I study my grandfather. He just looks back at me, his expression calm and confident.
“I thought you didn’t like him.”
“I changed my mind.”
“You still gave him a hard time.”
“I had to be sure he could grow up and fit in here. If he can’t take a little heat, then he’s not the one.”
“And he passed?”
“More than.”
I feel my throat tighten. Alex won Bruce over. That’s no small thing.
“We have another ticket,” Bruce says casually. “If you want to come along.”
“But you’ll have to stay somewhere else,” Astrid interjects. “There are only two beds at my place, and the couch sucks to sleep on.” She gives me a smile. “I’m sure we can find you a place, though.”
“I…”
I want tosomuch. But will that just make this pain worse? Is saying goodbye over and over again just torturing us both?
“Before you answer, you should also know, we’re going to leave you there,” Bruce says.
I open my mouth, then shut it, then frown. “What?”
“You’re going to stay in Portland with Alex,” Bruce says.
I feel my eyes fill with tears. I start shaking my head. “I…can’t.”
“You can,” he says. His tone is firm but gentle.
“But…Rebel…”
He points to the front of the register
There are two mason jars there. One has a sticky note on it that says YES. The other says NO. The sign behind them saysShould Nora go to Portland to be with Alex?
The YES jar is overflowing. There isn’t even a single dollar in the NO jar.
I look up at my grandfather.
“You’ve spent so much time and energy making us all happy,” he says, his voice gentle. “That’s all we want for you, honey. We love you. Enough to let you go so you can be the happiest you can possibly be.”
“You think that’s in Portland?” I ask softly.
“I think it’s with Alex,” he corrects.
“And…” I look at the jars again. “I can come home and visit, and everyone will be happy to see me?”
“Thrilled,” he says, nodding, his voice sounding a little scratchy. He clears his throat. “That’s not to say we won’t be doing straw polls and judging things like his proposal and what you two name your cats.”
I laugh even as emotions clog my throat.
“So that’s five for the flight later today?” Astrid asks with a smile.
I sniff and nod. “Yeah.”
