“His is even better.” I look down at Clo. “Right, buddy? We like Silas, huh?”
Clo flutters his wings and struts across the countertop, sniffing around for more apple slices.
“Secondly,” I say and give Nora a grin as excitement pulses through me. “You’re going to love your grandma’s spot there.”
She sits ramrod straight and blinks at me. “Grandma has a spot at the bar?”
“Don’t worry. She was there for the tea and the view.”
“What’s the view of?”
“Budgie Bay. She liked to watch the boats come in, always waiting for Amos to arrive.”
Nora flashes me a soft, sweet smile that warms me up inside. “I have to meet the man who’d go through all that trouble for a little old lady.”
“It’s the least he could do,” I murmur, shrugging my shoulders, “since she sold the place to him.”
Her eyes bug out of her head. “Grandma owned a bar? I feel like I know nothing about her.”
“It wasn’t a bar when she owned it,” I say as I hold out my hand for Clo to hop onto my finger. “It used to be Everhart’s Fish and Ice.”
Nora slides off the barstool and beams at me. “Let me grab my purse.”
Clo sings happily to me, and I stroke the top of his head. I’m not cheerful like he is, but I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to showing Nora The Icehouse.
See, Icanbe pleasant.
Chapter 13
Nora
“You’re quiet. You sure you want to do this?”
I blink away my daze and glance over at Elias. His eyebrows are pinched together in concern. My heart softens a little more toward him. Despite his grumpiness, and clear dislike toward me, he is honorable when it comes to Grandma and what she would want.
“I want to see her spot,” I say with a sharp nod. “There’s so much I don’t know about her. Learning these things makes me feel closer to her.”
As we exit his truck parked out in front of The Icehouse, I scan the sparkling deep-blue bay, seeing it with new eyes. Would my grandma watch every boat that came in day after day, year after year, hoping for Grandpa’s return?
It’s sad because he never came back.
Mom always resented her for this, hence why she skipped out of here as quick as she could. I grew up living the big city life where things moved fast. Everything was much louder than it is here. When I was old enough to make my own decisions aboutmy summer holiday, I chose my friends in the city over the quiet of the bay.
I took so much for granted.
No more.
I resolve myself to do right by Grandma. If missing the funeral means I’ve been given a unique opportunity to see glimpses into her life I was never privy to, then it’s worth it. No more wallowing in regret and guilt and shame.
I’m going to carefully sift through her belongings, her memories, her past, and do my best to bring respectful resolution to it all. It may take me a month or maybe six. Regardless, I vow to see it through to the end.
Denver won’t be pleased.
But I’m tired of letting what Denver wants direct me on where to go. My gut is telling me to stay for the time being and commit myself to this effort, so I am going to stay.
As I follow Elias into the bar that once used to be my grandfather’s fishing company, I make a quick mental ta-da list. This is more than just fixing up her cottage to sell. I’m going to honor my grandma’s memory as I clean and renovate her home and I’m going to find good homes for each and every rescue budgie she owned.
What about Clo?
