Page 61 of Never Let Go

As I stood in front of my open closet though, I realized I had exactly nothing that felt appropriate. I sighed. I wanted to look my best, but I didn’t have anything that made me feel the way I did in my maid of honor dress, and that was what I was after.

That confidence I’d felt in the dress shop that day.

Eventually, after double-checking that I really didn’t have anything that made me feel remotely like that, I glanced at my phone and debated calling Ashley. After the day she’d had though, I didn’t want to bother her with a phone call, so I sent a text instead.

Me: I need to go shopping before the reveal.

She replied almost immediately, and I grinned at my screen, thankful for a friend that always made time for me. Even now.

Ash: I’m in. Tomorrow. I’ll meet you at the mall at noon. NO WEDDING TALK!!!

I laughed at the final sentence, vowing that I’d give her the break she so obviously wanted. It was the least I could do, and besides, a girls’ shopping trip would be good for us both at this point. Even if she was going to choose something for me to wear that I’d never even have considered otherwise, but at the end of the day, that was why I was happy she’d volunteered to come with me.

29

FOSTER

My grandmother’s house was enormous. As I crawled up her paved driveway, I marveled at the palace she lived in, unable to picture my mother or any other kid growing up here.

The expansive front lawns and gardens were manicured and landscaped to the extent that there wasn’t even a leaf out of place on the grass. Three stories of house loomed ahead, with some greenery on the walls. It was a damn impressive place, but even from the driveway, it seemed too big. Too cold. I definitely couldn’t imagine a ball or a swing set on these lawns, let alone kids running around at a birthday party.

Once again wondering why I’d accepted her invitation for coffee, I sighed and pushed my car into park in front of the garages. Ducking down, I peered at the house through my windshield, shaking my head at myself at the thought that this entire place was currently occupied by only one person.

She could house an entire school in there.

I’d been worried about her when I’d found out I was the primary beneficiary of his estate, but obviously, Shelby hadn’t been kidding when she’d said my grandmother had been taken care of. At least when it came to her, I now knew I had nothing to feel guilty about. The money I had inherited must only have been the tip of the iceberg.

I drew in a deep breath and opened my door, ready to get this over with. I had no idea what to expect and after that conversation I’d had with my mom, I didn’t even know if I should be here. All I knew was that when Priscilla had called, sounding all frail and sad, I hadn’t been able to turn her down.

The wide front doors swung open—both of them—and a suited man stepped out before she appeared. My grandmother was dressed in black from head to toe. She folded her hands in front of her as she smiled faintly and waited for me to ascend the stairs.

I did, returning her smile but feeling so awkward that I didn’t really know what the hell to do with my hands or eyes. The tiles beneath my feet had elaborate blue and orange designs on them, and from what I could see of the foyer, I’d have been able to fit my entire old apartment in there.

The suited man waited beside my grandmother, but I took a quick glance at her instead of wondering too much about him for the moment. I remembered meeting her years ago, but it’d been a long time and it showed.

The woman I remembered was not the woman standing at the top of the stairs waiting for me now. I slowed my pace to give myself some extra time before I’d have to speak to her. Deep lines were etched into pale, thin-looking skin, her green eyes haunted and sad.

Her body was tiny and sheathed in black. It looked even smaller than it probably really was. Even the smile she was holding on her face was tiny, and seeing it—all of it—made a profound sense of sadness wash over me.

This woman had hurt my mother deeply, but I couldn’t hold it against her. Not right now anyway. Especially since I saw her fidgeting with her hands, her eyes tightening with nerves as I approached her.

“Hello, Foster. Thank you for coming. Would you like to come inside?”

I nodded, so taken aback by how her voice seemed even weaker now than it had on the phone that it took me a moment to find my own. “Of course. Thank you for inviting me.”

She nodded and turned, sweeping a hand out ahead of her as she motioned for me to follow. The suited man closed the doors behind us once I’d gone in with my grandmother, and he nearly bumped into my ass since I’d slammed to a stop as soon as I’d walked in.

The place had seemed massive from the outside, but from in here, it was even bigger. The space was cavernous and old-school elegant, with golden chandeliers hanging from the ceilings and thick drapes in the windows.

A soft sigh from my side made me glance at my grandmother, and I was surprised to see her smiling a little wider now. “It feels like walking into a mausoleum, doesn’t it?”

I blinked and cleared my throat, my head shaking even though I didn’t disagree with her. “No, uh, it’s nice. It’s really nice.”

She chuckled and canted her head, her eyes seemingly all-knowing as they rested firmly on mine. “Once upon a time, it was nice. Now, it’s too quiet. Too outdated. I’ve been thinking about modernizing, but Ruben here thinks it’s a bad idea.”

I glanced at the suited man—Ruben—who didn’t say anything in his own defense. Didn’t even look at her, in fact. Priscilla rolled her eyes, smiled at me, and jerked her chin at one of the many doors leading off the entrance hall.

“Let’s go sit down. Ruben will tell Martha that you’re here and they’ll bring us a pot of coffee.” She started walking to the door and I realized then that although she gave off that sense of haunted sadness, her gait was confident, her chin held high, and her voice sure.