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“I’m good. Promise. See you later, Uncle Jamie.”
I jog away, knowing my uncle means well, but I haven’t kicked a soccer ball in almost three years and my life is perfectly fine. Sure, it hurt like hell when I figured out that the game I’ve loved all my life gave me the middle finger, but finding my backup career was hard enough. Yeah, I went to school for accounting, but I never thought I’d use it. I intended to play soccer until I retired. But life didn’t go that way.
I slow my pace and wonder if I should just start running in nearby Winterberry Falls where no one really knows who I am. It’s a newer town in the midst of modernizing from a fishing and hunting town, rebranding to bring in younger people. At least that’s what Buzz Wheel said when they reported about it.
I’m finishing my run, still worrying about having to face Rylan in only two days, when I spot a pair of women waving in my direction. Upon closer inspection, I recognize them as the grandma gang—Jean and Alice from Northern Lights Retirement Center.
I’m not in the mood for them. Don’t get me wrong, they’re sweet ladies. Alice is Aubrey’s grandmother and still dyes her hair red in an effort to make herself look younger, whereas Jean is full-on gray, but the darker gray. But even though I don’t feel like dealing with whatever they’re bringing to my doorstep, I promised my great-grandma Dori that I’d visit them once she was “dancing in heaven with my great-grandpa.”
It was hard for the whole family the day she passed. Of course, she made it to one hundred years and one day old—she was adamant that she’d be over one hundred years old when she went.
Everyone was upset, but Uncle Kingston reminded us all of a conversation he’d had with her at her ninetieth birthday party. She said that whenever it was her time to go, it was okay, because she’d had a good long life full of love and was ready to spend eternity with my great- grandpa.
My family The Baileys had a big celebration of her life, and it was as if a queen had died. But I guess in a way, one did, because Great-Grandma Dori was like the queen of Lake Starlight. My family went into overdrive donating to the city on her behalf, so you can’t go anywhere without coming across a plaque that says the item was donated by her and my great-grandpa.
When I reach Alice and Jean, you’d think they were the ones who ran five miles from how out of breath they are.
“Oh, thank goodness we found you,” Alice says, her age-spotted hand holding out an envelope. “We’d been waiting by your apartment, then went over to get a donut at Greta’s and got sidetracked because she was out. By that time—”
“For Pete’s sake, just give it to the girl.” Jean takes the envelope out of Alice’s hand and shoves it into mine.
There’s some weight to it, so it’s not just a letter. I look at it. “Is this something for Aubrey? The wedding?”
They exchange a look.
“Just read the note and follow the instructions. You’ll get more answers tomorrow,” Alice says.
Then they hightail it, fast walking back to the streets of Lake Starlight—or as fast as women their age can walk.
I stare at the envelope. It has my name written on the front. I walk over to a bench that has a dedication to my grandparents on it, sit down, and slide my finger under the flap to open the envelope. The heaviness I felt inside is a key. There’s a small notecard-sized letter with it. I’m pretty sure it was typed on a typewriter, or at the very least is in the font of a typewriter.
I hold up the card to inspect it further. I’d bet money it’s from an actual typewriter.
Tomorrow 9am
27 Cottagewood Dr.
Lake Starlight, Alaska
Cryptic much? If I weren’t fairly sure the grandma gang was trained by Rylan’s Grandma Ethel and my Great-Grandma Dori before they died, I’d be worried I was going to be murdered.
Shoving the key and the note into the side pocket of my workout leggings, I walk through town. Instead of heading to my apartment, I go to my dad’s restaurant, knowing he’s open for lunch and will be there.
I walk in the door off the back alley and smile when I see Dad at the cutting board, chopping away while the television above is lit up with a soccer game. The man was all baseball and still is, but my playing made him a soccer fan, which always means he has to choose what to watch in October, baseball or soccer playoffs.
“Hey, Dad.”
He drops the knife, scurrying to find the remote. I rise up on my toes and kiss his cheek. I notice the gray around his temples is more prominent these days as I’m pulling away.
He grabs the remote, but I put my hand on his. “Leave it. It’s okay.”
Rylan plays for Chicago, but they were kicked out of the playoffs the first week, which is why he’s now going to be here three weeks before the wedding instead of two days before. I had hoped he’d pop in and out of town like he did for his grandma Ethel’s funeral last year when he never even spent the night.
“Are you sure?” my dad asks, looking concerned.
“It’s exciting, no? The underdog Charlotte is still up there, but Chicago lost first round.” I shake my head and prop myself up on his counter.
He goes back to chopping onions, not one tear streaming down his face. Must be years of conditioning. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought Chicago was a shoo-in, but they didn’t seem on their game. No one was really commanding them on the field.”
