Page 81 of A Summer Mismatch
“You’re right.” She sniffled.
“Then that’s what this minute is about. Get up and make dinner for you and Cameron. Something easy like grilled cheese and soup. Then after you eat, do something fun together, like sit outside and read a book.”
“Okay, we can do that.” A little bit of hope sparked inside of her.
“Everything seems better after eating,” her mom promised. “I’ll call you in the morning. You two rest, and believe me when I say you’re going to be okay. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
She hung up the phone and went to find Cameron, who had finished his shower and was now sitting at her window seat, watching the cars drive by.
She would make dinner in a minute. In this minute, this now, she wanted to sit next to Cameron, take his hand in hers, and watch the cars drive by with him.
CHAPTER FORTY
Horace
HoracestoodonHarry’sdoorstep and tried to get the courage to knock.
He had messed everything up. His wife was collapsing, literally, under stress. His granddaughter was miserable and avoiding his calls. And his retirement years of rest and relaxation were not the haven he’d thought they’d be.
He wasn’t used to making huge missteps like this, so it was difficult to admit that perhaps he’d been short-sighted. Selfish. That was the right word. And he didn’t want to be that way. Especially not when it was hurting the people he loved.
He was good at fixing problems—even when they were caused by him—and he was going to do whatever it took to fix this one.
With new courage, he knocked on Harry’s door.
“Horace!” Harry exclaimed, surprised as he opened the door. “What can I do for you today?”
“Harry, I need your help.”
When Horace and Winnie had first gotten married, he’d loved to pick up flowers for her on his way home from work. They were beautiful like his wife, and his way of showing her that he was thinking of her.
One day, several years into their marriage, he came home from work early and was surprised to find the flowers he’d brought home just the day before sitting in their garage.
He carried them inside, and when Winnie saw them, her face turned bright red with embarrassment. It was then that she confessed that she was allergic to flowers, and every time he brought them into the house, she was cursed with itchy eyes and sneezing nonstop. She’d loved the gesture, though, so she compromised by leaving the flowers outside in the day while he was gone, and then bringing them back into the house right before he got home.
Horace, flabbergasted, had told her that he didn’t have to get her flowers to think of her—he could get her something else she loved instead.
And since Winnie loved to read and eat sweets, he’d started picking up books or treats for her whenever he thought of her. This apology, though… this required something more than dark chocolate and the latest bestseller. He knew she didn’t require a gift to forgive him—Winnie had one of the most forgiving natures of anyone he’d met—but he wanted to do this for her.
Harry had worked a miracle. Walt had told him that Harry could find him anything he needed, and the man had not disappointed. Horace carefully placed his gift in a brown gift sack he’d found in their closet and wrote a note for her.
Then he sat it on the table and waited.
When Winnie got home from lunch with Polly, she looked refreshed. “Did you have a nice lunch?” he asked her.
“I did. Polly’s grandson, Paxton, was there with his girlfriend, and it was lovely to catch up with them.” She gave a wistful sigh that twisted the knife of guilt in his gut. “Did you get lunch?”
“I made myself a sandwich,” he assured her. His heart sped up in anticipation as she set her sweater down on the back of the couch and then walked toward the kitchen.
“What’s this?” she asked, seeing the gift on the table.
“Something I picked up for you,” he said as casually as he could.
She looked at him with raised eyebrows. How long had it been since he’d picked something up for her just because she’d been on his mind? Too long. This was something he needed to start doing regularly.
She opened the top of the bag and pulled out the book. It was a dark leather-bound book with gold lettering on it.
