Page 44 of Save Me

“Grandmother.” Pulling her into a hug, I inhale deeply.

She and my grandfather have spent the past couple of months in Europe, traveling for personal and business. Though he’s been retired for years, my grandfather continues to do some work for Townsend Industries.

“There’s my eldest granddaughter.” My grandfather welcomes me with the same energy as my grandmother.

“I’ve missed you,” I say, holding onto both of them. “Next time, take me with you to Europe.”

“Anytime,” Grandmother agrees.

I laugh, though I know she’s serious. All I have to do is say the word, and they’ll let me tag along on their globetrotting adventures.

“Like you’d ever give up time at that newspaper,” Kyle’s voice interrupts as he enters the living room space. “All you do is work.”

I snort and fold my arms. “There’s a saying about a pot meeting a kettle?” I say with a lifted eyebrow.

Kyle is a notorious workaholic. He used to eat, sleep, and breathe Townsend Industries.

“I’m a changed man.” As he says that, Riley walks into the room and he drapes an arm over her shoulder.

“Whatever.” I wave a dismissive hand in the air while I pull Riley into a hug. “Where’s my favorite niece?” I ask of Eve.

Riley points over her shoulder. “In the entertainment room with Stasi, of course.”

“Those two.” I laugh. My youngest sister, Anastasia, and Eve are extremely close despite their five-year age difference. I think Stasi looks at Eve as the younger sibling she always wished for growing up.

“Hey, you two,” I say, standing at the door of the huge entertainment room. As a kid and teen, I spent many hours watching the movie theater-sized screen.

“Kenny!” Stasi yells in her usual burst of high energy. Her arms are around my waist before I know it, making me laugh.

“Hey, Aunt Kennedy,” Eve greets me as she hugs me after Stasi.

“What are you two watching?” I ask.

They’ve paused the movie on the screen.

“Nothing. Eve’s helping me with my trigonometry homework.” Stasi groans. “I’m going to be a chef. I don’t understand why I have to take trigonometry to do that.”

Yes, even though Eve is only twelve and Stasi is seventeen and a senior in high school, she goes to Eve for help with her math homework. Eve is a certified genius and brilliant when it comes to numbers.

“Don’t take advantage of your niece’s big brain,” I tell Stasi. “You need to do your own work.”

“Oh no, Aunt Kennedy, I volunteered to help,” Eve defends.

“Seriously, I told her it was fine, but Eve loves this stuff,” Stasi adds with a shake of her head as if she can’t believe it.

Truthfully, I can’t either. Numbers have never been my thing.

“Besides, we’re almost done. I can’t keep looking at these equations for much longer. Not even for you, Eve,” Stasi tells Eve, making our niece laugh.

“Yeah, you’ll have to pull her away from the textbook,” Riley says as she comes up behind me. “For most people, a punishment would be a night with a trigonometry textbook. For her,” Riley juts her head in Eve’s direction, “it’s a freaking reward.”

We both laugh.

“Your parents just came downstairs,” my sister-in-law tells me.

“God only knows what they were up there doing,” I mumble so the girls won’t hear me.

Riley gives me a sly look and a grin.

---