Her eyes find mine again, sharper now. “I think you’re starting to figure that out, aren’t you?”
“Well,” I say, deflecting like I always do, “you’re the most important thing in front of me right now.”
She hums softly, like she expected that. “There’s also Ty.”
I snort, shaking my head. “I could say the same thing about you and Larry.”
That earns me a small, amused smile.
“Well,” she says, her tone shifting just slightly, “I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that.”
Something in me straightens. “What do you mean?”
She lets out a small, breathy laugh. “I think I’m going to move into the retirement village, sweetie.”
“What?”
“After this little slip up, Larry and I have been talking.” Her hand shifts in mine, calm, steady. “I think it’s time.”
“But, you have the house,” I say, the words coming out faster now. “You love the house.”
“The house is wonderful,” she says gently. “It’s served its purpose for us. But it’s also a lot. And if I’m somewhere with more support…” She gives a small shrug. “Things get easier.”
I shake my head slightly, still trying to catch up.
“And for you,” she continues, watching me closely, “life could be starting soon.”
“Thisismy life,” I say immediately. “It has started. I’m in the middle of it.”
She smiles again. “No, honey. What I mean is, let’s take today out of it. Normally, you’d be teaching a workshop, wouldn’t you?”
I hesitate. “Yes, but Ty stepped in for me so I could be here.”
“And the other day,” she goes on, “when Larry called. You told me you ran out of the store and Lucy closed up for you.”
I let out a small breath. “Yeah.”
“Well. Look at you.” She raises her brows just slightly. “Letting people help. Not jumping in to fix everything yourself.”
I narrow my eyes at her. “Grandma, I don’t know what you think you’re doing trying to call me out like this.”
She smiles, completely unbothered. “It’s who you’ve always been. And that’s okay.”
I open my mouth to argue, but she keeps going.
“We all do things to protect ourselves,” she says gently. “But I’d have to be a bit daft to not notice that my sweet granddaughter has always been the first one to raise her hand and say she’ll take care of something in an effort to make sure no one leaves.”
Well, that hits its target, exactly as she intended it to. I look down at our hands, blinking back a tear.
“I really feel like you shouldn’t be talking anymore,” I say quietly. “You’re supposed to rest.”
She lets out a tiny laugh. “I’m onto something, and you know it.”
I shake my head, but I don’t argue.
“Vivian,” she says, her voice softer now, but more certain. “I’m about to give you a gift. Huge one.”
I glance up at her.
