I knelt on the floor beside her, willing to face the furry beast attacking her designer purse. “Let me help you with this strap.”
“No!” Grandmother reached out to stop me, but not before I got into a tug of war battle with the dog. Poor Grandmother’s leg was pulled back and forth until I finally wrestled the purse free, spilling its contents all over the floor in the process. A few soggy tissues rolled out and fell open. I cringed at what was inside.
Either Grandmother was nursing the mother of all sinus infections, or she’d taken a play from my childhood dinnertime playbook and hidden those gruesome oysters in the tissues just like I used to hide my green beans. I must have smuggled a metric ton of beans to the trash can that way when I was a kid.
A guilt-ridden smile spread over Grandmother’s lips, and she shrugged. “There won’t be any need for an emergency room visit.”
Cash snorted out a laugh and stooped to pick up one of the discarded oysters. “I guess not.” He peeled the tissue open even more and held his breath as I glanced at its contents. That was what Moose had been after. He still wouldn’t eat them, but he was obsessed with sniffing them.
“I don’t understand,” I said. “I thought you loved seafood.”
“I do, but I could smell that those oysters had turned the moment you handed them to me.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “Why didn’t you say anything?”
“It’s part of my…” She cast a cautious glance Cash’s way as if she wasn’t quite sure she wanted to continue. She mumbled something too quiet for me to hear.
“What?” I asked.
“My—” She put a hand over her mouth and muttered again.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I still didn’t catch that.”
Her arms fell to her sides, and she heaved a heavy sigh. “Somedoctors seem to think that I’ve spent too much of my life in a state of chronic stress.”
In a state of chronic stress or causing it?I bit my tongue to keep my rogue thoughts from popping out of my mouth.
“After my heart attack—”
“After your what?” My heart leapt into my throat. Grandmother hadn’t told me anything about a heart attack, and neither had any of my extended family. That’s what I got for being the daughter of the black-sheep-in-law of the family.
“Yes, I had a heart attack, but don’t worry yourself, Willow. It was minor, but a wakeup call, nonetheless. I was referred to a doctor who specializes in helping patients identify hidden trauma and emotional issues that can trigger a wide range of negative health manifestations.”
“So, you’ve been seeing a shrink?” Cash asked.
“Mycardiologist”—Grandmother emphasized the word, purposefully ignoring Cash’s last statement—“suggested that my heart condition could be exacerbated if I didn’t learn some new ‘life skills’ as he put it.”
I still couldn’t get the wordsheart attackout of my head. I couldn’t imagine how there could ever be anything minor about a heart attack. It sounded like a pretty big deal to me.
“I had no idea you’ve been dealing with this. Please, sit back down. Can I get you anything? The oysters are the only spoiled food in the house, I promise.” Except for that old box of leftover lo mein at the back of the fridge. I was pretty sure that was furry by now.
“No, thank you.” The futon sagged and creaked as she sat down. I was relieved she’d turned down my offer for refreshments because I just remembered that my cabinets were as empty as old Mother Hubbard’s.
I took a seat next to her while Cash tossed the oysters into the kitchen trash. “I still don’t understand why you didn’t say something about the food. You didn’t have to put them into your purse.”
“It’s part of the action plan the psychologist prescribed for me. I’m supposed to try new things—”
“Like yoga pants?”
She laughed. “Yes, like yoga pants and wild new hairstyles, too, I suppose.” She ran her hand over her textured hair. “I’m to be mindfully mellow, as the doctor puts it, as I explore a new side of myself. And I’m to do a good deed every day.” She paused and massaged her temple, not looking at all as relaxed as someone wearing yoga pants should. “It all felt like a lot of woo-woo stuff to me in the beginning, but it might actually be starting to work. I’m willing to try if it’ll get me off my medication. Anyway, keeping quiet about your failure as a hostess was my good deed for the day.”
Ouch!But I supposed she wasn’t too far off the mark.
Cash walked back into the living room and reached down to pat Moose’s side. “What Willow lacks in hostess abilities, she more than makes up for with heart. She means well.”
There he was again, being sweet. Maybe I’d hit my head on that table harder than I thought when Grandmother arrived. I wondered if I was sprawled out unconscious under it even now. Maybe this was all some sort of concussion-induced nightmare. But no, I wasn’t so lucky.
Grandmother’s brows rose. “I can see you’ve improved by leaps and bounds with your choice of young men. He’s supportive and caring. I’m very happy for both of you. You have no idea how much I’ve worried about your future over the years.”
