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“I couldn’t ask for a better nurse,” Gram said, picking up the glass of iced tea next to her. “She’s responsible, level-headed, and has done so much for me and Pop. We’re so grateful.”
“Whose idea was it to have her working here full time?” I kept wondering how she ended up working for my grandparents.
Arya was young and she had so much potential. I didn’t want her to waste the best years of her life taking care of my grandparents and spending most of her time around them. I was grateful for everything she did, of course, but I hoped she was happy.
“It was your mother’s idea.” Gram sighed, setting the glass down. She hesitated slightly before continuing.
“I love Arya, but I think there's more she can do with her life. I’m not sure how much your parents are paying her, but I’m worried she feels indebted for some reason,” she said, sounding a little wistful.
I know Gram loved Arya and Mason as her own family, and she helped raise them along with helping to raise me. When Mrs. McKenna had to work late nights in her bakery, they would both be over here. And I know my parents chipped in with some bills after Mr. McKenna’s car accident. He spent nearly three months in the hospital before he died. It was a devastating situation, emotionally and financially. It was kind of my parents to intervene, but it wasn't actually kindness that drove them. My mom was the type of person to keep tabs and expect favors after helping them out. For life. When Mrs. McKenna's bakery took off and became a huge regional success, I knew she had repaid the debt to my parents. My mom still wouldn’t let things go. According to her, the emotional debt of her coming to 'save the day' would never be repaid. Like, the Adlers were saints for helping them. I really hated that about her.
My grandparents just tolerated my mom, especially Gram. Back in the day, they would argue often, especially over the fact that I preferred to stay here. I was an only child and my mother’s whole world. As the story went, my parents tried for more kids, but it never worked out.
I used to wish I had a brother or sister who would take some of the attention away from me. But while my mom might have been smothering, I was never lonely. I had Mason and Arya. Admittedly, I hadn’t known Arya all that well back then, but she was always in the background. I spent most of my time with Mason, who was all too willing to escape his little sister. Which was probably why it didn’t feel weird that I was now incredibly attracted to her.
“Do you think she’s happy here?” I asked Gram.
“She seems happy enough. But I’m not sure I would even know with certainty. Arya is way too kind, and she would never want me or Pop to think she was unhappy here.”
I didn’t have a response to that. Maybe Arya didn’t need rescuing, and she was simply content. But even if I didn’t need to rescue her, I still wanted her for myself. I knew I had to tread carefully, though. This was a small town, but the gossip mill could rival the Hollywood paparazzi. My mom wouldn’t necessarily celebrate any sort of relationship I had with Arya. She was holding out hope that Regina and I would get back together and be a perfect family once again. Her hope was in vain. It had been six months since the divorce was finalized and we were both already moving on.
“A penny for your thoughts?” Gram asked in her sweet way, with just a hint of a drawl. Not ready to talk about Arya yet, I had to think of something fast.
“I’m just trying to think of some fun things to do with Shiloh this summer. The divorce has naturally been hard on her and I hoped that coming down here would give us a chance to reconnect,” I half-lied. Phew. But it was true. I really wanted to make a lot of fun memories with Shiloh.
“There’s plenty to do around here. Ask Arya to show you around,” Gram said with a wink and knowing smile. Damn it, she's quick.
I guess I hadn’t been very subtle with my Arya research. I should have known better. My grandmother was no fool. In fact, she was the smartest person I knew.
“I don’t want to bother her. She seems to have a lot on her plate,” I said quickly, trying to keep my tone neutral.
“She does. But you should still ask her.” Gram tipped her head toward the door, as if I was supposed to ask her right now.
I glanced through the window that looked into the kitchen and saw her standing at the sink doing the dishes. This job was more housekeeper than nurse and regardless of my personal feelings for her, I genuinely thought her skills and expertise could be put to better use.
Arya stopped for a moment to wipe her brow. The house didn’t have air conditioning, and it was hot. I could tell she was sweltering inside the kitchen, and I had the urge to whisk her out of there and find the fanciest pool around.
The feeling was one that I hadn’t felt in a very long time. I felt the urge to protect her and make her happy. Maybe Gram was right. I could be her knight in shining armor.
Chapter 3
Arya
Myworkdayssuddenlydidn’t drag like they used to. They were fun because I knew I would see Tristan. I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen next. Would anything happen next?
The past few days were devoid of any flirting or obvious moves on his part. He was still attentive and kind, but in a friendly, almost respectful way. But I loved our long conversations. He asked me questions about my life and actually showed an interest. My life wasn't very exciting if you looked at it from a big city vantage point. But I loved it here in the small town and it had everything I needed.
And yes, I've had boyfriends, but I have to admit that's the only thing I didn't like about a small town. Slim pickings. So, the boyfriends never lasted very long and there were only so many guys to date until your own brother starts looking interesting. Ha. Ewww. Let's just say, I wasn'tthatdesperate. I was just happy to be here and hoped I would figure things out for myself. Soon.
So, considering my history, maybe I was just confused and mistook Tristan's friendliness as interest.
I deflated a bit when I arrived at Grace and William's house and Tristan wasn’t there. But of course, he had other things to do. He wasn’t just going to sit around the house all day and talk to me while I worked. But I had just started to binge-watch an old sitcom I had never seen before and was excited to talk about it. Sharing music, movies, and TV shows had become our thing, and he had recommended this one to me.
“Is Tristan around?” I asked Grace as I walked onto the back porch where she was sitting with William.
“My dad’s not here,” Shiloh said, startling me. The small garden at the bottom of the porch had hidden her where she sat on the stairs.
She smiled up at me with her beautiful smile.
