My name is Serenity; I apologize if this message finds you at a bad time. I'm Grant’s girlfriend, and funny enough, we met in therapy. We became best friends before we became a couple, and he’s come such a long way in his healing journey. I recently learned about you and Avery. I am so sorry for yourlosses. Not just your Gram and Avery, but how you lost the brother who was your best friend, who became a shell of who he used to be before losing Avery.
I make no excuses for how he handled his grief when you still needed him as a parental figure. I saw the pain in his face when he talked about that time in his life, and I don’t think he can truly feel healed without at least talking to you and explaining everything he couldn’t back then. The reason I’m reaching out instead of him is because he believes you’re better off without him. If you miss him just as much as he misses you, then we would like to invite you to our home for dinner. You’re welcome anytime.
I left her my phone number. I hoped for the best and sent the message.
Not even ten minutes later, I received a call from an unknown number. I immediately answered.
“Hello?”
“Hi, is this Serenity? I received a message from you about my brother, Grant.”
I almost squealed with excitement from hearing from her so soon. “Yes, hi, thank you so much for calling. He would love to see you and at least talk.”
“I can come tomorrow. I’ve been looking for him, but he’s kind of hard to track down. I could have tried harder.” She laughed lightly.
I laughed along with her. “He’s been a real recluse since moving to Tucson after you left. I happened to be at the right place at the right time to get him to step out of his shell. But tomorrow will be perfect. Where are you living now? I don’t want you to have to go out of your way.”
“I’ve been in the Phoenix area, but don’t mind making the drive. I’d like to see the life Grant built for himself. I hated how we left things, but maybe it was the best for both of us at the time.”
“I’m so glad you’re willing to come down. I’m so excited to meet you, and I’m sure Grant will feel the same when I give him the good news.”
“Actually,” she started, “can you not tell him I’m coming? I’d like it to be a surprise.”
“I love surprises,” I exclaimed. “Text me when you’re headed this way, and I’ll make sure he's ready for you.”
“Thank you, Serenity. Your message meant more to me than I can express. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
My eyes watered at her admission. “See you tomorrow.”
We ended the call, and I jumped up and down. I hoped I could keep the secret so she could surprise him tomorrow. Grant knew me too well. He’d know right away I was hiding something. I’m sure I can find a way to distract him.
“Where’d you head off to during your break?” Mikey asked.
“I went for a walk, but guess what?”
“Tell me.”
I looked around, ensuring Carmen wasn’t close by. “There’s a small boutique going up for sale a couple of blocks from here. A perfect place for an indie bookstore. How mad would Carmen be if I opened a bookstore somewhat close to hers?”
“Hmm,” he started, tapping his fingers on his chin. “The stores would honestly be so different since she primarily carries mainstream or traditional authors’ books. I think she would tell you to go for it.”
“Really?” I asked skeptically.
“There’s only one way to find out. Are you planning on jumping ship soon?”
“I doubt I could afford it right now. But I might be able to soon. Did I tell you I moved in with Grant?” I shifted my eyebrows up and down.
“No wonder you come to work in such a good mood lately.” He winked at me.
I laughed, not denying his statement. “Speaking of, I should get home to him.”
“If I had a man who looked like that, then I’d be asking to leave work early, too.”
I rolled my eyes. “His sister is visiting us tomorrow, so I want to get the house in order.” I gathered my things to leave. “Stop checking out my boyfriend.”
“Stop having a hot boyfriend,” he teased.
“Goodbye,” I said, laughing on my way out the door.
