reality of life came rushing back at me, pummeling me in the face, so I forced myself back to sleep.
When someone knocked on my door, I pushed my aching body up. “Yeah?”
“It’s Aunt Ginger,” came her sunny voice. “Just wanted to let you know I’m home.”
I mumbled something even I didn’t understand and stretched my legs out. The one I’d banged up from the bike crash still ached, along with my upper back and neck.
“Would you like to help me with dinner? It could be fun.”
“Okay,” I muttered. “Be out in a minute.”
I checked my phone before I went out. Nothing.
So everyone in L.A. had already forgotten about me. I hadn’t so much as heard a peep from Eli, which was pretty disappointing. I know I’d decided to give him some space, but that space was intended to make him miss me. Wasn’t he at least slightly concerned about how I was doing in New York?
Luke Anderson floated into my thoughts. He was hot, sure, but probably nothing more than another country bumpkin. My chest ached unbearably for the kind of men back in California — guys like Eli, who went exciting places with exciting people every weekend.
Luke’s idea of thrilling probably started and ended with taking a trip down to the local hardware store.
Come to think of it… why did he live in such a large house? Certainly he wasn’t staying in that place all by himself.
Ugh. He lives with his parents.
That was going to make hooking up much trickier than I had envisioned. It was best to just forget about him anyway. I needed to focus all my energy on finding some way out of Crystal Brook and back into the high ranks of Hollywood Hills royalty.
Aunt Ginger stood in the kitchen adjusting a wide brimmed sun hat. Looped over her arm was a straw basket with scissors in it.
“I thought we were making dinner,” I said, looking from the basket to the stove.
“We are,” she smiled. “Come on. Let’s go out to the garden. We need to get some basil and dill.”
Basil and dill. Cool. I’d heard of that.
I followed her into the living room and through the back door. The day’s shadows were long, slanting halfway across the little backyard. Overgrown bushes trimmed the yard’s perimeter, but in the middle sat an overflowing vegetable garden. Thick, red tomatoes filled one row and bushy herbs another. I took a few steps forward and saw a few small melons, their vines snaking across the dirt.
“Wow, are those watermelons?” I asked.
Aunt Ginger leaned over and started cutting something from a plant. “They are. Do you like them?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“So what did you do today?”
“Oh,” I mumbled, lost for words. “I, uh…” Somehow, I didn’t think she’d be too pleased to hear I’d spent the afternoon comatose from depression.
I sucked in a shaky breath and looked down at the grass. “Not much.”
“You don’t sound very happy,” she murmured.
I swallowed hard, doing my best to keep the tears at bay. “I’m not,” I whispered, and suddenly, it was all spilling out. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t belong here. Nothing makes sense in my life anymore. All my friends are back in L.A. Everything I know is back there!” The volume rose as I went on, and my eyes stung with the tears I refused to let fall.
“Oh, Grace,” she said.
I peeked up at her. She was on her knees now but had stopped messing in the garden to look over at me. “I understand this must all be terrifying.”
I sniffled. “You do?”
She nodded. “Yes. Your life was turned upside down overnight.” She looked thoughtful. “I’d like to help you if you want.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I brought the course schedule home from Crystal Brook Community College. The fall term starts in August.”
I flinched. Not community college again.
“I know it’s not NYU,” she went on, practically reading my thoughts, “but it’s better than doing nothing all day.”
I let the words sink in…
When someone knocked on my door, I pushed my aching body up. “Yeah?”
“It’s Aunt Ginger,” came her sunny voice. “Just wanted to let you know I’m home.”
I mumbled something even I didn’t understand and stretched my legs out. The one I’d banged up from the bike crash still ached, along with my upper back and neck.
“Would you like to help me with dinner? It could be fun.”
“Okay,” I muttered. “Be out in a minute.”
I checked my phone before I went out. Nothing.
So everyone in L.A. had already forgotten about me. I hadn’t so much as heard a peep from Eli, which was pretty disappointing. I know I’d decided to give him some space, but that space was intended to make him miss me. Wasn’t he at least slightly concerned about how I was doing in New York?
Luke Anderson floated into my thoughts. He was hot, sure, but probably nothing more than another country bumpkin. My chest ached unbearably for the kind of men back in California — guys like Eli, who went exciting places with exciting people every weekend.
Luke’s idea of thrilling probably started and ended with taking a trip down to the local hardware store.
Come to think of it… why did he live in such a large house? Certainly he wasn’t staying in that place all by himself.
Ugh. He lives with his parents.
That was going to make hooking up much trickier than I had envisioned. It was best to just forget about him anyway. I needed to focus all my energy on finding some way out of Crystal Brook and back into the high ranks of Hollywood Hills royalty.
Aunt Ginger stood in the kitchen adjusting a wide brimmed sun hat. Looped over her arm was a straw basket with scissors in it.
“I thought we were making dinner,” I said, looking from the basket to the stove.
“We are,” she smiled. “Come on. Let’s go out to the garden. We need to get some basil and dill.”
Basil and dill. Cool. I’d heard of that.
I followed her into the living room and through the back door. The day’s shadows were long, slanting halfway across the little backyard. Overgrown bushes trimmed the yard’s perimeter, but in the middle sat an overflowing vegetable garden. Thick, red tomatoes filled one row and bushy herbs another. I took a few steps forward and saw a few small melons, their vines snaking across the dirt.
“Wow, are those watermelons?” I asked.
Aunt Ginger leaned over and started cutting something from a plant. “They are. Do you like them?”
I shrugged. “Yeah. Who doesn’t?”
“So what did you do today?”
“Oh,” I mumbled, lost for words. “I, uh…” Somehow, I didn’t think she’d be too pleased to hear I’d spent the afternoon comatose from depression.
I sucked in a shaky breath and looked down at the grass. “Not much.”
“You don’t sound very happy,” she murmured.
I swallowed hard, doing my best to keep the tears at bay. “I’m not,” I whispered, and suddenly, it was all spilling out. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I don’t belong here. Nothing makes sense in my life anymore. All my friends are back in L.A. Everything I know is back there!” The volume rose as I went on, and my eyes stung with the tears I refused to let fall.
“Oh, Grace,” she said.
I peeked up at her. She was on her knees now but had stopped messing in the garden to look over at me. “I understand this must all be terrifying.”
I sniffled. “You do?”
She nodded. “Yes. Your life was turned upside down overnight.” She looked thoughtful. “I’d like to help you if you want.”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“I brought the course schedule home from Crystal Brook Community College. The fall term starts in August.”
I flinched. Not community college again.
“I know it’s not NYU,” she went on, practically reading my thoughts, “but it’s better than doing nothing all day.”
I let the words sink in…
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