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“Nonsense. Zane will walk you, won’t you, dear?”
Celeste gnawed the end of her thumb, watching me expectantly.
“Where did you park?” Because I hadn’t seen her car outside when I’d found her standing at the door earlier.
“I, uh… I left it at the gas station and got a cab here.”
Smart girl. I swallowed the words.
“Give me ten minutes and I’m all yours.”
It wasn’t until the words spilled out that I realized how they sounded. But interest, and a little bit of surprise, flared in Celeste’s eyes.
“Don’t be a stranger, dear,” Grams said, waving her off as she shuffled down the hall.
I glanced back at her, holding her gaze for a second and then went after Grams.
“Such a sweet girl,” she said, the second I entered her room.
“Grams,” I warned.
“What? It’s just a simple observation.”
“Hmm,” I murmured, helping her lay out her night clothes. Sometimes she needed my help undressing. It wasn’t a problem yet—she could still do enough to retain some dignity—but eventually, probably sooner rather than later, she would need somebody to dress her.
No sixty-nine-year-old woman wanted her eighteen-year-old grandson to have to do that. She was going to need in-home care which cost money. Even if the insurance covered part of it, there would still be the co-payment.
“How are you feeling, really?” I asked with my back to her to give her some privacy.
“I enjoyed Celeste’s company tonight. It was nice to have another female around. Maybe she can stop by again…”
“Not going to happen.”
“And why not? Okay, all done.”
I turned around and helped her into bed, offering her a drink and pills.
“Because… it isn’t.”
“You like her.” Mischief danced in her eyes.
“I don’t like anyone.”
“Oh, I don’t know. I think I saw something between the two of you over dinner.”
“Promise me, you won’t try to play matchmaker. Celeste is all kinds of wrong for me, Grams. Not that I’m looking for a girl, I’m not.”
“Zane Thackeray, my sweet boy.” She reached for my cheek. “Sometimes, I worry I was too harsh about—”
“Don’t.” I sighed, gently pulling her hand away and tucking it beside her. “There’s only room for one woman in my life—you.”
“Oh, hush now. Go and make sure Celeste gets to her car in one piece.”
“I will.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead. “If you need me—”
“I know. I’m fine, stop fussing.” She gave me a smile, but it didn’t reach her eyes.
We hadn’t talked much about what happened earlier at the center. But we needed to. We needed to have the hard conversations and make some hard choices.
