Turning to look at him, I answered, “The feeling is mutual.”
CHAPTER NINE
Mike
I was plowingthrough reports that my data team had put together on the marine-based supplement line, downing my now cold coffee with a grimace. It had been hard to concentrate when my thoughts kept drifting back to Ren.
When she saw Grammy’s ring, something inside me clicked into place like a puzzle. This was crazy. I knew Grammy and Grandpa’s story was an insta-love one for the ages, but this felt like falling with no net to catch me.
The moment Ren touched the ring, it was like my heart said,“There you are.”
That same heart thumped inside my chest, and I suddenly felt dizzy. This couldn’t be love already. It was impossible. Rubbing my face vigorously, I tried to make sense of what was happening, but I fell short.
Checking the time, I sat up straight, forcing my head back into work to get the reports done before the end of the day.
Two hours later, lost in a sea of numbers, I glanced at my phone and saw a missed call from Grammy. I must’ve forgottento turn the ringer back on after my earlier meeting. She picked up on the first ring, which was impressive, given her declining hearing. She wouldn’t even consider getting a hearing aid, and I’d given up trying to convince her.
“Are you alright?” I asked, once again pushing down my fear.
“Mikey, finally. What are you doing? Are you busy?”
Huffing out a laugh, relieved she was alright, I answered. “It is the middle of a workday, you know. And I am, but tell me what you need.”
“I just wanted to ask whether Ren likes pie or cake.” I could hear banging and wondered what she was up to in her kitchen.
“Ah, why, Grammy? What are you doing?”
She tsked and grunted, making me snicker.
“I don’t have time for your inquisition, boy. Just answer the simple question, please.”
“Are you trying to make it up to her for your Godfather impression the other day?”
There was a pause before she answered quietly, “Maybe. I just wanted to put her through my test, and she passed marvelously.”
I didn’t remember any conversation about Ren’s dessert of choice, so I had to wing it.
“She likes a lot of things, but if I had to narrow it down, I’d say cake.” Fingers crossed I was right. Knowing my Grammy, she’d have a huge cake the next time we visited, which we hadn’t worked out yet.
“Great, thanks. Love you.”
“Gram--.” I got dead air. I looked at the phone to confirm she’d, once again, hung up on me and shook my head.
“Crazy old coot.”
Rubbing my tired eyes, I noticed something off in the last data report I’d been reading, and I went down a rabbit hole to figure out how to fix it. It wasn’t until an hour later that mystrange conversation with Grammy suddenly made sense. My head popped up like the Whack-a-Mole game at the arcade.
“Oh no. No, no, no,” I chanted, closing my laptop, throwing it into my messenger bag, and took off running. “She wouldn’t dare call Ren, would she? How would she get her number?”
“Something came up,” I yelled at my analyst as I raced past his desk. “I emailed you all but one report, and I’ll have that to you in a few hours.”
“Sooner rather than later, Mike,” he yelled back. I waved to him without turning around, racing to my car.
The whole drive to Grammy’s, I waffled between pride in her cunning ways of getting information and mortification at what she might be telling Ren at this very moment if my suspicions were right.
When I gotto Grammy’s door out of breath, my fear was confirmed when I heard Ren laughing. I closed my eyes for a minute, gathering my courage to face what chaos my grandmother had caused. But I stopped short of walking in when I heard their conversation.
“He was about six here, I think. His teacher had a merit box for when the kids behaved well, and every time, without fail, when it was Mikey’s turn to choose from that box, he chose something he thought his mom, dad, grandfather, or I would like. Never chose something for himself. I have a huge collection of gaudy plastic rings that I treasure almost as much as my wedding rings.”
