Page 41 of Levi
“Yeah, I forgot that I agreed to help her with the baking this week for her bridge club.”
“Ishegoing to be there?”Brody asks, with a look of disgust on his face.
“I asked, and she assured me that he wasn’t.Grandma might be a lot of things, but a liar is not one.”I see Brody slightly flinch, but doesn’t say anything.
“I can go if you want.I’m not much help in the kitchen but I can be there in casehedoes show.”
I gently place my palm on his cheek.
“Thank you, but I can manage.Don’t you have the vet coming today anyways?”
“Ugh!Fine, do you want to leave Halo with me?She can be my sidekick and order the guys around.”He tickles her sides, sending a wave of cute giggles throughout the room.
“I’ve got her.You know Grandma only has me over so that I’ll do all the baking and she plays with Halo the entire time anyways.And I think Glammy and Granddad might be back from their cruise.I can’t remember if it’s today or tomorrow but they’ll want to see this little one the moment they arrive.”
He turns his head slightly, and in such a loving manner, he kisses my palm.
“I’ll be home later, kay,” I say, leaning over two dogs and pucker up to his pouty lips.
“Kay,” he says against my mouth, then I scoop up Halo making Ginger whine like I’m taking her toy away from her.“When you get back, there are some things I need to tell you after we put this little one down for bed.”Usually that means that Brody did or bought something he shouldn’t have.I can only imagine what it can be this time.Last time, it was in the form of Ginger, our newest German Shepherd addition to the family.
Once we get to Grandma’s house, I hear voices in the kitchen then see a woman I haven’t seen in a long time, Alice Thorne.
“Oh Saylor.”She cries as she rushes over to me and Halo, and pulls us into a tight hug.I’m frozen in place, unsure of what to expect from her.The last time I was in a room with the Mr.Thorne, he was hanging me out to dry.Does she think I was capable of hurting her son too?Why is she here and why didn’t Grandma give me a heads up?
Halo wiggles down and out of my arms, before heading over to Grandma for treats she only gets here.Thanks a lot kid, I needed you for a shield against these people.
“Oh Saylor, we’ve been so worried about you.There hasn’t been a day that has gone by that we haven’t tried looking for you,” she gushes, still holding on to my upper arms like I might bolt.
I want to roll my eyes, but my good manners kick in, although I’m sure she saw my eyes narrow a little.
“Mrs.Thorne,” I say tersely.This isn’t my house, so I know it would be rude of me to ignore her, but this is so awkward.
“Saylor?”She looks confused, but covers quickly.“Please call me Alice, we have so much to talk about, but I think you need to discuss everything with Levi first.He’ll fill you in on the events that happened and caused all of this to be set in motion.”She continues to fill me in like I know what the heck is going on around here.
Now I’m the confused one in the group, but remain stoic.I’m not letting my guard down with her or her son any time soon.They’ve put me through the ringer over the past two years, and I’m not about to be led down the road to destruction again.
I give her a nod of acknowledgement, then walk into the kitchen where my daughter and Grandma have migrated to.Looking on the counter, I see pans filled with sweets to feed an army.
“I thought you needed some help, Grandma?”I question, with a raised eyebrow.
Grandma at least has the decency to look guilty, then uses Halo as a shield by picking her up and cuddling her, all the while her great-granddaughter is stuffing her face with a cupcake.
“Oh well, I might’ve exaggerated slightly.”Her cheeks pinken and the tip of her nose blushes.This woman will be the death of me.“Besides, I needed to see my precious baby.”
“You just saw her yesterday,” I say deadpan.
“Yes, but Sharilyn and Alan are about to be back from their trip and you know how I hate to share my playtime with her,” Grandma says, waving her hand around.She’s lying so hard because both sets of great-grandparents love spending time together.They even vacation together, and are even looking to buy a large piece of property and build a small compound, so that they can both have a house near each other.
“So, what is the actual reasoning for having me come over?”I have a pretty good idea, but don’t want to presume anything.
“Well,” Grandma pauses and taps her finger against her lip, as though she’s deep in thought.“I guess while Halo and I decorate all these desserts, you can have the long-awaited talk with Levi.”She peeks over my shoulder, and I know that this was her and Alice’s plan all along.I just don’t know if I should be mad at her for pushing me.
“I-I’m not sure that I’m ready to talk to him yet,” I weakly say.What I really want to do is beat the shit out of him for just showing up without any notice.
“Yes, you are.You’ve wanted to yell at him for the past two years and this is your chance,” Grandma urges.
“Ellie!”Alice gasps.
