Page 5 of The Marriage Sham
Chapter Three
Frances
“Yes, I assure you it’ll be taken care of by this evening.” I shove my cell phone between my cheek and my shoulder, needing two hands free to yank the toilet topper thing through the doorway. I’d just gotten Granddaddy settled in his new hospital bed at the farmhouse when the doorbell rings. By the time I make it to the front door, the delivery guy has left a huge box on the doorstep and hightailed it back to his truck, in a hurry to make all his other deliveries.
Then my cell phone rings, and seeing it’s Colette, my nightmare client, I pick it up immediately. I’ve learned from past experience she’ll keep calling back, over and over, getting increasingly agitated each time I don’t answer. Better to talk to her now and see what she needs. As per usual, she is requesting yet another thing for her event that’s outrageous. And as permyusual, I’ll say “yes, ma’am” and work my butt off to make sure it happens.
“Mmhm. Yes, I know alpacas aren’t really an animal you find here in the U.S., but I’m sure I can find a specialty breeder.” I roll my eyes and give the box another tug. The corner is stuck, and now it seems to be wedged in the doorway.
“Oh, you need a whole herd? Well, I’ll have to check with the venue and see if they accept animals first. One alpaca we could sneak in, but a whole herd might be a problem.”
I yank on the box from the other side, but still that sucker won’t budge. “Okay, will do. I’ll let you know tomorrow. Yes, I have internet access in this town, don’t worry. Bye now!”
I hang up and slip my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. I lean my full body weight into the side of the box that’s wedged, then try to shimmy it free of the doorframe. I succeed in chipping the nail polish on my thumb, but the box is indeed stuck.
“Frances?” Granddaddy calls for me from his room. I hustle down the hall to see what he needs. Perhaps a bell or a baby monitor might be necessary. I’d hate for him to call for me when I’m upstairs or out in the yard and can’t hear him.
“Whatcha need, Granddaddy?” He looks agitated, but I smile just the same, intent on soothing him no matter the problem. He’s rolling his head back and forth on the pillow, his eyebrows puckered.
“I need to get to the coffee shop, Frances. If I don’t go, Harold is going to be wondering where I am. Help me up!” He tries to pull off the covers, but his left hand isn’t doing what he wants it to do. He only succeeds in getting tangled in the sheets and soft blanket.
“Hold on there, Speedy!” I grab hold of the covers and straighten them out for him. “You just got home from the hospital, so we can’t go to the coffee shop right now. The doctor said you need to rest.”
He whips his head up and spears me with a sharp look. “The doctor?”
I nod and pat his hand, even though the confusion on his face is killing me inside. “Yes, that’s right. You just had a stroke and were in the hospital. Do you remember?”
He looks away, his gaze unfocused out the bedroom window. “Oh. Yeah, sure. Sure.” He bobs his head up and down and my heart sinks, knowing the doctor had been accurate with his dementia assessment. When I’d called in the past, I must have always gotten him on his good days, when the mind was clear and he was the granddaddy I’d always known. This man is still Granddaddy, but he’s a different version. The thought that he’s slipping away from me is enough to steal my breath.
He turns back to me, his eyes looking clear, but I search his face anyway, trying to see which version I’m talking to now.
“Frances?” He looks happy to see me.
“Yes, Granddaddy?” I hold his hand and sit on the edge of the bed.
“You ever heard of a bucket list?”
I tilt my head to the side. “I sure have. Why are you asking?”
That smile of his, the one that makes his eyes twinkle and tells you he’s having a bit of fun, comes out to play. “Harold and I were talking about it the other day. And we both came up with a few things.”
“Oh boy. I suppose you want to share it with me?” My lips twitch, and I almost feel like no time has passed since I saw him last.
“I surely do. No tellin’ how much time I have left on this green earth, so I might as well get to it, don’tcha think?”
“Now’s as good a time as any, I suppose.”
“Now that’s the spirit! I only have three things on my list, so this won’t take much effort at all, don’t worry, girl. Number one. My Frances moves back to Love.” He grabs my hand with a surprisingly firm grip when I try to move away. “Now, listen. I know you moved away in a hurry once you graduated, but you can’t let that nasty girl keep you from living in a perfectly wonderful town.”
I rub my forehead and wonder how the heck he knows about the “nasty girl” from high school. We’ve never discussed what pushed me to move away ten years ago, but it sounds like we’re going to now. The old, festering hurt is back, like it happened yesterday. It’s enough to make me want to run again and never look back.
Almost.
“Number two.” My attention slides back over to Granddaddy as he barks out his list. “I wanna get out of this house every day ’til the day I die. I don’t care if it’s gotta be in a bed on wheels. I don’t want to die staring at the same four walls, bored out of my mind.”
My eyes fill with tears, and I don’t know if I can have this conversation yet. I start to shake my head, but I get the hand squeeze again and he keeps going before I can argue.
“Number three. I want to see you married and happy.”
