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Unlike Maya, everyone around her seemed to be enjoying full, adventurous lives.
It was settled. Her mind was made up. She couldn’t handle seeing all those glorious, romantic spots as a single woman. Not when the original plan had been so different. The only reason Maya hadn’t canceled the trip immediately was because she couldn’t bear to turn down the gift of a lifetime and have Grandmama’s money go to such waste. It would have been bad enough for Matt’s half of the trip to be a loss. Granted they would have shared hotel rooms. But all his meals, travel, and museum tickets had been paid for in advance.
But the more she thought about it, the less feasible the whole idea became. She just didn’t have it in her. To traipse around Europe by herself, suddenly single and with a broken heart? No, she would stay here and try to pull her life back together. Beginning with somehow delivering the bad news of the broken engagement to Uncle Rex, Aunt Talley and her cousins.
Uncle Rex would be the toughest. He adored Matt and was going to be devastated. Not to mention the whole complication of Matt being the son of her uncle’s business partner. The notion that she was letting her whole family down was hard to squelch.
The whole situation was one big mess.
She had to start with breaking the news to Grandmama. Maya owed it to her grandmother to explain exactly why she was essentially throwing away such a loving and generous gift.
Grandmama Fran would understand. She would have to. With shaky fingers, Maya reached for her cell phone on the bedroom night stand. This would be one call she’d never forget.
Her grandmother picked up right away. “Maya, dear. I was hoping to hear from you before you left. How nice of you to take time to call.”
That was her grandmother. She was exactly the type of person to thank a grandchild for a simple phone call regarding a trip she herself had paid for. Maya swallowed yet another sob before trying to speak. “Hi there. I hope I didn’t wake you.”
“Nonsense. I’m much too excited to sleep.” Her grandmother chuckled into her ear through the tiny speaker. “I know it’s silly, but I’m as excited as if I were going myself. If only I was that mobile.”
Maya found herself wishing more than anything that could be so. Having her grandmother accompany her to Europe would be the ultimate solution to this big, painful mess. But Grandmama’s various health limitations made any kind of travel impossible.
“I shall just have to live vicariously through my favorite granddaughter,” Grandmama added, sending a spear of hurt through Maya’s chest.
Dammit. She had no reason to feel guilty. It wasn’t as if she’d been the one to cause her breakup. What choice had she had? How could she continue with a man who’d so utterly betrayed her trust?
None of that would make this announcement to her grandmother any easier, however. “Gran, I have something I need to tell you,” she began with a shaky, soft voice.
“Oh, my. You sound quite serious. I hope you aren’t about to thank me again, dear. You’ve already done so more than enough.”
Every word Grandmama spoke was just making this endeavor more and more difficult. She should have prepared herself better, Maya thought.
Her grandmother continued without giving Maya a chance to respond. “I was so happy to do it for you, you know. You may think I’m joking, but you really are my favorite.”
Maya couldn’t help the smile that spread over her lips. Ever since she’d lost her parents, Gran had been one of the people to step into the sudden massive hole in her life where her family used to be. Sure, her uncle, aunt and cousins had all provided her with a substitute family, and she’d be forever grateful to them for that. But the bond she felt with Grandmama went far deeper than any other relationship in Maya’s life. Gran had been as broken as Maya was over the tragic loss. The older woman’s loving comfort had been the sole factor in pulling Maya out of the overwhelming grief and pain after the accident.
Maya wanted to crumble at the thought that she was about to deliver yet another, albeit much smaller, bolt of pain to the older woman.
“Thanks, Gran. I just...”
Grandmama jumped into the silence. “Are you sure you packed that red dress with the thin shoulder straps? You look so nice in that dress, dear.”
