Page 112 of Finding Us
“If it’s not possible, then you shouldn’t have told Harper that. She’ll know you were lying.”
His cocky smile appears. “It’s possible.”
“Are you sure? Because if not, I could have Harper make you more of that green juice.”
He picks me up and throws me over his shoulder. “I don’t need that damn juice. And I’ll prove it to you when we get back.”
“Where are you taking me?” I ask, laughing.
“To your grandmother. I need a break from your insults.”
“I wasn’t insulting you.” I’m still laughing as he opens the front door and sets me down in the foyer.
“See you at dinner.” He drops a kiss on my cheek, then heads back toward the door.
“Dinner? Wait. Where are you going?”
“I’m going to check out the town, then maybe I’ll go to the driving range. Or rent a bike. There’s a trail that runs along the ocean.”
“Don’t you want me to come with you?”
“No. I want you to spend time with Grace. Just the two of you without me hanging around. Don’t worry about me. I’ll find things to do.”
“But—”
“Jade.” He comes back over and places his hands on my shoulders. “You probably won’t see her again for months, so go spend time with her. She needs this, and so do you. I’ll spend tomorrow with you guys, okay?”
I hug him, realizing that once again, he knows exactly what I need. “Thank you for doing this. I love you.”
“Love you, too. See you soon.”
Garret leaves and I go to the kitchen where Grace is cleaning up breakfast.
“Need some help?” I go around the island and meet her at the sink.
“No, everything’s put away.” She takes a paper towel and spritzes the counter with cleaner that smells like lavender. “How did Lilly take the goodbye?”
“She was okay. She still has a hard time saying goodbye to Garret, but at least the fairy party cheered her up a little. Thanks for letting us use your house for it.”
“I loved hosting it. It’s nice to have people over. When it’s just me here it gets to be too quiet. Sometimes I turn the TV on just to have some background noise.”
Grace smiles, trying to act like nothing’s wrong, but I know she’s lonely. This empty house is a constant reminder that Arlin is gone. But that’s what happens when your spouse dies and your children are grown, so what do you do? I guess you just have to get used to it, but I don’t know how you do that. I can’t even imagine the loss I would feel if I’d been married to Garret for 50 years and then one day he was just gone.
CHAPTERTHIRTY
“Doyou want to go sit in the garden?” I take the spray bottle from the counter and put it back under the sink.
“Yes, that sounds nice. I enjoy being out there in the morning before it gets too warm.” She tosses her paper towel in the trash and washes her hands. “Where’s Garret?”
“He went to check out the town and do some other stuff.”
She nods, her smile fading. “I understand why he’d bored here at the house. There’s not much to do.”
“Grace, no, that’s not it at all. He just wanted to give us some time alone because I never see you.” I follow her outside and we sit down on the white patio chairs that are nestled among a patch of blue and yellow flowers. “He’ll spend tomorrow with us. He wants to get to know you better.”
“I’d like to get to know him, too. After all, he did marry my granddaughter.” She reaches over and puts her hand over mine on the armrest of the chair. “So how do you feel being married?”
“Great. I love it. I don’t know why people always complain about being married.”
