“I’m going to bed,” she said.
On Luna’s past visits, she’d always slept in the downstairs guest room. That night she went to Griff’s room on the second floor and climbed into his bed. Griff came upstairs about fifteen minutes later. Without commenting on her presence there, Griff got into bed and said, “Good night, then.”
When Griff didn’t make a move, Luna said, “Oh my god. Seriously?”
“Something on your mind?” Griff said.
“Are you planning on going into the priesthood or currently under treatment for a venereal disease?” Luna asked.
“No.”
Luna sat upright and said, “Did you invite me here to not have sex?”
“No. But I didn’t invite you for the sole purpose of sex.”
“You kissed me six months ago. Nothing since then.”
“We haven’t been alone until now.”
“We’re alone now,” Luna said.
“You’re right,” Griff said.
He kissed her. She kissed him back. Griff suggested they try to take things slowly. Luna suggested they’d already done that. They had sex that night. Luna, who always, always slept alone, stayed in his bed and actually fell asleep. The morning light surprised her. When she looked over at Griff still in a deep slumber, she felt happy in a way she didn’t think was possible. The guilt, however, would soon follow.
* * *
—
As winter break drew near, Griff phoned Luna to invite her back to the Berkshires house.
“It’ll be great,” Griff said without any conviction.
“I can’t. I’m visiting my mother.”
“In Canada? How will you get there?” Griff asked.
“I’m thinking about driving, so I can stop at Niagara Falls on the way back.”
“Niagara Falls?”
“Yes,” Luna said. “Have you been?”
“Never,” said Griff.
“You should go,” Luna said. “It’s totally worth it.”
“Is that an invitation?” Griff asked.
Luna’s silence told Griff that it was not.
“I’ll only be gone three days, and most of it will be driving,” Luna said.
“Did you say three days?”
“You keep repeating things I say,” Luna said.
“You keep saying weird things. Why would you go home for only three days? Actually, one day, since two of those days you’d be driving.”
“It’s just how we do things. My mom has a new boyfriend. I don’t want to get in the way.”
“All of that sounds highly suspicious to me, but I’d still like to come with you,” Griff said. “Besides, I have a car and you don’t.”
“Casey said I could borrow her car.”
“I’m a good driver,” Griff said.
“Wouldn’t your parents want at least one of their sons around?”
“No,” Griff said. “In fact, they might prefer an obligation-free holiday season.”
“Interesting,” Luna said.
“Multiple-choice question,” Griff said. “You’re not inviting me because: A, you don’t want to spend three days with me; B, you don’t want me to meet your mother; C, you’re tending to illegal business across the border; D, none of the above.”
“There’s never an E,” Luna said.
“What’s the answer?” Griff asked.
“B, maybe,” Luna said. “Or D. None of them were on the nose. I haven’t seen my mom in a while. I don’t know what you’d be walking into.”
“How about I just come with you on the trip? I don’t have to meet your mom. I can stay in a motel and watch movies. Then we’ll go to Niagara Falls. It’ll be fun.”
“You won’t miss your family?”
“Now you’re being stupid,” Griff said.
Once Luna agreed to the road trip itself, she knew she was agreeing to Griff meeting her mother, who was a true wild card.
“Did Owen ever tell you anything about my mother?”
“He said you don’t see her that often.”
“Anything else?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Before you change your plans, I want you to be prepared. It could be weird. Like, really, really weird.”
* * *
—
They drove straight through on Christmas Eve morning, stopping only for gas, bathroom breaks, a quick lunch at a Chinese restaurant in Buffalo, and, of course, the border. Griff did most of the driving, while Luna navigated from internet directions she’d printed that morning.