Page 97
Tea paused. “Did you tell her?”
“I didn’t mean to.”
She placed her face in her hands. “Crap.”
“Well, gal dang, kid. I don’t get it.”
Tea looked up. “Get what?”
Nan placed her hands on her hips. “Why would you not want to tell your mother? Are you angry at her or something?”
“What? No!”
“Are you ashamed of him?”
“No, not at all.”
“Then what is it?”
Tea froze, not sure how to respond.
Nan sighed as she stepped around the counter, then took Tea’s hands in hers. “Listen, honey. I know these years have been so hard. I knew coming to the cabin was going to be a lot for you. Being in this place helps me to remember all the happy memories of my beautiful son, but I knew that wouldn’t feel the same for you and your mom. So I gave you both the space you needed. But now…now I’m going to be Tough Grandma.”
Tea looked down at their hands.
“Tough Grandma is going to admit the truth: that your father would not want his death to be the reason you don’t live life to the fullest.”
Tea blinked up at her grandmother.
She pointed to the window and the man cleaning the gutters outside. “That boy is in love with you. It’s clear as day. I think you’re sitting here unable to admit to yourself that you love him too. Because you are afraid of what that would require you to do.”
“And what would that be?” she muttered.
“To actually go out there and live your dang life.”
“My life is back east. With Mom.”
Nan shook her head. “No. Your life is what you make it. Only you can decide what you want it to be.”
Before she could respond, Nan placed a muffin on a plate and handed it to Tea with a napkin. “Now I will go back to being Nice Grandma. But be warned, Tough Grandma will make an appearance again if you do something stupid.”
“Like what?”
She fixed her with a sobering look. “Like make a huge mistake.”
Tea knocked on the back door of Cabin F.
Archer stood in the kitchen next to his mother, chopping tomatoes for the salsa she was making. He glanced up at her as he slid them from the cutting board into a bowl, a smile slowly forming across his cheeks. He rinsed his hands.
“Tea, dearest!” Larissa mixed them into the bowl. “Want to join us for tacos tonight?”
“Oh! I think Nan is making hotdish…”
“Nonsense. I’ll tell her to put it in the fridge for tomorrow and they can come over too.”
“In that case, sure. Thanks missus—”
Larissa looked up and glared at her.
