Page 2 of Zero Chance

“Because,Cynthia,” Gram clapped back.“You got to give himyoursurname; it’s our turn to get what we want.”

“Well, that’s bull.You two get to do twice as much with him as Steve and I do.”

“Because we’re hismaternalgrandparents.”

“What in the world hasthatgot to do with anything?”

“Nothing, I guess, except for the fact our daughter carried him inside her for nine whole months before raising him by herself for another nine years.And your good-for-nothing son barely sees him twice a year, if that.He wasn’t even present for poor Keene’s birth!”

“Again!How does that have anything to do with?—?”

“Apologies, ladies,” Grandpa cut in mildly.

On the other side of me, Pop-Pop set his hands on his knees and pushed himself to his feet with a great, heaving sigh.“Don’t you believe we best be getting on before we miss the whole darned meetin’?”

“Oh!”Nana waved her hands in a frenzy and focused on me as I stood up along with the men.“That’s right.You better go.Give your nana some sweetness now, honey.You hear?”

When she opened her arms to me, I darted forward, never one to turn down a grandma hug.Pillowy and soft, Nana always smelled like freshly baked chocolate chip cookies.

“Aww.Isn’t he just the sweetest child?”Gram cooed, sifting her fingers through my hair as the first grandma pulled away so the second could take her turn.

Gram was bonier, but she always rubbed my back or hair whenever she hugged me, and the hint of fresh flowers wafted off her, making me feel like I was in a garden.

When the two grandmasdidagree on something, it was how much they adored me.

After her hug, Gram pressed a hand to my back and started to lead me off the Duggers’ porch.“We’ll have him back next Saturday, on schedule,” she told Nana with a friendly wave and a smile she hadn’t had two seconds earlier when she’d said Nana was a frog-faced ninny.

“I know you will,” Nana answered, also forgetting their differences as she looked at me.

Smiling weepily, she pulled her hands up to her heart and moved closer to Grandpa as the two of them watched me leave down the front walk.

“Have fun, sweetie,” she told me, lifting up on her toes to wave when I glanced back.“Make friends.”

Next to her, Grandpa rolled his eyes.“He’s going to grief counseling, Cyn, not summer camp.”

“I know; I just—Oh!Shut up.”

Turning back as I reached the Latermans’ sedan, I climbed into the back seat where Pop-Pop was holding the door open for me.Once I was seated, he shut me in, and I waved out the window at the Duggers.

They waved back immediately.

In the front seat, my other set of grandparents were quietly debating over the best route to take to get to the center.

I had no idea what grief counseling was supposed to be like.I knew grief was when you were sad and counseling was when you needed help, but I didn’t think I needed any help with being sad.

I was still eager to attend, though, because I’d talked my best friend into enrolling with me.And I wanted to hang out with him something fierce.

“Do you think Alec’s already there?”I asked the two adults up front.

Alec had lost his father five months ago.

He hadn’t lived with his dad—just like I’d never lived with mine—so he wasn’t as sad about his loss as I was about losing my mom.But he’d lost someone, so that made him eligible to go.And since he was gonna be there, I didn’t mind going neither.

Actually, I couldn’twaitto get there.

“I’m not sure he’s going to make it at all, honey,” Gram informed me with some regret in her voice.“His mom said he was still deciding.”

“Stilldeciding?”I squawked.

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