Page 17 of Single Chance

“Your grandmother,” I said, nodding. “You said you were getting away. I thought you meant for a week or something.”

Rowan pulled her legs up to sit crisscross, her eyes on her lap. “I lived with her in a rental house for the past few years. I moved in because she couldn’t live alone safely, couldn’t afford caretakers, and adamantly refused to move into a facility.”

“She had Alzheimer’s, right?”

She nodded. “When I moved in, I realized she was a lot worse than I thought. She did her best to hide it from me, but being there every day, it became evident. One day when I was at work, she left the house on foot and wandered off.”

She closed her eyes and swallowed, and I could tell she was fighting to keep her composure.

“When I came home from work, I couldn’t find her. The police put out a silver alert. They found her nearly two miles away a few hours later, sitting on a bench outside of a Dairy Queen, upset because she couldn’t find her purse to pay for some ice cream.”

“That’s heartbreaking.”

She nodded, swallowed again. “After that, I installed special dementia alarms on the doors. I hired aides to stay with her while I was gone, but she hated it. She was afraid of them and tried to get away from them. Even though some of the aides were incredibly caring and patient, she felt threatened by them and didn’t understand what they were going to do to her. They were there to help her and keep her safe, but no matter how many times I reminded her of that, she forgot. When she bitone of them and drew blood, I knew I had to make changes for everyone’s sake.”

“So you quit your job?”

“I quit my job and took care of her.”

“That’s… Jesus, that must’ve been a lot.”

She let out a sad laugh. “I didn’t feel like I had a lot of options.” She swiped under her eyes. “Sorry. Still raw, I guess. I just…loved her so much.”

I couldn’t imagine doing what she’d done. “She was incredibly lucky to have you.”

“I was lucky to have her. She and my grandfather raised me from the time my parents were killed in an accident.”

“How old were you when that happened?”

“Seven. They didn’t blink, just moved me in and loved me.” She pressed her lips together. “I couldn’t let her go to a memory care facility. I’m sure there are decent ones out there, but the thought of her sitting alone in her room, not knowing where she was, being surrounded by eternal strangers because she couldn’t remember meeting them from one day to the next…”

Rowan went silent, thoughtful, and I tried to figure out what to say. There were no words for what she’d been through, what she’d sacrificed. She’d obviously loved her grandmother fiercely.

She popped up off the bed and let out a self-conscious half laugh. “I’m sorry. I don’t know why I told you all that. Talk about awkward.”

“You’re fine. You’ve been through hell.” I had an overpowering urge to hug her, but we’d just agreed we were nothing more than coworkers going forward.

“My whole point is, when she died, I couldn’t afford to keep renting the house, so I sold everything in it. A friend of mine connected me with Chloe, and here I am. She agreed to take me on, whether she was ready to hire an assistant or not.”

“But you’re planning to go back to teaching?”

“I’m hoping to take a position for the fall. I love teaching, but it takes a lot of energy, and I just don’t have it in me right now.”

“You’ll get it back,” I said. “I hope Dragonfly Lake helps you heal.”

“Thanks.”

“Are you planning to get an apartment?”

“I’ll get more serious about that once I get a paycheck.”

I stood, reminding myself Rowan’s living situation wasn’t my business. “I should let you get back to your PB and J. Thank you for telling me more about your grandmother,” I said, making a point of keeping distance between us. “I’m glad Chloe was able to offer you a job.”

“Me too. Someday I hope I can pay her and Presley back.” She looked pensive for a moment.

“I imagine having an assistant will be payback enough for Chloe. She handles a lot.”

“I’ve got a steep learning curve. But the brewing process? Chemistry 101. I’ve got that part down after my tour.”

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