Page 58 of Something Old

“I know.”

“So, what then?”

Grant looked at Madeline. She looked at him.

“Forward,” he said. It was crazy how much hope and optimism one small word could hold.

Chapter 29

It turned out Madeline didn’t need to rent a van for her buying trip, after all. When it came up in conversation with Grant, he volunteered himself and his truck—and he had an enclosed trailer she didn’t know about, to boot. She tried to argue at first, more out of politeness than anything else, but Grant wouldn’t hear of it. Then, when she thanked him profusely, he winked.

“Don’t thank me. I’m only doing it because I have an ulterior motive.”

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. You to myself for five straight days—and nights.” He gave her a lecherous leer, which made her laugh—and her insides tighten, though he was only joking around.

Even when she explained the miserable, work-intensive side trip she needed to make—and mentioned that she wanted time alone at the cemetery—Grant was undaunted.

“It won’t be fun.”

“Fun is great, Mads—and I love having fun with you. But I’m not just your friend for the fun stuff, okay? We’re friends for all the stuff. Like all the work you helped with at my dad’s. Not fun.”

They exchanged a look, and Grant amended his statement with a small grin. “Okay, bad example. A lot of times, we did—do—have fun there, but you know what I mean.”

“But—”

“No buts. I can handle it.”

So they commenced their five-day road trip, leaving the store in Aisha’s capable hands for the three days it would be open while they were away. British Columbia was a big province, and the drive from Greenridge to the lower mainland where they were headed was nearly a sixteen-hour drive, so it would be a pedal-to-the-metal kind of trip. It turned out Grant loved to drive as much as Madeline did, however, and the kilometers rolled by quickly. They shared lots of laughs, along with comfortable silences, good conversations, and an audiobook mystery that enthralled them both.

Through it all, though, a small part of Madeline’s mind remained on separate things, churning with low to mid-grade worry. It was one thing to think you were mentally prepared for something, the way Grant thought he was. It was another thing altogether to actually confront that something in real life. Madeline was afraid that in accompanying her through this, Grant would see her too clearly. How could he not be overwhelmed by her baggage and by the pain she, for the most part, managed to shield other people from? He would run from her as far and fast as he could, and she wouldn’t blame him one bit. He’d had enough difficult people in his life, after all.

Chapter 30

Due to the timing of the one auction and three estate sales Madeline wanted to hit, they needed to do the buying leg of the trip first.

“It’s for the best anyway. That way, if you’re horrified by me and need to flee, the whole trip won’t have been a waste.” Madeline said it like she was joking, but Grant suspected she actually thought he would bail on her in her time of need. Well, she had another thing coming if she thought that. He would work his hardest never to disappoint her again.

Despite the shadow looming over the second part of the trip, or perhaps because of it, each estate sale they visited, the auction, and every secondhand store they sought out was a bright spot. They bought some really great stuff, including three full sets of china, enough crystal in every color under the sun to sink a battleship—which Madeline said would “fly off the shelves at Christmas”—and a cupboard worth of 70s Pyrex and vintage Corning Ware in mint condition.

When he raised his eyebrow about the latter, Madeline grinned and explained how popular it was again. It wasn’t until she mentioned the prices some pieces would fetch that he was won over, though.

They also scored ten 80s tin lunchboxes, one featuring Snoopy that Grant didn’t know if Madeline would be able to part with, and one featuring Wonder Woman, which she’d already stashed in the front of the truck for their snacks. She blushed and shrugged when he shook his head at her. “I’ve shown great restraint so far. Everything else, or almost everything else, is going into the shop, I promise.”

They bid on—and won—a collection of toys. Polly Pocket from the 80s, early transformers, some American Girl dolls, various sets of cards, including Pokémon, and—to his delight more than hers—original Star Wars figurines and the Starship Enterprise, to name just a few items guaranteed to bring in big bucks.

“Let me guess . . . Christmas?”

“You bet.” Madeline’s eyes shone. “They’d sell anytime, but if I can restrain myself, think how awesome my November and December windows will be.”

And then there were some interesting furniture pieces, like an avocado green hassock and two 70s floor lamps with stands that looked like gold vines and huge, orange, pumpkin-shaped light-globes, plus too many other pieces to mention.

Watching Madeline act casual about each item she bid on or bartered for and won—only to then squeal with glee like a little kid over her “treasures” once they were alone together in the van—was quickly becoming one of Grant’s favorite activities in the world.

And his least favorite was sharing various hotel rooms with her because they each slept alone in their adjacent queen-size beds. He understood it, just didn’t like it. It wasn’t even about sex, though he’d be lying if he said that wasn’t on this mind, too. Yet he’d be equally content—well, maybe not equally, but content enough—just to hold her. Sometimes he sensed she was awake too, though she never spoke, and he’d wonder if she had similar longings. Or he’d hope.

All too soon—in a blink, it seemed—the buying part of the trip was over.