“Oh!” Sally was first, looking a significant amount older than the day he’d met her. A poised and attractive professional in her fifties, Sally Danes had shadows under her eyes and haddefinitely lost weight. Grief had taken a toll, but her face lit up at the sight of Atlas. “There’s my grandson.”
“Here he is,” Jonah said, feeling awkward because he couldn’t hug her, not that she’d want a hug from him. “Hello, Mrs. Danes.”
She spared him a look, opening her mouth as if she wanted to say something, but just took a breath. “Jonah.” She reached for Atlas. “May I?”
“Of course.” He eased the baby into her arms and made sure she had a good hold before looking beyond her to Gary, a man Carly frequently described as a lovable nerd. The older man’s steel-gray gaze was cold and direct, with no indication of the slightest smile.
“Welcome, Mr. Danes,” he said. “Thank you for coming.”
His lids closed as if he was disgusted, but his shoulders relaxed slightly as he spoke. “We appreciate the invitation, but wish we didn’t have to fly across the country to see our grandson.”
“I understand,” Jonah said. “But you’re here now and we want you to be comfortable.”
“We will be in the hotel.”
“You’re not staying here?” Dad asked, surprised and clearly disappointed.
“We thought it best not to.”
Kate smiled and tried to guide everyone to the living room. “You may change your mind when you look around,” she said smoothly. “Eli is the architect for this home and before it stood so gloriously, it was a vacation house for my family and the Lawsons. Be prepared for some Destin mag…”
Her voice faded out as Sally sniffed noisily. They all turned to find her hunched over Atlas, who was kicking happily and reaching his hand up toward her face.
“He looks so much like Carly at this age,” she whimpered, tears falling. “He’s a carbon copy of my baby.”
“Now, Sal, we made a deal.” Gary walked to her, guiding her toward the sofa to sit down with comforting words. “No tears, dear. It can’t change anything.”
“Tears are fine and certainly expected.” Maggie followed them into the room, pulling their attention. “I’m Magnolia Lawson, Atlas’s great-grandmother, and if you didn’t cry, I’d think something was wrong.”
Surprising them all, Sally almost smiled as she looked up at Maggie. “He has a great-grandmother? Our parents are all gone, so that’s nice.”
“Oh, I’m not nice, as Jonah will inform you,” she said, taking the chair across from them. “But I’m in love with that baby, as you soon will be.”
Jonah felt the air whoosh out of him. Maggie might not be declawed, but there was something indescribably irresistible about the woman—and he needed everything he could get today.
Dad offered drinks and food, and Kate folded onto the floor in front of Sally like a teenager ready for a girl chat. Atlas continued to smile and kick, doing his best imitation of an Instagram baby.
Moment One had come and gone and no one exploded. Now if they could just get through the afternoon, Jonah might breathe again.
After a bit, Sally looked down at Atlas and started to fight tears again.
Gary hovered, his hands twitching, clearly unsure whether to comfort his wife or take the baby himself. Noticing that, Sally passed Atlas to him without a word, and Gary sat back on the couch, stiff and overwhelmed, cradling the baby like he was made of porcelain.
Maggie leaned in, smiling at him with utterly unnatural sweetness. “Where in California do you live, Gary? And what do you do?”
Small talk from a woman who despised it. Jonah made a mental note to kiss that old lady on the cheek once this was all over.
And all Maggie got from Gary was a look and a muttered, “Santa Clara. I work in tech.”
For a long beat, no one spoke.
“Come help me get drinks, Jonah,” Dad suggested, helping with the incredibly awkward stretch of tension.
They pulled out sodas and filled some glasses with ice as Kate talked with Sally. After a minute, they both got up and Kate put a light hand on the other woman’s back, taking her out to the deck to see the Gulf view.
Jonah shared a look with his father, who watched the women leave with an undeniable look of love in his eyes.
“She’s a keeper,” Jonah whispered.
