“My pleasure.” He waited patiently while she kissed his cheek. “How are you feeling?”
“Good. Really.” She stepped back and headed for the kitchen. “I’ll brew some tea.”
“Thanks for coming over, Grant,” Lacey said. “I know that Henry loved having you.”
He inclined his head and then shifted his gaze to Eli, who stood beside Lacey with his posture rigid.
This had been a good morning, and I wanted it to stay that way. Time to redirect the tension. “Grant, let’s check on the tea.” I linked my arm through his and dragged him to the kitchen.
Crystal was soon grilling him about where he’d been since she last saw him. Grant was deflecting her questions politely. I left them to their mostly unproductive conversation and returned to the foyer, hesitating in the shadows when I heard Eli mutter, “Why him?”
“It had to have been Sara’s idea. I forgot about Grant, to be honest,” Lacey said. “Don’t be upset. You have nothing to worry about, Eli.”
“But—”
“No buts.” She kissed him once, a soft brush of lips, and then a second time with more energy. “I only want you.”
He whispered, and whatever he’d said made her smile.
When I thumped closer, they looked up, startled out of their private world.
“What was wrong with your mother?” I asked Lacey.
“She had hives. I guessed right. It was a reaction to her new meds. The ER doctor talked to her psychiatrist, and they’ve changed her to something else.” She smiled up at her boyfriend. “I have another favor to ask, Sara. We went to the hospital in Quincy. While they were examining Mom, I called Eli and he drove up from Wilmington. He needs to get back, but we left his Mustang in the parking lot there. Could you take him?”
“You should,” I said. “Grant and I can stay with your mom and Henry.”
“Oh, yeah. Perfect solution. Thanks.” She lifted Eli’s hand to her lips for a kiss. “Come on, I’ll take you to your car.”
I watched them disappear through the front door. The last few moments could’ve been awkward, but it turned out well. For Eli and Lacey, that message had been overdue.
When we got home from Lacey’s, I found my mother sitting at the dining room table, a folder open, sheets of paper spilling out. Looking over her shoulder, I could see that each held an image of a house at the top and a floor plan at the bottom.
“What are these?”
“House rentals in the area. Dad and I are looking for somewhere to live.”
“What’s wrong with the apartment over the shop?”
“If we put a bed in the junk room, it would be too cramped for you.” She sighed heavily. “And I can’t cook in that kitchenette. The whole apartment is just too small.”
I had to agree. My parents would’ve run into each other and gone crazy without more space. And I hadn’t known they were thinking about the junk closet for me, but I would’ve dreaded sleeping in there. “What are you going to do?”
“We’ll finish the renovations, but I don’t think we’ll move in. It would be better to rent a house. A small ranch with a great kitchen. And a yard instead of a parking lot.”
“What does Dad think about all this?”
“He hasn’t said much, but he doesn’t like the idea of living in the apartment either. He doesn’t think it’s big enough for him and the cats.”
“Do you want me to help you find something?”
“Thank you, sweetheart, yes.”
We flipped through the sheets in silence. None of them looked all that great. I pulled over the laptop and brought up a listing site. It held more options, a few that would probably please both of my parents. I would try one more time to change her mind before showing her what I’d found. “Why don’t you just stay in this house?”
Her face sagged. “We have an offer.”
“A good one?”
