“How is he today?” Sid asks as he sets the bags down on the counter.
Sid runs a meal delivery service that is a large step above the generic food services that show up in a box on your front porch. He adds personal touches, like all things cooked by himself, and he only serves a select few clients. Luckily, Grandpa is one of them.
“He’s doing a lot better today. Thanks for asking.”
Sid shrugs. “It’s purely selfish. He’s my favorite customer. I’d hate to lose him.”
I reach for one of the bags and pull it closer. “This smells good. What’s in it?”
“Seafood fettuccine. Seared scallops, halibut, and shrimp, tossed in Alfredo sauce.”
“It sounds amazing.”
While I’m busy sniffing the bag, Sid leaves just as quickly as he came. I take out the food and set it up for anyone to come eat. I steal a scallop that’s sitting on the very top of the pot, then head upstairs.
I find Dr. Charles and Mary in Grandpa’s room. Kevin and his whole family are gone already. Thank goodness. I didn’t want to deal with them again this afternoon.
“Sid brought dinner, and it’s downstairs, warm in the kitchen.”
Mary’s eyes light up at those words.
Both she and Dr. Charles head for the door.
“Bring me a big bowl of whatever it is!” Grandpa calls after them.
“Absolutely not. You have to get your strength back up without crashing your system on rich foods. You need basic, nutritious foods,” Dr. Charles barks.
“Where’s the fun in that?”
Dr. Charles laughs but doesn’t relent. “You’re my miracle patient, so I’m not about to let you go because you couldn’t resist Sid’s cooking.”
I wait for him to close the door before I turn back to Grandpa. “How are you doing?”
“A lot better. I can’t even begin to tell you how relieved I am about Magnolia. The way you described her before…it made me nervous. I thought she was going to be a gold digger…but I’m very happy to be wrong.”
“She’s the complete opposite of a gold digger,” I blurt out, feeling the need to defend her even though she’s not here. “She lives with two roommates in a small apartment in town. Actually, I wish she were a little more of a gold digger. I don’t think that apartment is safe.”
“Move her in here, then. Plenty of room for her and her friends,” Grandpa says matter-of-factly.
“Ha. She’s pretty independent. I’d probably have to knock her out and drag her here.”
Grandpa smiles at that. “Well, you’d better figure out some way to take care of her and make sure she has everything she needs. She might be independent, but you’re her fiancé, so I hope you’re making life smooth for her—or else.”
“Or else what?” I ask with a laugh.
Grandpa scowls. “I’ll disown you and keep her. So, there.”
I throw back my head and laugh. That’s exactly the kind of outlandish thing he would actually do.
But what he says is true. I need to do something to help Magnolia. I’ve been so selfish the last couple of days. I haven’t even thought about what I’ve taken from her. It was my fault that she lost her job. Now I’m the one who is taking up her time with this charade when she could be finding work somewhere.
Yeah, now that Grandpa is stable, it’s time to do something about the Magnolia situation.
CHAPTER 16
Magnolia
Four days.Four more days of pretending. It’s become a routine. Nash picks me up, takes me to his grandpa’s house, we talk, then he brings me home. So far I’ve met four second cousins, one great aunt, and several people I’m not quite sure are even related.
