The only way that big lug would actually call me was if it had something to do with ghosts instead of the date I desperately wanted. But I’d take whatever I could get. That man would be mine. I knew he was shy and a tad awkward, so I was being as patient as someone like me could be.
Taking a deep, steadying breath so I wouldn’t sound as freaking excited as I was that he’d called, I answered. “Good morning, Kingston.”
“Oh, Skylar. Good. I was hoping it wasn’t too early to call,” the crackly voice of an older woman said.
Pulling the phone back, I checked to make sure it really was Kingston’s number I was connected to, which, of course, it was. He was the only one with that assigned ringtone since he was theonly one I wanted. After confirming his name on the ID, I put the phone back to my ear. “Um, hello. Who is this?”
“Well, if you get your way, you’ll be calling me Gran.”
Clutching my chest over my heart with one hand, I spun in a circle, checking to see if I was being punked somehow. “Is this Kingston’s gran?” Had he told her about me? Wait. Why was she calling me from his phone? Was something wrong with him?
She cackled, which halted my fears. Surely she wouldn’t be laughing if he was sick or hurt. “You’re delightful, aren’t you? Pops said you were.”
“Pops?” I’d never heard Kingston mention someone named Pops, and as far as I knew, it was just him and his gran in their home. He didn’t really talk about why she didn’t leave her house, and Jetty had been kind of sketchy on the details when Chance and I asked him. Such a good bestie for my Kingston, very protective of him and his privacy.
“Mhm. Kingston’s grandfather. Hopefully, you’ll meet him one day soon.”
“Uhh…”What?!
“But enough about that. We have more important things to discuss.”
“We do?”
She cackled again. “Yes, dear. We do. Kingston should be waking up soon, and I thought it would be nice if the three of us had breakfast together.”
“At your house?” I asked, already heading for my closet. What did one wear to meet their future grandmother, the most important human in your person’s life? Then I paused. “Kingston hasn’t left for work yet?”
“Mm. No. I already sent his boss a text saying he wouldn’t be able to make it in today. Can you come over, dear?”
“Yeah. Yes. Sure. I’ll, uh, jump in the shower right now.”
“Hurry then. It would be nice if we chatted before he gets up, don’t you think?”
Well, I wasn’t so sure about that. I’d tried to get Kingston to let me come over and meet his grandmother and hang out with him a zillion and one times since I settled in, and so far, it had been a no-go. Hmm…
“Maybe I should wait until he’s up and you’ve had a chance to ask him if it’s okay.”
She clucked her tongue. “No. No. He needs to speak with you, and I need to tell him some things. It’ll be best for him if we do it all at the same time, I think.” She hummed into the phone. “Yes, definitely better. It’ll keep him from getting too nervous. Would you prefer if Chance and Jetty came? I can invite them, too, but I think it would be nice if it was just the three of us.”
That might be a good idea if Jetty was there, too, but would it make it better or worse for Chance to be there? I had to assume Pops was hanging around Gran’s house as a ghost, which meant Chance would see him and say something. Kingston had never mentioned his grandfather wandering their home in his afterlife, so maybe Chance revealing that would be a little too much for one morning.
A part of me wanted to tell Kingston’s gran I really didn’t feel comfortable going over until he called and invited me personally, but ripples of anxiety were coursing through me now, making my hands shake.
Why was his dead grandfather talking about me to his grandmother?
Why had she reached out to me all of a sudden?
Had he ever told her about me, or was her information strictly from the other side?
No, I had to know what she needed, and I couldn’t risk Kingston saying no. It might be important.
“Okay, you’re right. Just the three of us sounds perfect.”
“Oh, good,” she said, sounding pleased at getting her way. “I think this will be such a wonderful surprise for my little prince.”
Her little prince?I pictured the huge man who was never far from my mind and giggled. “I’ll hurry.”
“See you soon.”
