Dray by Tess Oliver Read Free Book Online

physically and mentally. I didn’t have the energy or will to call my mom yet. My mind was in a heavy fog as I drove down the street toward the freeway. Sitting alone on the houseboat didn’t sound inviting. Then another urge hit me, and I turned onto the next street.
    The harsh fluorescent lighting in the entrance of the assisted living home reminded me of the hospital, only here vases of fake flowers lined the walls to force a homey atmosphere. The woman behind the desk glanced up, and her eyes widened in fear at first. I was still wearing the thrashed pair of jeans I’d worn to work. I slid the sweatshirt hood off my head. I hadn’t visited Nix’s grandma nearly enough, but the women at the reception desk seemed to know that when menacing guys with tattoos walked in, they were there to visit Mrs. Pierce, or Nana as we’d all learned to call her.
    Nana had raised Nix and his sister after the death of his father in a car race. Nix’s mother had been a lot like mine in that she cared far more for herself than her kids. Only Nix’s mom had gone off to live a rich and privileged life in Europe. My mom had run off to live in a double wide in Florida. Nana’s house had been my refuge, my safe place, and when shit rained down on me at a pace so fast that I thought I might drown, I ran to Nix’s house. Nana never questioned me about things, but she’d always made it clear that I could come to her whenever I needed. She’d never told me, but I knew that twice she’d called social services on my dad. I remember a starched looking woman showing up at the house several times to talk to us, but nothing had ever come of the visits. Dad had always been a good bullshitter.
    “Are you here to see Mrs. Pierce? Visiting hours end in fifteen minutes.” It seemed she was just about to tell me to come back another time, but the expression on my face must have told her I needed to see her tonight. “You can go on down to her room. She’s reading the newspaper right now.”
    “Thanks.”
    Nana’s mind had been going for a year, but medication had slowed her memory loss. And even though her short term memory was completely gone, she still remembered the past perfectly. Thankfully, she still recognized me.
    Her fingers looked long and bony as they gripped the edges of the paper. Nana had never been fragile, but tonight, beneath the harsh, yellow light and against the backdrop of the white pillows, she looked as breakable as a porcelain doll. Along with her mind, her heart was slowly losing its strength, and the physical toll of it was starting to show in her face.
    She peered up over the gold rims of her glasses and lowered the paper. Her sweet smile was so familiar, and I hadn’t realized how badly I’d needed to see it until now.
    “Dray, what brings you at this hour?”
    I kept my wrapped hand behind my back and leaned over to kiss her forehead. She always smelled of roses and sincerity and grace. I pulled a chair over and took her hand as I sat down next to the bed. Sometimes, I thought that if it hadn’t been for Nana, the three of us would never have survived our teen years.
    She looked toward the door. “Did Alexander come with you?”
    It always took me a second to remember who the heck Alexander was. I’d never called him anything but Nix. “No, he’s at the beach with Scotlyn. I came here alone.”
    She took off her glasses, and the fine lines around her eyes deepened. “What’s wrong, dear? You look upset. Did you get suspended from school again?”
    I smiled weakly. “No, I’m not in school anymore, Nana.”
    She squeezed my hand and laughed. “Of course, I’ve forgotten. Sometimes it seems like just yesterday when you three boys would come home, raid the refrigerator and then plant yourselves on the couch for your gory video games.” She peered over at me, and the same look of concern crossed her face. “You look upset, Dray. Has something happened?” I knew she would probably ask me the same question