderment, taking in the site of her mother's usually perfectly clean bedroom. While normally there wouldn't be a shoe out of place the floor was now covered in discarded clothes, as was the bed, and even the chair which sat in one corner of the room. The chair had been Lily's grandfathers, and after he had passed away, Lily had kept the chair. She could often be found just sitting there, lost in thought, with a sad smile on her face.
Grace laughed as her mother emerged from her walk in wardrobe, her arms laden with even more clothes.
"Honey, there you are" he mother said with a frazzled smile. "I was just. . ." her mum gestured to the mess around her and shrugged.
"It's just dinner" Grace tried to reassure her obviously stressed out mother, not quite sure what to say as she wasn't used to seeing her like she was.
"I know" Lily rolled her eyes, it's just that" Lily looked down at her clothe covered floor and felt a hint of blush creeping up her neck, "It's been such a long time since we have had a proper dinner together, all of us, like a family. And I just want everything to be prefect" Lily threw her hands up in the air, "Now if I could only find something to wear" she said half desperately.
"Okay, Okay, you know what?" Grace said to her mother, deciding it was time for her to take charge. "Why don't you go and half a long hot shower, and I'll sort this mess out" Grace said, grabbing her mothers hand and pulling her towards her ensuite.
"But, but, what about my clothes" Lily stammered half heartedly. She really had no idea of what to wear, everything in her wardrobe was just wrong.
"No buts. Now go in there, okay. And relax a bit please?" Grace pleaded with her mother, "when you get out I'll have an outfit and everything organized for you already.
"But what about the roast" Lily complained held heartedly, looking at her watch "It needs to come out of the oven in 15 minutes, oh and they are going to be here soon!"
Grace has never seen her mother quite so freaked out before; she was acting like a . . . well she was acting like a teenager!
[Grace - Is this how she feels, dealing with me and Zoë every day? No wonder she gets so tired!]
"Mum, don't make me say it again" Grace said warningly, it would have been funny if Rick wasn't going to be therein 45 minutes.
"Okay! Okay!" Lily gave in and finally went into the bathroom.
Grace let out a relieved sigh, "Thank god for that!" She said, allowing herself to sink down into the softness of her mother's bed, and closed her eyes.
Two seconds later she heard Zoe scream from downstairs, "Grace! Can you come here! Grace"
* * * * * * * * * *
Grace ran over to the door and answered it, praying that it was Aunt Judy and not Rick, with Eli and Jessie.
"Grace, oh my god, what's happened?" Judy said, seeing the stressed look on Graces face.
"Thank god you're here, come in" Grace held the door open, and then grabbed on of her aunts bags which was sitting on their front porch.
"Umm Grace? Is something burning?" Judy asked, sniffing the air.
"Yeah, Zoë?" Grace said with a groan.
"What? Where is she!?" Judy dropped her bags on the hallway floor, alarm showing all over her face.
Grace shook her head, "its okay, she just decided to use my straigtener without asking, and well" Grace rolled her eyes, "And mum's upstairs in the shower. I found her in her room about twenty minutes ago, totally freaked out about her clothes of all things"
Judy let out a laugh.
"What?" Grace looked at her defensively, "She was acting like a . . ."
"Teenager?" Judy asked with raised eyebrows.
"How did you know?" Grace asked surprised.
"Trust me; I've been there a hundred times or more. I'll go sort her out" Judy said with a smile.
"Thanks" Grace called after Judy as she made her way upstairs.
"Oh and Judy?"
Judy stopped and turned around to look at her niece.
"Welcome back"
* * * * * * * * * *
Grace, pulled to roast out of the oven, a tea towel wrapped around her hands because that's all she could find. Walking over to the table she could feel the heat coming through, threatening to burn her fingers.
At the same moment she could her knock on the door and her mother's voice calling form upstairs, "can you answer that?"
Quickly putting the hot tray down onto the middle of the table, Grace the towel onto the kitchen bed, and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She had barley had any time to change, between her mother and Zoë's experience with the hair straigtener, she just thrown on the first thing she could find. Hip hugging pants, which flared out at the legs. A green V neck top, with three quarter sleeves. She'd quickly pulled her hair up, so it was half up - half down. And a few lashings over mascara and a swipe of her usual raspberry lip-gloss completed her look. Quickly tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear she threw once last nervous glance at the mirror and walked over to the front door, where she took a deep breath before answering it.
"Hi Rick," Grace stared at her mother's boyfriend, his hand raised as he was about to knock again. "Hi Grace" Rick look down at his watch, "Sorry, we're a bit early.
"A bit?" Grace heard a familiar voice comment sarcastically from behind his father. Eli of course, Grace rolled her eyes, taking in the appearance of her ex-boyfriend. Wearing his trademark worn denim jeans, the ones with a rip across his right thigh, and a black, sleeveless top, he looked as gorgeous as ever.
"Hey grace, you look nice" Jessie said with a smile, as Grace led them inside.
"You too" Grace said genuinely, Jessie was wearing a cute baby doll dress. The pale blue, drawing out the colour of her eyes.
"So what's Lily up to" Rick asked, conversationally, noticing the absence of his girlfriend.
Grace let out an exaggerated sigh, "Don't ask" she said rolling her eyes, "I don't know how she does it"
"Does what?" Eli asked, from behind his father.
"Everything, I now know what it must be like for her trying to get me to do something"
Rick laughed understanding, "she's doing the teenager thing huh" he said much to Grace's surprise.
"Ah yeah" she said, her eyebrows furrowed, "how did you know?"
Rick rolled his eyes, "must of seen it a hundred times before"
Chapter 44 | Dinner (Part 1)
"Grace, honey! When your finished doing that would you mind coming upstairs?"
"Sure mum!" grace called up to her mother, from where she was setting the table. Setting down the last plate, Grace quickly counted the number of places she'd laid out, "Jessie makes 5, Eli 6 and . . ." Grace paused for a second, knowing she had forgotten someone, "Oh! And Judy makes 7"
They had all been surprised when Judy had told them about a week ago that she was going to see Sam. They could understand that Judy had issues to sort out with Sam, after all it had been a couple months since Judy had come to stay with them and he didn't yet know about the miscarriage. But actually going to see him was a huge step; he didn't even know she was coming.
But when Grace had answered the phone the previous morning, Judy had sounded happier than she had been in a long time.
With a smile Grace quickly gave the table one last tug, straightening out any left over creases, it had been a long time since they had all been together for dinner, and Grace knew Lily wanted everything to be perfect.
[Grace- I only hope we don't let her down]
* * * * * * * * * *
"Mum? What happened?" Grace said in bewilderment, taking in the site of her mother's usually perfectly clean bedroom. While normally there wouldn't be a shoe out of place the floor was now covered in discarded clothes, as was the bed, and even the chair which sat in one corner of the room. The chair had been Lily's grandfathers, and after he had passed away, Lily had kept the chair. She could often be found just sitting there, lost in thought, with a sad smile on her face.
Grace laughed as her mother emerged from her walk in wardrobe, her arms laden with even more clothes.
"Honey, there you are" he mother said with a frazzled smile. "I was just. . ." her mum gestured to the mess around her and shrugged.
"It's just dinner" Grace tried to reassure her obviously stressed out mother, not quite sure what to say as she wasn't used to seeing her like she was.
"I know" Lily rolled her eyes, it's just that" Lily looked down at her clothe covered floor and felt a hint of blush creeping up her neck, "It's been such a long time since we have had a proper dinner together, all of us, like a family. And I just want everything to be prefect" Lily threw her hands up in the air, "Now if I could only find something to wear" she said half desperately.
"Okay, Okay, you know what?" Grace said to her mother, deciding it was time for her to take charge. "Why don't you go and half a long hot shower, and I'll sort this mess out" Grace said, grabbing her mothers hand and pulling her towards her ensuite.
"But, but, what about my clothes" Lily stammered half heartedly. She really had no idea of what to wear, everything in her wardrobe was just wrong.
"No buts. Now go in there, okay. And relax a bit please?" Grace pleaded with her mother, "when you get out I'll have an outfit and everything organized for you already.
"But what about the roast" Lily complained held heartedly, looking at her watch "It needs to come out of the oven in 15 minutes, oh and they are going to be here soon!"
Grace has never seen her mother quite so freaked out before; she was acting like a . . . well she was acting like a teenager!
[Grace - Is this how she feels, dealing with me and Zoë every day? No wonder she gets so tired!]
"Mum, don't make me say it again" Grace said warningly, it would have been funny if Rick wasn't going to be therein 45 minutes.
"Okay! Okay!" Lily gave in and finally went into the bathroom.
Grace let out a relieved sigh, "Thank god for that!" She said, allowing herself to sink down into the softness of her mother's bed, and closed her eyes.
Two seconds later she heard Zoe scream from downstairs, "Grace! Can you come here! Grace"
* * * * * * * * * *
Grace ran over to the door and answered it, praying that it was Aunt Judy and not Rick, with Eli and Jessie.
"Grace, oh my god, what's happened?" Judy said, seeing the stressed look on Graces face.
"Thank god you're here, come in" Grace held the door open, and then grabbed on of her aunts bags which was sitting on their front porch.
"Umm Grace? Is something burning?" Judy asked, sniffing the air.
"Yeah, Zoë?" Grace said with a groan.
"What? Where is she!?" Judy dropped her bags on the hallway floor, alarm showing all over her face.
Grace shook her head, "its okay, she just decided to use my straigtener without asking, and well" Grace rolled her eyes, "And mum's upstairs in the shower. I found her in her room about twenty minutes ago, totally freaked out about her clothes of all things"
Judy let out a laugh.
"What?" Grace looked at her defensively, "She was acting like a . . ."
"Teenager?" Judy asked with raised eyebrows.
"How did you know?" Grace asked surprised.
"Trust me; I've been there a hundred times or more. I'll go sort her out" Judy said with a smile.
"Thanks" Grace called after Judy as she made her way upstairs.
"Oh and Judy?"
Judy stopped and turned around to look at her niece.
"Welcome back"
* * * * * * * * * *
Grace, pulled to roast out of the oven, a tea towel wrapped around her hands because that's all she could find. Walking over to the table she could feel the heat coming through, threatening to burn her fingers.
At the same moment she could her knock on the door and her mother's voice calling form upstairs, "can you answer that?"
Quickly putting the hot tray down onto the middle of the table, Grace the towel onto the kitchen bed, and gave herself a once over in the mirror. She had barley had any time to change, between her mother and Zoë's experience with the hair straigtener, she just thrown on the first thing she could find. Hip hugging pants, which flared out at the legs. A green V neck top, with three quarter sleeves. She'd quickly pulled her hair up, so it was half up - half down. And a few lashings over mascara and a swipe of her usual raspberry lip-gloss completed her look. Quickly tucking a few loose strands of hair behind her ear she threw once last nervous glance at the mirror and walked over to the front door, where she took a deep breath before answering it.
"Hi Rick," Grace stared at her mother's boyfriend, his hand raised as he was about to knock again. "Hi Grace" Rick look down at his watch, "Sorry, we're a bit early.
"A bit?" Grace heard a familiar voice comment sarcastically from behind his father. Eli of course, Grace rolled her eyes, taking in the appearance of her ex-boyfriend. Wearing his trademark worn denim jeans, the ones with a rip across his right thigh, and a black, sleeveless top, he looked as gorgeous as ever.
"Hey grace, you look nice" Jessie said with a smile, as Grace led them inside.
"You too" Grace said genuinely, Jessie was wearing a cute baby doll dress. The pale blue, drawing out the colour of her eyes.
"So what's Lily up to" Rick asked, conversationally, noticing the absence of his girlfriend.
Grace let out an exaggerated sigh, "Don't ask" she said rolling her eyes, "I don't know how she does it"
"Does what?" Eli asked, from behind his father.
"Everything, I now know what it must be like for her trying to get me to do something"
Rick laughed understanding, "she's doing the teenager thing huh" he said much to Grace's surprise.
"Ah yeah" she said, her eyebrows furrowed, "how did you know?"
Rick rolled his eyes, "must of seen it a hundred times before"