Page 57 of Escaping the Bratva

“You know, Sasha never did tell me why you two broke up.”

“Nana!”

“What? I’m curious. It’s not like you ever tell me anything.”

“I talk to you all the time.” Georgia waves her off and focuses back on me.

“I was going down a bad path,” I say honestly. There’s no point in trying to hide my past when it’s now behind me. “Sasha’s a smart woman and didn’t want to stay involved with me. It was a good choice. It took me too long to realize I couldn’t let her go. So I’ve spent the last five years doing everything I can to get her back.”

Georgia continues to stare at me as if deciding if she should ask more questions or accept my answer.

“And all of that is in the past now, right?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“And this is serious?” She look back and forth between Sasha and me. I look over at Sasha, too, who still looks uncomfortable with the whole conversation.

I nod. “Serious as a heart attack.”

“Welcome to the family, I guess.”

“Thank you.”

After that, we move on to lighter topics. I quickly learn that Georgia is heavily involved in the community. Sasha looks like a nervous wreck when her grandmother tells her about the neighbors’ chickens getting out of the yard and helping chase them down. At one point, Sasha goes to the bathroom and Georgia turns to me.

“How’s she doing?” she asks me quietly.

“Um…good,” I say caught off guard by the question.

“I have to be honest, I’m glad you’re around. When we talk on the phone, she always tells me how everything is perfect and nothing new is going on in her life, but I know that’s not true.”

I nod, understanding her concern. Sasha cares too much about her image, even in front of her own grandmother.

“She got an offer to sell the business,” I say.

Georgia let out a breath of air. “Don’t tell her I said this, but I think she should take it. Sasha has been trying to prove herself since she came to live with me as a teenager. First, it was through her grades, then sports, and now her business, and all this time I've been telling her I love her no matter what she does. But I'm her grandma. She needs you to tell her that. She needs to know that if everything she's worked for is gone that you'll still be there. And when she gets into one of her frenzies, she needs you to remind her that you support her and that you aren’t going anywhere. I’ll never tell her this, but I think it has to do with her mom.”

I opened my mouth to respond, but Sasha comes out of the bathroom. “We should get going. It's a long drive back and I’m tired.”

I stand to my feet. “It was nice to finally meet you Georgia.”

She smiles. “Take care of my girl.”

“Always.”

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