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The steel bar constricting my chest since Martin’s call loosened, but only a bit. "Okay, so what do we need to do for her?"
"Keep her relaxed and keep her mind off the hotel business." She put a hand up to stop my grandmother from talking and continued. "We don't need her experiencing anxiety."
I nodded. "Yeah, we can do that." The relief washed over me like a tidal wave. All we had to do was keep her calm. That was my new number-one mission. I was living in San Diego, but with my hotel up and running now, and profitable after only a year, I could take more time away to see her. Catalina wasn't far. I'd make the drive to LA and take the ferry over to the island. Put in some quality time with her.
Except for one little fact… I never went home. Hadn't gone home in a long time. The time I spent with her was usually during some vacation away that we’d planned together. But for Grandma Lucy, I could do it. I could put up with Martin and the rest of my family. For her, I'd do anything.
"Now if you'll excuse me, I need to continue making my rounds. Visiting hours are over in ten minutes, so now might be a good time to say your goodbyes."
As soon as Dr. Wells was gone, my grandmother started tugging at her IVs, and I put a hand over hers to halt her. "You heard the doctor.Andyou agreed. So stop that." She grumbled but sat back, crossing her arms. "Now Grandma, tell me what you need." Whatever she wanted, I would make it work.
"I want everyone out.” Martin looked like he was going to argue, but she set her lips, and he knew better than to fuss. When I made to go as well, she reached out an arm and held me back. "Not you."
With everyone else gone, I turned my attention to her. "What's up, Grandma?"
"I didn't want to embarrass you in front of the rest of the family. I know how difficult it is for you to be around them. Especially Martin."
And that was why I loved her. She would always go out of her way to protect me. "It's okay, Grandma. Whatever you need."
"Well, the doctor's right. I do want to be around to see my future great grandbabies. And given what's happened, we can't keep procrastinating. I want my family around me. You haven't been home in a long time. I want you to come for the holidays."
Shit.That was the last thing I wanted to do. Checking on her from time to time was one thing, but a big family dinner and holiday gathering? Not my bag. But it was for my grandmother, and she never asked me for much. "Okay, I'll make that work."
She nodded with satisfaction. "Good. Given what's happened, I may not be able to travel for a while. Our trip to Hawaii and my surfing lessons will have to wait."
I laughed. "Okay, I'll take a rain check for now, but I think you're gonna love it, Grandma."
"I don't doubt it. Oh, and Jensen, make sure you bring that girlfriend of yours. I can't believe I still haven't met her. After all this time, I'd like to see the woman who's going to be getting my ring one day."
Oh shit.I shifted on my feet. So what was the harm of one little white lie? And honestly, all I'd been trying to do was protect my grandmother.
Liar. You did it to protect yourself and to keep her from meddling in your love life.
The woman was relentless. She kept insisting that I needed to be dating someone. Every time I'd seen her on one of our trips, she tried to set me up, so I made up a girlfriend. I never thought I'd have to produce her. But now she wanted to meet her. I was screwed.
"Oh, I don't know Grandma. She usually spends the holidays with her family."
And then my grandmother pulled her trump card. Not only did she give me the big sad eyes, but she sniffed. "You heard the doctor, Jensen. I'm an old lady. I don't need the stress. I want to meet her. I want to make sure she's good enough for you."
Damn it. "Okay, I'll bring her with me over the holidays." Now all I had to do was find someone who fit the bill. Because Grandma was too important to me, so I had to make this happen.
* * *
Alex
I was pretty surethis was not how Osso Buco was supposed to look. This wasn't my fault. I didn't cook. I did excellent takeout.Copiousamounts of takeout. Cooking wasn't my thing.
You have your first gallery opening to prepare for. You don't need to be creating a dish for this man.Or rather, if I cared about him at all, Iwouldn'tbe attempting to make a meal.
His grandmother was in the hospital. And since Jensen was the closest thing to family that I had, I needed to at least try to look out for him. And cooking was what you did, right? I'd learned about this ritual from movies. Not from my parents.
My mother was always gallivanting around the world for her photographs, leaving me in the care of nannies. And my father preferred his string of girlfriends to parenting, so I rarely saw him. I stared into the pot. Damn it. I'd screwed this up. But hey, it was the thought that counted, right? Besides, it wasn't like Jensen didn't know that I couldn't cook. We had no secrets. Except for the one I’d been holding on to for years.
From the moment we'd met in that bar when he’d kissed me to help me save face, to the time when he and his stupid frat brothers were trying to steal the Fine Arts department founder’s statue out of the Fine Arts hall, he'd known me through and through.And he's been dragging you into his antics ever sense.
Jensen was good for me. I might be an artist, but most people told me I was far too serious. I never let go except in my art. Never had any fun. Yeah, fun was reserved for people who knew what the hell was going to happen the next day. Since I never knew growing up, I liked to have control over my destiny. Jensen was the risk taker. He could go into any scenario without a plan and still come out smelling like roses.
The door to Jensen's condo swung open, and he immediately started to cough. "Oh my God, did someone break in here and try to smoke me out of my own home?" He dropped his bag by the door and came running into the kitchen. "Alex, what the hell are you doing?"
