Page 44 of A Summer Mismatch
“Jordan’s left Willow. I’m heading over there, but I’m not sure what to do.”
“Come pick me up,” she ordered in the Nonna tone no one ignored. The mic was muffled as she said to Grandpa, “I’m heading to Willow’s house. Do you know where my suitcase is?” The sound was loud again as she said to Logan, “I’ll be ready when you get here.”
Relief flooded through him as he drove to The Palms to get Nonna. She was waiting for him outside of her bungalow, and Grandpa threw her suitcase into the bed of the truck. She gave grandpa a hug and a kiss on the cheek that helped center Logan. His grandparents had always been so in love. He wanted that kind of love, the kind that was there for you an entire lifetime, but that also helped you pack a last-minute bag so you could rush to your granddaughter’s side.
He and Willow weren’t alone in this world.
Grandpa reached in the open window and squeezed his shoulder, then waved as Logan backed out. The ride was quiet, but Nonna reached across the seat and took his hand in hers. The hold anchored him.
When they arrived at Willow’s house, every single light was on. They knocked, and Gatsby started to bark. Logan opened the door when no one answered. Gatsby jumped on Logan’s legs and went for Nonna next, but her firm, “No!” had Gatsby back on all four feet.
“Uncle Logan! Nonna!” the kids exclaimed from the couch where they were watching a movie. An open box of pizza was on the coffee table—something Willow would never allow under normal circumstances.
Nonna gave each of the kids a hug. “Where’s your mom?”
“In her bedroom. Sleeping. Shhhh,” Leo said, with a finger over his mouth.
Nonna shared a look with Logan before rushing upstairs to the bedroom. Logan cleaned up the pizza grease from the table, and then from the kids’ hands before he sat between them on the couch.
“Why’s Mom sad?” Amelia asked quietly, once Leo had fallen asleep with his head resting against Logan’s leg.
“She had a hard day.” Logan didn’t know how much Willow had told the kids, and he didn’t want to overstep. He ran his fingers through Amelia’s long blonde hair until she dozed off against his other leg. He sat that way until Nonna came downstairs looking wrung out.
“Everyone’s asleep,” she whispered. “I’m going to straighten up the house.”
Logan gingerly stood and eased the kids onto the couch, grateful when they kept sleeping. He’d carry them to bed in a moment, but for now, he stretched out the kinks in his back. “Nonna, why don’t you get some sleep too? I’ll clean up and go to bed in a few minutes. We can figure this all out tomorrow.”
Nonna put her hands on her hips and looked like she was about to argue, but Logan mirrored her stance. He could be just as stubborn as Nonna if he needed to. She relented with a weary smile. “Okay.” She came close and patted his cheek. “Thank you for calling me. It’s nice to be needed.” And with that, she dragged her suitcase into the downstairs guest room.
Logan made quick work of cleaning up the kitchen and living room, carrying the kids to their beds, and then popping his head into his sister’s bedroom to check on her. It was well past midnight, but Willow was sitting up in bed, staring at the wall.
He went into the room and sat beside her.
“What am I going to do?” she asked him. “I knew things weren’t great, but I didn’t realize they were this bad.”
He put his arm around her. “I don’t know. But you’re not alone. You’ve got me and Nonna and Grandpa… and Dad,” he added in at the last moment.
That made a short bubble of laughter burst from her. “Oh, Dad. He’s a worse mess than me. But it was kind of you to include him.”
That made Logan snort-laugh as well, and even though it wasn’t funny at all, they both started to snicker. Maybe they’d cracked, gone completely crazy, but they laughed until they both cried, and then the tears kept streaming once they’d silenced.
Logan called in to work, citing a family emergency, but told them to keep him informed of how Raza and Adia were doing. He texted Kai about what was really going on, though. They’d need all the good thoughts sent their way possible.
Logan had fallen asleep on the floor of Willow’s bedroom sometime after two in the morning, and his back was feeling every bit of that hard floor this morning. But he hadn’t wanted to leave Willow in case she needed something.
Despite the bright sun streaming in through the blinds, Willow was still sleeping deeply. Logan sneaked downstairs to make omelets and freezer biscuits for everyone while Nonna got the kids bathed and dressed. Nonna was reading them one of Julia’s books when he came to tell them that breakfast was ready.
The kids raced to the kitchen table, an excited Gatsby on their heels, and Logan offered his hand to help Nonna out of the couch that wanted to suck a person permanently into it.
“This is good,” Nonna said, holding the book up. “I shouldn’t be surprised. Good storytelling runs in that family.”
“How do you know that?”
Nonna looked at him, surprised. “We were once all very close friends. I follow Julia’s sister, Eliana on Instagram. She’s one of those influencers, and her posts and reels are essentially micro essays. Really beautiful writing. And Horace and Winnie’s son, Eric, loved to spin a good tale, even as a teenager.”
“Wait, I’m still stuck on the fact that you watch reels.”
Nonna gave him a deadpan expression. “Doesn’t everyone?”
