“You’re saying yes?”
“Do I have some time to think about it?” Looking in through the patio door, I wave at Nan and Henrietta who are now sitting at the kitchen table with curious grins. “I do have some responsibilities here that I will need to make sure are covered.”
“Of course. Take all the time you need.”
“Oh, and Noah?”
“Yes?”
“Next time you call me this panicked, I expect someone to be dead.”
He chuckles. “Thank you, Charlotte.”
“I haven’t agreed to anything yet, but you’re welcome. I’ll see you next week.”
“Until Monday, then.”
I tap the screen to end the call and take a deep breath before stepping back into the dining room. Nan and Henrietta both look up expectantly.
“Everything alright?” Nan’s eyes sparkle with mischief and I know she isn’t going to let me slide by with a non-answer, so I opt for honesty.
“That was Noah. He needed to know if I would accompany him on a business trip to visit this brand we are trying to partner with for the launch of that new line of sleep aids.”
The two ladies at the table share a look, and Henrietta folds a napkin into her lap while pursing her lips against a smile. Nan turns back to me.
“When do you leave?”
“I didn’t say I would go.”
She frowns. “Why wouldn’t you?”
“Aside from travel not being on the list of my job requirements, it’s almost an entire week away from you. Not to mention, I agreed to help Kara with her next pottery launch for her online store.”
I add the last piece as an extra justification knowing full well Kara won’t mind in the slightest if I bail. Unfortunately for me, Nan knows Kara almost as well as I do. She clicks her tongue.
“Nonsense. I love you, but I can manage without you for a week. Besides, Henrietta was just telling me about how she video calls her grandkids—if you would really miss me that much, we can figure out how to do that while you’re gone. And Kara needs you less than I do.”
Nan and I both know our visits have less to do with our conversations, and more to do with my helping her with tasks she’s unable to manage anymore. Her mobility has taken a sharp downturn in the last year, so I make it over a few times a week to help clean or tote laundry to and from the machines in her basement.
“What if Lofty Heights calls while I’m gone? We’re supposed to hear about you getting into that apartment any day now.”
Nan makes a face. “I think I can handle a phone call without you. I’m old, not useless.”
“I know that.”
“Sometimes I wonder,” Nan needles.
“I don’t know if I want to go.”
“Don’t you lie to me, Charlotte Wren.”
Nan taking her stern tone doesn’t surprise me, but it does give me pause. I narrow my eyes at her. “Why do you want me to go so badly? You can’t seriously think there’s that much potential here.”
“He’s the most eligible and handsome man you’ve ever met.”
“So? What does him being single and handsome have to do with anything?” I tease. “Surely you see me as more than someone to be married off.”
Nan never did marry, and often talks about that being the reason she’s lived so long. Which is one reason her push for me to find someone is so surprising.
