Stages of Grace - By Carey Heywood Page 0,30

the one with an accent.

It sounds as though they are by the pool. I head that way and peek through the doorway.

"Ah, it's Sleeping Beauty, awakened from her slumber." Ryan catches my eye and raises his beer in my direction.

My grandmother laughs and turns towards me. "Grace, come sit. Are you hungry? Let me get you some food."

"I can get it. Please, you don’t have to get up."

"Oh, don’t be silly." she pats me on my arm as she moves past me. "Go sit."

I bob my head and sit in the free chair between my grandmother's seat and Ryan's. As I get closer, I realize Ryan is shirtless with a towel wrapped around his waist and still damp hair. I have to tell myself not to stare more than once. A body like that and an accent? Maybe I should visit more often.

"Um, I noticed you, ah, have an accent, um, but I couldn’t place it."

"Oh, right. I'm a Kiwi."

I snort. "A what?"

Ryan laughs at my reaction, running his hand through his hair. "Not the fruit. I'm from New Zealand. It’s—"

"I know where New Zealand is." I cut him off. "I've just never met anyone from there."

"Didn’t mean to imply you didn’t. Most people assume I'm Australian."

"Never met anyone from there either, but I did see those crocodile movies."

This makes Ryan laugh again, which makes me feel a little silly. My grandmother walks back in with my plate, and I rise to take it from her, thanking her. A filet of tilapia on rice surrounded by steamed carrots and green beans. She pours me a glass of white wine to go with it. I groan in appreciation at my first bite. This may be the best thing I have ever eaten.

"Your Gran is a wonderful cook." Ryan smiles at my reaction.

I blush. I didn’t realize he heard me. Meanwhile, my grandmother is telling him to hush. I listen to them chat as I quietly eat. This is commonplace for them. Ryan comes to have dinner with Kate most nights, sometimes taking a dip in her pool. He rents the house next door, and it doesn’t have a pool. In exchange for pool use and home cooked meals, Ryan keeps her company and takes care of her landscaping. I can tell my grandmother adores him. I am hungrier than I think and finish my plate in no time. I wave off help from Kate and get up to rinse my plate and put it in the dishwasher.

When I come back out, I notice she has refilled my wineglass. I am not much of a drinker and already feel a bit tipsy from the first glass. That doesn’t stop me from drinking it. I am on vacation.

Peering up at Ryan, I ask. "Why did you move to the U.S?"

"Guess I've got a bit of an adventurer in me and wanted to travel. I had been bumming around from place to place with some friends and came across a business opportunity here so I stayed."

"Ohhh. Where have you been?"

"All over Asia, Hawaii, then South Africa, Brazil, California, Puerto Rico, before settling here."

"This is the first time I've been outside of Ohio," I say, looking down.

"Do you want to travel?" Kate asks me.

"I really don’t know. Airplanes kind of make me nervous, but I would like to go see some places, maybe Paris or Dublin."

After another thirty minutes of talking, Ryan stands to leave, admitting he has an early day the next day.

"What do you do?" I ask.

"I run a water sports rental in St. Pete. Jet skis, kayaks, and fishing boats for charter. I'm taking a small group fishing in the gulf tomorrow."

"What fun. I love the water!"

"Would you like me to take you out while you're here?"

"I don’t know. I've never actually done any of those things before."

"You'll be in good hands with me."

I inhale, my eyes widening. Ryan clears his throat and looks down.

"What a wonderful idea," Kate says clapping, looking back and forth at us. "Ryan, what day works best for you?"

"Ahh, I'd have to check the calendar. Maybe the day after tomorrow." He looks at me, giving me a half smile.

"That sounds like a date," Kate says, patting me on the arm.

"A date? I, ah, have a, well, live with Jon. You see there—"

"Shhh, sweetheart. I meant like date on the calendar," Kate says, looking somewhat mischievously at me.

All I want to do is disappear. Ryan seems to be holding back a smile and leaves through the screen door,