Page 52 of Find Me in California

Julia hates they had to sedate her. But she’s never been this out of control since the walking cane incident with Nolan. For the first time in her life, Julia was afraid of her.

And to think Julia had argued against moving her to assisted living after she’d attacked Nolan. Imagine if Mama Rose were still living at home like Julia had wanted. They both could have been seriously injured.

She watches the staff tend to her grandmother and the other residents. They take such good care of them. These caretakers truly love them. Where will Julia find this level of care at a price she can afford? Nowhere, she’s afraid.

Trevor puts a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right, Julia?”

Her scalp burns and her heart aches. But she nods. “I will be.”

“Go home and get some rest. She’ll be better tomorrow.” Trevor wheels her sleeping grandmother from the room.

Pressure builds in Julia’s chest as she watches them go. They turn the corner into the hallway and she loosens her pent-up breath. Trevor will write up a report, and Lenore will assess if Mama Rose poses a risk to other residents or herself. Rosemont could terminate her contract for behavioral problems. Even if Julia does find an additional income source, she may be forced to relocate Mama Rose anyway.

Julia picks up the remaining chocolates and notices Liza watching her. “What did you say to her? Did you tell her I was Lea?” Surely Liza couldn’t be that cruel. Granted, Julia upset her yesterday, but to take advantage of Mama Rose’s condition?

Liza is a tall woman. She looks down her nose at Julia. “Not that I owe you an explanation, but I said, ‘Your granddaughter is here.’”

Julia gets up off the floor. “She’s never attacked me like that.”

“She’s getting worse. She must have misheard me. I didn’t expect—” Liza stalls. A shadow darkens her face.

“Didn’t expect what?”

Liza shakes her head. “Adam was wrong. My time here has been pointless.” Sadness tints her sea-green eyes a shade darker before she blinks and they clear. She walks away with the support of her cane.Step, step, clack. Step, step, clack.

Liza’s remark settles like the fertilizer Mama Rose sprinkled over freshly planted seeds, and a new thought sprouts. “Did Adam convince you to move to Rosemont? Isn’t he your POA? Wasn’t he also your butler?”

Liza stops. She angles her head toward Julia. “He was more than my butler.”

From the sound of it, he was also more than Liza’s power of attorney. That six-worded statement was loaded.

But Adam’s gone missing. He’s been unreachable for a month. Which reminds Julia ...

“Was Matt here?”

An arched brow meets Julia’s question. “My grandson?”

“He said he’d be here today. We were supposed to meet for coffee. I was hoping to see him.”

Liza harrumphs. “Honey, don’t get your hopes up that he’ll show. I sure haven’t.”

“Why not?”

“That boy will never come through for the likes of me.”

CHAPTER 24

MATT

Matt checked back into the motel after leaving Magnolia’s house, but he didn’t go to his room. He went across the street to the bar to watch the ball game and wait for Magnolia’s call. He orders a beer and another and keeps peering at his phone, face up on the bar top.

Several hours and the same number of drinks later, Matt still hasn’t heard from her, and he questions why he’s stalling. Why is he unwilling to give up on a woman he hardly knows when he should be well on his way to California, if not already there?

He drops an edible on his tongue, the answer as clear as the glass he just emptied.

Returning to his grandmother is revisiting why he was sent to live with her in the first place. It’s acknowledging that he never mourned his dad. It’s remembering what happened to his mom. It’s admitting he wasn’t enough for her to stay. It’s remembering it all. He could have saved his mom; he could haveat leasttried. But he didn’t. And the memory of his inaction is an oil spill gliding across the surface of his mind. Slick and toxic.

Which is why he chooses not to remember, and why he’s choosing to wait here until he stops remembering. Hence, Magnolia. He needs a distraction.

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