Page 71 of Say I'm Yours
Only Wyatt knew how bad things were. Surely, he wouldn’t . . .
Would he have told his brother?
I don’t even know what to say.
Trent is the only one who would’ve done all this. It would’ve taken him hours to figure out all the boxes. This would’ve taken me a week, and he did it without me askin’.
“Trent?” I breathe as a smile stretched over my lips.
“He was here the other day and asked me not to say anything. He did good,” Mama remarks.
“Yeah, he did.”
Mama pats my back. “I think we should talk, sugar.”
This might be the time to tell her about my concerns with the store. She’s just so stubborn, and I know this won’t go well.
“Sure, Mama. I wanted to talk to you about somethin’, too.”
“Go on and sit, honey.”
We move around to the two chairs, and she takes my hand in hers, which is something she has always done. She used to say it was so she felt connected. It’s probably why I do it as well. Her dark blue eyes that mirror mine are filled with worry.
Fear starts to build as she doesn’t say anything. She’s usually very forthright, so her hesitation starts my mind reeling with what could be wrong. Considering what the Henningtons are dealing with, I start to worry and bite my bottom lip. “Are you okay?”
“Oh, I’m just fine,” she says, laughing. “It’s nothing like that, I’ll be around for a long time. I’ve been thinkin’, and you see, Macie, Becca, and Vivienne are all retired now . . .” A rush of relief courses through me, this is even better. It’s her idea, and now I don’t have to be the bad guy. “And I just would like to be able to do coffee dates and card games with them. With Rhett’s treatments startin’, we’re all going to help during the day. I know you work, but maybe you can take over the store and hire people to manage it?”
I do my best to hide my emotions and look a little disappointed. “Well, it would be an undertakin’.” Her grip tightens a little. “But you and Daddy need to enjoy your time.”
She scoffs. “Who said I wanted to spend time with him? I see him so much now that I’m surprised I haven’t beaten him with a rollin’ pin.”
I burst out laughing. “Oh, Mama.”
“You wait, Grace Louise. You just wait. Spend fifty years with the same man and then come back to me. I’m a damn saint, and that man is the devil some days.”
A saint? Oh, dear Lord.
“Whatever you say, Mama. I’ll take over the store. Don’t you worry.”
Her eyes tighten a little as she tilts her head. “Hmmm.”
“What?” I ask.
She leans back and taps her chin. “What was it you wanted to talk to me about?”
“You know, I can’t remember.”
Crap. She’s on to me.
“Right.”
“Well, let me know how you want to handle all this. I’ll start lookin’ for a manager and some workers.”
There are a lot of kids who are trying to save, and this would be the perfect job for them. I hop up, knowing she’s about to pry into what I wanted to talk to her about when we sat. “I love you, Mama.”
“I love you, too, sugar.”
Phew, that was close.
