“You’re getting married?” Roman asked.
No way. No way was his grandmother getting married.
Maybe? No. Definitely not.
“There are some concerns if you have a boyfriend while you’re currently married.” Sadie was all business. “There will need to be a distribution of assets, and your husband will need to obtain his own attorney.”
“That ought to be good,” Roman said under his breath.
Sadie ignored him. “Where does your husband live now?”
“A little plot of land on Quebec Street.”
Just when he thought it was safe to take a drink... Roman coughed again.
Sadie looked at him from under her lashes, shifting the legal pad a few inches away in case he spewed again.
No need to worry, he’d learned this lesson the first time.
His grandmother couldn’t be serious. By a little plot of land, she meant a cemetery plot, and Dedushka had been there for twenty-plus years.
“I can work with this.” Sadie scribbled a note on a small dry spot in the top right corner of her legal pad.
Roman couldn’t let her go on believing his grandfather was alive. She had no idea the man resided six feetunderin a little plot of land in acemeteryalong Quebec Street. “Sadie, I think you should—”
She cut him off. “Babushka said you can stay as long as you don’t talk.”
“I really think—” He tried again.
“No,” Sadie said, firmer than the first time. “Those are the rules.”
Fine. This is how she wanted to play it? He’d sit right there in his own padded chair with his own cup of water and watch how it all worked out. He pointedly took a sip of water.
Sadie didn’t seem to notice.
“Do you have his address?” Sadie refocused her attention on Babushka. “Your husband’s?”
“Yes.” The old woman handed over a weathered business card for Fairmont Cemetery on Quebec Street.
Sadie took it, jotting down more scribbles.
Elbows on the table, Roman did his best to make his expression blank. He was pretty sure he was failing.
“Um.” Sadie fingered the cardstock. “This is a cemetery.” Sadie flicked the edge of the card.
Roman couldn’t be sure, but it seemed as though she were testing to see if it was real or if maybe she’d fallen through some temporal portal into another dimension where the card no longer existed and this whole scenario didn’t happen. That actually wasn’t a bad assumption as to the current state of affairs.
“Yes, this is where he stays now.” Babushka pointed at the card.
“He works here?” Sadie tried. This time, she looked at Roman, clearly wanting his help explaining.
He mimed zipping his lips. Then, to drive his point home, he took a sip of water from the cup.
She glowered.
No, he wasn’t going to try to help the situation anymore. She’d shushed him twice—Roman was now only along for the ride.
“He lives there.” Babushka propped the image of his dead grandfather on the table.
