AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Grandmother, are you alright?”
She sips coffee out of her Meissen China cup and studies me. “Jon, do you want to tell me what’s happening with you? Why are you here?”
“You didn’t answer the question.”
“Neither did you.”
If she could play hardball, I could too. I learned from the best of them. And one of the things she taught me is there is strength in the silent stare.
“No, there’s nothing wrong with me. Why on earth would you ask that?”
I shrug, swallowing down my relief. Grandmother doesn’t like big displays of any sort.
“You’re acting weird.”
“Like how?”
“Well, you just are.”
“Jon.”
“Okay, it’s weird. You’re sitting in your parlor looking at the butterflies and hanging out with the LOLs.”
“Is that all?”
“And this whole thing with Avery is odd. I thought maybe you were doing it for some reason. Like you had a brain tumor or something.”
She throws back her head and laughs. For most people, this might not be weird, but remember, I said Estella doesn’t like big displays of emotion.
“I’m sorry,” she says, dabbing her eyes and not sounding the least bit sorry. “I love that my grandson thinks the only way I can be kind is because I have a brain tumor.”
My cheeks heat in embarrassment. “When you say it that way, it sounds bad.”
“Yes, it does.” She reaches out and pats my hand. “Don’t worry. I understand why you feel that way.”
“You do?”
“I wasn’t easy on you or Nancy, but I saw your potential. I love all of my grandchildren, but you and Nancy…you make me very proud. You are a testament to your mother.”
I swallow the lump that’s risen in my throat. “Is that why you invited me over today?”
She shakes her head. “It’s about the charity event, I really do need a co-host, and while I thought of Avery, she has a lot on her plate right now.”
“She does? Because she doesn’t seem to be doing much at all.”
“I told you she just lost her grandmother.”
“Yes. She talked about her last night.”
Estella’s eyes sharpen as she looks over at me. “Last night?”
“That damned cat woke me up after Avery went downstairs, so I got up. She made me watchSuperbadand an episode ofColumbo.”
I try to sound irritated, but there was something comforting about being there with Avery. I thought she would be a chatterbox, but she’d been quiet, at least for Avery. There had been something very intimate about spending time in a dark room watching TV with her.
“Which one?”
I blink. “Which one what?”
