Page 6 of Doctor Grump

And apparently, my daughter was a genius because she didn’t say another word. Instead, she simply turned around and stormed up the stairs. I heard her bedroom door slam, and I made a mental note to fortify the wood, so it didn’t break.

Only then did I heave a huge sigh and finally head to the kitchen for a glass of well-deserved Scotch.

3

PIPER

“And so, he just left. Can you believe that?” I looked at all three of my best friends after regaling them with the story of the funeral. All four of us were lounging on Faith’s couch after putting the babies to bed. There was a pretense of a book club going on, but we all dropped it quickly in favor of hearing the newest piece of gossip I had.

“Wow,” the blonde beauty, Lucia, said first, frowning thoughtfully. “It is curious that your grandmother left all her fortune to him.”

“Yup.” I nodded. “Super unexpected. I thought Fred would murder him at one point, and my dad kept insisting that he somehow manipulated Judith into it.”

“Do you think he’s right?” Kayla asked, twirling a strand of her now neon green hair. Kayla, with her piercings and dark look, was what one would call gothic chic, and she sported a new hair color every month, which was why it was kind of a surprise when she ended up with the blonde, All-American man, Monty.

I shook my head to answer her question. “No, I don’t think so. Ian was just as shocked as the rest of us. And he doesn’t seem like the type.”

“So why would your grandmother leave him a whole 500 million dollar fortune if he only saw her a few times before she died?” Confusion was apparent on her face.

“I’m not sure,” I said. “But she must have her reasons. Judith always thinks differently than most people.”

I have been doing a pretty good job of holding up after her death, but talking about my grandmother always brought back the melancholy. Kayla could probably sense the sadness in my face because she reached out and squeezed my hand. “I’m so sorry about your grandmother, honey. Believe me. I know what it’s like to lose family suddenly like that.”

I smiled at her, warmth filling my chest. “Thank you.” Even though Kayla was the most recent addition to our little group, we had become close over the few months I knew her. Despite her intimidating looks, she was a sweetheart on the inside, and I now consider her one of my favorite people in the world, along with Lucia and Faith.

Speaking of Faith…

She was the only one who hadn’t said anything in response to the story and had frankly seemed distracted since I got here. I was about to ask her what was wrong when my phone dinged.

I glanced at the text, and horror instantly filled me.

“Oh God, no. He’s here. I’m doomed.”

Faith finally spoke up at my declaration. “Why, what happened?”

“It’s the count. He just arrived at the airport, and my mother wants me to accompany her to meet him next week.”

“The count was coming?”

“Jeez, Faith, tune in every once in a while,” Lucia joked. “It’s like you have pregnancy brain all over again.”

Faith sighed. “Sorry, y’all. I’ve just been tired lately.”

“Is everything okay?” I asked. Now that she mentioned it, I did notice there was slight darkness under my friend’s eyes.

Faith waved her hand. “Nah, I’m fine. Just had a busy week, is all.”

“Busy…how?” I asked, cocking my head to the side. The room was suddenly quiet as all three of us waited for an answer. The thing about Faith was that she technically had two jobs. Mostly, she was a software developer and a mother, but occasionally she also worked as a missing person’s informant with the police. Faith had a gift—she sometimes had dreams that were either a prediction of the future, a vision of the past, or seeing something that was currently happening. It was the strangest thing, like ESP. Usually, I wouldn’t believe in all that stuff, but I had witnessed her in action myself, so now I knew to take her dreams seriously. As did the police, given how often they now asked for her help. I could imagine that would put a strain on anybody, but it turned out not to be what Faith was talking about.

“Yeah, the company I work for, they’re trying to shift extra responsibilities to me,” Faith said with a long sigh. “And the baby is being extra fussy, but I think she’s just nearing the age when she needs me a lot, and I don’t know if I can continue to work while I take care of her. It’s just hard sometimes, you know?”

All three of us nodded. Everyone in the room except me had a child as well, so they probably understood exactly what she was going through, while I only sympathized.

Faith shook her head, turning to me. “But that’s not important right now. Let’s talk about your problems instead. It’s your family, right?”

I sighed, although I was grateful for the opportunity to get it off my chest. “Yes. They’re still hellbent on marrying me off to the count, and he’s arriving in the country today.”

“Oh no, that’s horrible.” Faith’s face shone with sympathy.

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