I was at the door before she could ring the bell, not wanting a lecture from her about how I knew she was coming and should have been waiting. With a bright smile, I swung the door open and threw myself into her waiting arms.
“Grandma! Oh, I’ve missed you so much!”
“Then you should have come to see me sooner,” she chuckled. “Oh, it’s been too long, and Sawyer didn’t stay nearly long enough.”
Stepping back, I ran a careful eye over her, nodding in approval. “Well, you look fantastic! This winter has been good to you.”
Chuckling, she pulled off her gloves and handed them over before unbuttoning her coat. “Well, I would be better if I lived in Florida during the winter, but I couldn’t stand to be that far from my babies.”
“We would miss you, too, but the weather really is getting frigid up here. I swear, every winter is worse than the one before.”
Stepping back, I allowed her inside as I hung up her coat in the closet. Standing behind her, I wrung my hands together as she studied every inch of the living room. I was surprised she hadn’t pulled out the white glove to test how dirty it was, but thankfully, she left that in her purse.
Sawyer entered the living room with a slightly frantic expression, but winked at me to let me know it was taken care of. Walking straight into Grandma’s arms, he hugged her and told her how much he missed her, but I was too distracted to hear the conversation.
There was a nightie on the couch, sticking out of the cushions. Red and lacy, if Grandma found that, there would be a whole host of questions to follow.
“Uh, Grandma!” I cut in, earning a glare from her. “Why don’t you sit at the kitchen table and I’ll make you some tea to warm you up after such a long drive?”
“Josie, it’s rude to interrupt.”
“Yes, I’m sorry. I was just—” My eyes flicked to the lingerie, and for a second, I thought I would fold. “You’re right. It was very rude.”
“But a cup of tea does sound lovely,” she smiled as my apology softened her up.
I guided her into the kitchen and stabbed my eyes toward the lingerie. Thankfully, Sawyer followed my line of sight and snagged it, shoving the lingerie further into the cushions out of sight.
“So, tell me about Grandpa. How’s he doing?”
“Oh, just as surly as ever. He’s ready for golf season, and you know how cranky he can get when he doesn’t get to golf.”
Bustling about the kitchen, I nearly dropped the tea twice as I felt the weight of her stare on me. She was warming us up, making us feel at home, until she was ready to come running full blast out of the gate.
“All the more reason to move to Florida,” I laughed. “He would get to play golf year-round!”
When she didn’t laugh, I glanced over my shoulder and saw her quirked eyebrow. “So quick to get rid of us?”
“What?”
“I’ve been told I needed to come home immediately.”
“I—”
“Something about my grandchildren misbehaving?”
My eyes widened in panic.
“I didn’t want to believe it, but then again, you both have been on your own for so long, I decided I just had to come see for myself.”
I didn’t know what to do or what to say. She had me cornered, and the noose was tightening around my neck.
I looked at Sawyer, and even though I knew it was the most horrible thing to do, I unleashed.
“Sawyer brought a cougar home!”
My grandmother’s eyes widened in horror.
“Josie!”
