“I see that now.”
“I was saving it.”
“For what?”
“For me, Walter. For me.”
He had the good sense to look apologetic. “I'll buy you another one.”
“You certainly will.” She lowered herself onto the sofa, her knees protesting the journey. The sofa was too soft, too deep, and getting out of it would require a strategy, but she needed to sit down. Her mind worked on something, turning over an idea that had been growing since her conversation with Maggie the day before.
Beth was due any day now. Maggie, Paolo, and Chelsea were flying up to Massachusetts. The whole family would be gathering at the farm, and then later at the Andover house, for what was shaping up to be one of the most significant Wheeler family events in years.
And Grandma Sarah was supposed to just sit here in Florida, eating key lime pie that Walter had already eaten, waiting for phone calls and photos like some kind of elderly bystander.
Absolutely not.
She picked up her phone from the side table and scrolled through her contacts until she found the number she wanted. Lauren answered on the fourth ring, sounding distracted.
“Grandma? Is everything okay?”
“Everything is fine,” Grandma Sarah said. “Why does everyone assume something is wrong when I call?”
“Because you usually text. You said phone calls are for emergencies and guilt trips.”
“Well, this is neither. This is an opportunity.”
Lauren's voice shifted, taking on the wary tone of someone who had known her grandmother long enough to recognize when she was scheming. “What kind of opportunity?”
Grandma Sarah leaned back into the sofa cushions, which swallowed her slightly. She would need Walter's help getting out of here later, but that was a problem for the future. Right now, she had a pitch to make.
“Your sister is about to have twins,” she said.
“I'm aware. I've been getting belly updates for months.”
“And your mother is flying up with Paolo and Chelsea to be there for the birth.”
“Also aware.”
“And after the birth, the whole family is going to gather at the Andover house to sort through everything before it sells. A farewell to the old homestead. Memories, tears, the whole production.”
Lauren was quiet for a moment. “Grandma, what are you getting at?”
Sarah smiled. She had her granddaughter's attention now. “I'm getting at the fact that this is a major family event, possibly the last time any of us will set foot in that house, and I am not going to experience it through a video call like some kind of shut-in.”
“You’re hardly a shut-in.”
“I have an RV, Lauren. A perfectly good RV that is sitting in my driveway, gathering dust and feeling neglected.”
“RVs don't have feelings.”
“Mine does. I named her Sheila.”
Lauren laughed, a sound that made Sarah's heart lift. She had always loved Lauren's laugh, the way it burst out of her unexpectedly, like she was surprising herself with her own joy.
“You want to drive to Massachusetts,” Lauren said. “In your RV. In March.”
“Sheila has heating. Very good heating. Walter made sure of it when we had her serviced last month.”
