Walter set aside his crossword and came to pull her up. His hands were warm and steady, and she let herself lean on him for just a moment, feeling the solid comfort of his presence.
Then she straightened, smoothed her blouse, and reached for her phone again.
She found Sarah's number and pressed call. It rang twice before her granddaughter answered, sounding slightly out of breath.
“Grandma! Hold on, I'm just getting Maggie down from the climbing structure at the park. Give me one second.”
Sarah waited, listening to the background noise of children playing, seagulls crying, the distant rhythm of waves. SanibelIsland in March. She could picture it perfectly, the brightness of the sun on the water, the way the beach grass bent in the breeze.
“Okay, I'm back,” Sarah said. “Sorry about that. She's in a climbing phase. Everything must be climbed. Trevor says she gets it from me.”
“You always were adventurous,” Grandma Sarah agreed. “It's one of your best qualities.”
“Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine. I just have a proposition for you.”
She launched into her pitch again, this time tailoring it to her audience. Where Lauren needed logistics and plans, Sarah needed emotional appeal. She was the one who worked at the Outreach Center, who spent her days helping families in crisis find stability and hope. She understood, better than most, the importance of showing up.
“Your mother is flying up for the birth,” Grandma Sarah said. “Chelsea is going too. And after the babies arrive, the whole family is going to the Andover house to say goodbye before it sells. This is the end of an era. I want to be there, not as an afterthought on a video call, but in person. Standing in that house with all of you, one last time.”
Sarah was quiet for a long moment. Grandma Sarah could hear Little Maggie babbling in the background, the high-pitched chatter of a toddler discovering the world.
“I want to be there too,” Sarah finally said. “I've been thinking about it ever since Mom told me the plan. But with the kids, and Trevor's work, and my shifts at the Center...”
“Devon has already expressed interest in spending more time with his grandchildren. And Trevor is perfectly capable of managing for a few days. Men these days are much better at parenting than they used to be. They've had to be.”
Sarah laughed, a sound so like her mother's that it made Grandma Sarah's heart ache with love. “You're scheming.”
“I prefer to think of it as strategic planning.”
“Lauren would never go for this. She's got Olivia's tennis and Lily's recital and a thousand other things on her calendar.”
“I've already spoken to Lauren. She's considering it.”
“She is?”
“I can be very persuasive when I put my mind to it.”
Another pause. Grandma Sarah could almost hear the calculations happening, the mental reshuffling of schedules and responsibilities.
“What about Walter?” Sarah asked. “Is he coming too?”
“Walter is staying here. This is a girls' trip. Three women, on the open road, going to welcome the newest members of our family into the world.”
“That actually sounds...”
“Wonderful? Inspiring? The perfect combination of adventure and family bonding?”
“I was going to say chaotic. But also, yes, wonderful.”
Grandma Sarah smiled. She had her. She could feel it in the shift of Sarah's voice, the way hesitation was giving way to excitement.
“I need to talk to Trevor,” Sarah said. “And call Devon. And I’ll need to talk to Ciara to figure out coverage at the Center.”
“Of course.”
“And Lauren has to actually agree. Not just consider it.”
