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“Well, we aren’t here to waste anyone’s time. She asked and I answered,” Bobbie defended.
“I like it when people get right to the point,” the older woman said. “Thank you, but what makes you think that I’m your grandmother?” she asked.
“Because David Granger is our father and you are listed as his mother on his birth certificate,” Lulah said, pulling out the folder that Austin had compiled on the woman. She found the copy of David’s birth certificate and handed it over to the woman who took it from her.
“I am his mother,” the woman said. “I’m Penelope Granger, but David never had any children. He never settled down.”
“Well, you have that half right,” Stone countered. “Or father didn’t really settle down. He kind of had a bunch of families scattered throughout the town, and we’re the products of his deception.”
“Stone,” Bobbie breathed, “not cool.”
“She said that she likes people who get right to the point. I’m doing just that by telling her what kind of person her asshole son was,” Stone said.
“Was,” the woman repeated, “does that mean that he’s gone?”
“I’m so sorry to be the one to tell you this, but yes,” Lulah said, stepping in front of Stone. “David is dead. It happened a few months ago, from what we understand.”
The woman hung her head, “I had a feeling that he was gone. He usually came around once a month to check in on me. When he didn’t come by, I feared the worse. I just never imagined that he’d be keeping secrets from me. How could he keep the fact that I had three grown grandchildren from me?” she asked.
“He never even hinted that he was a father?” Bobbie asked.
“No,” Penelope said, “I bugged him all the time about settling down and giving me grandchildren, but he never let on that he’d already done what I asked him to do.”
“I’m sorry that he lied to you the way that he did us,” Lulah said.
“Why have the three of you come here?” the woman asked.
“Because we wanted to tell you that David’s dead,” Stone said.
“And,” Lulah interrupted, “we’d like the chance to get to know you.”
“I see,” Penelope breathed, “honestly, I’d like that too. I never imagined that I’d have grandchildren. David was my only child. I’d like to know the three of you too.” Bobbie and Lulah quickly agreed, but Stone was still unsure of the whole situation.
“I need some time,” he said. “This is all just too much.”
“Take the time that you need,” the woman said. “I’m not going anywhere.”
“Thank you,” Lulah said.
“Would you three like to come in for some coffee?” Penelope asked. His sisters took their new grandmother up on her offer, but he didn’t feel right accepting and leaving Jolene sitting out in the car.
“I better get going. I have someone waiting for me,” Stone insisted.
“I’ll call you later,” Bobbie said. He could tell by the way that she looked at him that he wasn’t going to like most of what she said to him when she called. He nodded and plastered on a fake smile.
“Can’t wait,” he lied.
* * *
Stone hobbled back to the car and climbed into the front seat. He could tell that Jo wanted to ask a million questions and before she got one word out, he held up his hand. “Don’t ask,” he ordered.
“It was that bad?” she asked.
“It wasn’t bad at all,” he admitted. “I’m just not sure that I believe that she is our grandmother.”
“Why do you question her being your grandmother?” she asked. Yeah, she wasn’t going to let it go and he was going to have to answer her questions if he wanted any peace.
“Because she didn’t seem too upset about being told that her son was dead,” he said.
