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And as the shop emptied, it also looked like the two of them were going to be alone for a bit. Qui
“Still fifteen minutes until A
“I wasn’t—”
Grandma smiled tightly. “Don’t feed me a line, dearie. I can smell your fear a mile away.”
“Fear?” Qui
“Everyone is.”
Qui
“Gets what?”
Qui
“Hrumph.” Grandma opened up her purse and made a careful study of its contents.
“Wilder wants to make you proud, you know.”
“Know? Know?” Grandma’s voice rose an octave. “What would I know about Wilder Kane? There’s a boy that doesn’t want to be known, pushes everyone away. Always has.”
“He does.” Qui
“You think you can roll around in the hay or whatever it is you do for a couple of weeks and presume to tell me how it is with a boy I’ve known since he was whizzing in diapers?”
Qui
“Doesn’t look like your eyes see all that great.” Grandma sniffed, waving her hands in the direction of Qui
“Wow.” Qui
“I don’t know what you are yammering about.” Grandma returned to her handbag rummage. “I’m just going to sit here and wait for my harebrained daughter-in-law to fetch me. No, wait, not daughter-in-law because right now she’s living in sin with my Sawyer.”
Qui
Grandma wrinkled her nose in response. “Serious is when he sticks a ring on her finger and gives me some legitimate grandbabies.”
“Legitimate?” Qui
“This is Brightwater, not Hollywood. Traditional family values still matter here. At least to the old-time families.”
“Hey now, I’m a Higsby, remember?”
“To a degree.” Grandma pulled out an Us Weekly from her purse. No wonder she was current on all the hot young actors.
“Hey!” An idea occurred to her. Good or bad was impossible to say, but worth a shot. She didn’t need this woman to bless her relationship, but sensed it would mean the world to Wilder. “Would you be willing to come to my house?”
Grandma glanced over the top of the magazine with a startled expression. “Now why would I want to do that?”
“I’d like to make you and Wilder di
“Does that boy know about your cockamamie idea?”
“Of course.” It was a little startling how smoothly the lie rolled off her tongue. “In fact, it was his suggestion.”
Grandma shook her head. “Now I know you’re telling tales out of school.”
“I’m serious. How does tomorrow night sound?”
The bells to the front door tinkled.
“Evening, ladies. Brrrrrrr, it’s freezing outside.” A
“I was just telling Grandma here how Wilder and I wanted to have her over to my place for di
“Oh.” A
“My hip might be bum but I have a pair of perfectly functioning vocal cords,” Grandma snapped. “And wonderful and love aren’t the words I’m searching for.”
“I know you aren’t driving much these days on account of your fall last summer but how about Wilder comes and picks you up at six?” Qui
“Six? Won’t work. I eat at five,” Grandma said grimly.
A
Grandma slammed her hat on her head, a purple felt one with a plastic bird stapled to the side. “Change gives me indigestion.”
“Five is perfect.” Qui
“Fine.” Grandma heaved a hefty sigh. “As long as you don’t serve none of that kombooty.”
“Excuse me?”
She pointed an accusing finger at A
“Kombucha,” A
“Smelled like infected cat pee.”
“No kombucha, promise. How about pan-fried pork chop and baked potatoes?” Qui
“She’s another one.” Grandma shook her head. “Can’t that girl bake a chocolate cake, plain and sensible? No, she has to go adding a ganache. What is a ganache anyway?”
“It’s a French glaze,” A
“Foreign food.” Grandma huffed. “Why not good old American buttercream?”
“Grandma, are you having a low-blood-sugar moment because I have some snacks in my car.” A
“You’re trying to kill me off with those snacks. Dried coconut chips, blue corn chips, and homemade granola? No thank you.” What’s more, Grandma enjoyed being baited.
A
Grandma shook her head but couldn’t restrain her own smile. Needling A
“I look forward to seeing you tomorrow night,” Qui
“Just once, just once I’d like one of my grandsons to settle down with a sensible girl. Do you have sense, missy? And how is your father?” Grandma continued, not waiting for a reply to her first question. She shoved her magazine back in the bag and rose. “Damn shame what happened to him. He was a fine man, a good man. They don’t make them like that in this day and age.”
“Thank you,” Qui
Grandma reached across the table, grabbing her wrist with a surprisingly strong hand. “There’s a part of him that knows. You have to trust that. He might not act like he gets that love, but somewhere deep inside he does.”
Qui
“Tell that boy I’ll see him at four-thirty sharp.”
“Will do,” Qui
After they left the shop, Qui
As she locked up, she glanced at the sky. The clouds were covering the moon and stars, but just in case anyone was listening, she offered up a small prayer. “Please.”
That was all. Please let everything work out for the best. As she walked to her truck, a little warmth blazed in her chest and she hugged herself. Maybe everything would work out okay. Maybe Brightwater would end up being a surprise happy ending after all.
Just as she got her key in her car door, a feeling prickled over her, one she’d had the last few days in the store, as if someone watched her. Every time she sca