Icing the Rink

Moving to New York

Chapter 3

Amberlynn’s Pov

Today’s the day my mom and I are going to be arriving at Grant’s home. I am so nervous that my stomach is twisting into knots. Feels like I want to throw up. I do not know what I am expecting, but hopefully we are not intruding by inserting ourselves into their lives since it is their house, and we are about to crash into it.

We just landed at La Guardia airport, waiting for our luggage on the baggage carousel so we can collect it. My mom informed me that Grant is waiting for us near the gate exit to take us to his house.

“Hey Mom, how long do you think it is going to take for our luggage to make an appearance? I need to run to the bathroom quickly; I do not want to make us late and make Grant worry about us.”

“Don’t worry, Amberlynn, it should take about another 30 minutes; I texted Grant to let him know we are just waiting on our luggage, we will meet him by the exit.”

“Okay, Mom, I won’t be long; if my luggage comes around, please grab it for me.” She says okay, so I run to find the bathroom.

When you grow up in the South, from what I can see so far, everything looks different, but seems busier than our simple lives we had back in Texas. I am sure it will take some time to get use a big city like New York, and I am always up for a challenge.

“Okay, Mom, I am back. Did you grab our luggage, so we can jump this popsicle stand and show this city what two southern women are all about? I do not think they can manage it because we have big personalities.” She looks at and starts laughing at me. I give her a huge smile.

“Yes, sweetie, I got our luggage; I am glad you are taking this better than you were earlier. I know it is going to be hard at first, but I know how you take everything in stride, like you always do with everything else that you set your mind to and accomplish every goal you set up for yourself.” It feels like I want to cry; my mom has always supported me no matter what I wanted to do, but hearing her say things like this to me is just another reminder that I will always have the best mom anyone could ask for.

I followed my mom towards the exit so we could find Grant so he could take us to his house. My mom spotted him first; when she sees him, a big smile splits across her face. I do not think I have ever seen my mom this happy in a long time. When we approached him, Grant also had a big smile on his face. My mom hugged and kissed Grant on the cheek. I gave him a sideways hug, and he returned it.

“Okay, are we ready to go I want to show y’all where y’all be living, then we can have a nice dinner tonight, nothing formal just a quiet dinner where we can get to know one another a little better in a quieter atmosphere?”

We both agreed and got into a nice SUV and headed towards our new home.

Grant told us they live in a town called Hudson Valley; it is more secluded and not in the busiest parts of the city. The neighbors’ houses are not too close, and they spaced them apart. They have hiking trails and other outdoor activities. It would make you feel more like you are in the country than in a crowded city.

We started pulling up a long gravel driveway for about two minutes, and the first view of the house is just breathtaking. It looks like a farmhouse. It has beautiful light grey concrete walls. A darker grey roof. It looks like it is two stories high. It looks like it has a decent size attic. I see floor to ceiling windows on half of the house. A couple of balconies on the front side of the house. It has beautiful wooden beams, which are light brown, also has a porch that wraps around the house. There is a swing on the porch, which would make it the perfect place to lounge around and read a book and drink a nice cup of coffee.

“Welcome to your new home. Are y’all ready for the tour of the house? My sons are not home right now. I had them go out and run errands for me. They will not be back until it is time for dinner, and I want y’all to get acquainted before they get home. The bottom floor has the kitchen, then a small gym that is down in the basement. The dining room is past the kitchen, through the door on the left. If you take the hallway on your right, that is where my and your moms’ room is going to be. There is a small theater room if you exit the back door from the dining room. It is down the hall on the right side. The door to the gym is opposite the door to the theatre room and the second floor, where the rest of the bedrooms are. When you go up the stairs, there are halls to the left and right. My sons’ rooms are on the right side of the hallway. Your room will be down the left hall, the last door on the left. In the attic is a small game room. Other doors are just for storage and extra closets. Each room has its own ensuite bathroom, so you will not have to worry about sharing with anyone. All right, so if you follow me, Amberlynn, I will walk to your room.” I give him the okay, and I follow him up the stairs.