Page 55 of Crashing into Love

“I understand,” Drew replied before she decided to lie down as well and turned her iPad to make sure Selma could still see her face. “So, training is next for you?”

“Yeah. I’ll leave again soon. I’ve worked out a schedule with Grandma and Kelly, who watches her whenever Grandma can’t. Kirsten, that’s her daughter–”

“Yeah, I remember. She’s thirteen, right?”

Selma smiled and said, “She was. She just turned fourteen and got her CPR certification because she’s trying to get into babysitting. So, I’m going to start paying her for watching Gia on the times they can’t. It’ll be pocket money for her, and there will always be someone at the hotel in case there’s an issue.”

“That sounds like a plan,” Drew said.

“You look tired.”

“Uh… Thanks?” Drew replied with a little laugh.

“What? You do. It’s not a bad thing. Just a fact. Maybe you should take a nap or something.”

“I don’t need a nap.” She shook her head. “I need to eat something and then, do laundry.”

“Laundry? You just got home.”

“Part of my returning home ritual,” she explained. “I like to get all my laundry done right when I get home.”

“Do you want to come here and do my laundry, then? I haven’t done the load from before I left, so I definitely haven’t started with the new stuff.”

“I would if I could, but…”

“You’re not here,” Selma finished for her.

“No, I’m not,” Drew said, and she knew that she sounded sad.

“And odds are, you won’t be back here for a while, right? I’m asking for Gia. She won’t shut up about wanting to board with you again.”

“Gia. Right. I don’t have any trips to Vancouver planned, no. Do you… want to come here?”

“What?”

“Never mind. Stupid idea. You can’t take Gia out of school, and I don’t have space for both of you unless we do an air mattress or something anyway. So, just forget I said anything.”

There was something drawing Selma’s attention away from the video now. Drew assumed that it was Gia coming out of her room.

“Grandma, everything okay?”

“Yes, it’s fine. I just left my phone up here when I left.”

“Hi, Ruth,” Drew said before she could stop herself.

“Who is that?”

“Oh, it’s… Drew.” Selma turned the phone toward the old woman, who smiled at her.

“Well, hello, Drew. How are you?”

“I’m good. How are you feeling?”

“I’m just fine. Thank you for asking. What were you two talking about?”

“Oh, nothing, really,” Selma replied instead. “Drew’s schedule. That kind of a thing.”

“Yeah. I invited her here, which I shouldn’t have done because I wasn’t thinking about Gia being in school and–”

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