Page 32 of Always Be an Us

"Hi, Lou," I say and get straight to the point because Lou hates faffing around. "I need to borrow your car for a bit. Can I?"

She must have heard about what happened to Grandpa because she cuts me slack and doesn’t even hesitate to gesture to the bar. "Keys are in my purse."

"Thank you," I say and head over. Mrs. Peach is at the bar, the sole other person in the restaurant.

"How is everything?" she asks, sympathy gleaming in her eyes. "I’m sorry, hon, but I heard about what happened to your Grandpa. My friend works at the hospital and they saw you bring him in."

I'm pretty sure sharing that information violates some kind of law but it’s a small town. It’s to be expected and no matter how invasive it feels, I know they mean well.

I just wish I had time to settle with the news before it started spreading around.

"He’s doing okay," I say. I try to smile but I don’t quite manage. "They got him stabilized now and he should be waking up soon."

"Oh, that’s good." She claps her hands together and smiles. I turn and head back to the entrance.

"Remember the brakes need oiling, so don't go too fast," Lou says in her usual straightforward manner. "And don't use up all my gas. Nothing past ten miles."

"I won’t," I say. Ten miles? She’s definitely feeling generous today.

My next stop is the Tiki Bar.

Rick is in today standing by the bar bare-chested in khaki pants and putting away his hunting rifle

"Hey kiddo," he says. "Where have you been? You were supposed to be in this afternoon."

Shoot, I forgot to call Carly. "Grandpa had an emergency."

Rick freezes, his expression instantly switching from scolding to shocked. "What do you mean?"

"He had a heart attack." I barely get the words out. Even though Grandpa is stable now, the memory of him falling still has my heart racing with fear. So much could have gone wrong. Heck if not for Declan's quick thinking, I may have just been there frozen in fear. And God only knows what would have happened to my Grandpa then.

I shiver in fear and snap back to realize Rick is still staring at me in concern

"He’s fine now," I say. "Well, fine-ish. He’s hanging in there. But right now I need to go somewhere so I won't be able to help you close."

"Sure." Rick runs his hand through his hair, drops of water falling on me. Well, I don't know if it's water or sweat. Rick has pretty bad hyperhidrosis. "Jeez, that old man. I’ve told him to take it easy about a million times, but he never listens to me."

"He doesn’t listen to anyone," I sigh. It's ironic because Rick is nearly the same as Grandpa and also hates getting checkups. "Anyway, I gotta go."

"Alright, be careful. I'll go see him after I'm done here. You’re not riding your grandpa's piece of junk are you?"

"No. I'm going in Lou's Mazda."

"Oh. You're taking the witch's sedan."

I shake my head at him. Whatever rivalry my Grandpa has with Poppy Moon, Rick has a similar one with Lou. "Don't call her that. And I would take your truck, but I don't drive stick."

"Yeah, yeah. Just be careful. For all you know, she's cast a hex on it or something."

The drive to the Pink Hotel is an orange, pink, and blue blur. The leaves are turning, and it's my favorite time of the year. But I can't focus on the beautiful scenery. I'm thinking about what I'm going to say to Declan when I see him.

Strangely I’m nervous about this meeting. Mostly because I don’t know what mood I’m going to find him in.

Is he going to be in a foul mood after the fight with his daughter?

Or is he going to be the gentleman who held me in the hospital waiting room?

I can still remember the feeling of his arms enfolding me making me feel so safe amidst the chaos of my mind, like an elixir to soothe my worries

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