Page 65 of Mace

“We’re just dating.”

“I may be old, and my body may be failing me, Imogen, but I know love when I see it.” Grandma swung her fork at me. “Don’t be like me and squander that love away. Your grandpa was an amazing man whom I drove away because I didn’t think I was good enough for him.”

“I didn’t know that.” I didn’t know anything about my grandpa other than he died before I was even born. Mom had told me he was an alcoholic who drank himself to death.

Grandma nodded. “That’s because I’m not proud of it, Imogen, but I don’t want to see you do what I did. Let that man love you, and make sure you give it right back to him.”

“Well, if we don’t find the papers we are looking for, I might be loving Mace through prison bars.”

Grandma shook her head. “You’ll find the papers, and if you don’t, you’ll find another way to keep that man with you. Love favors the ones who truly need it. You and that boy need it. If his childhood was half as bad as yours, then the only thing you two will get is happiness.”

“As great as that sounds, grandma, I don’t think just because Mace and I had it hard growing up doesn’t mean life is going to be a peach now.” I wished that was how things worked, but I had seen plenty of people who had been through hell and were still going through it.

“Mark my words; you and that boy will have a beautiful life together.” She knocked her fork on the table. “And not in prison.”

“What, what?” Delores squawked.

“Now you hear me?” Grandma called. She threw her hands up in the air. “Must be a selective hearing aid you have.”

Mace weaved his way back over to our table. He had a smile on his lips, but he appeared to have pulled himself together.

Grandma managed to make it the rest of the way through lunch without launching food at anyone or sending Mace and me into hysteria.

“I’m going to watch my shows and take a nap,” she announced and headed in the direction of her room.

We left grandma at her door and promised to stop by before we left for the day.

“I know you have some serious history with that woman, but she is fucking hilarious, babe. I lost it when she launched that grape at that lady.” Mace waved his hand in front of him. “Fucking not a care in the world from her.”

We made our way to the basement and dug back into the boxes.

I didn’t know if we would find the papers, but we were having a hell of a time trying to find them.

This just proved that as long as Mace was with me, everything was good.

That’s how it was fifteen years ago, and that’s exactly how it still was today.

*

Chapter Twenty-One

Mace

Day one was not a success.

Taxidermized birds, one hundred rubber ducks, seventeen creepy dolls, and an unknown box of stained towels were all the day produced.

We were both exhausted by the time we got back to the rental and passed out after a quick dinner of pizza and breadsticks.

We didn’t find the papers, but it was still a damn good day with Imogen next to me.

We still had half of the storage unit to go through, and we were hopeful we were going to find the papers.

And even if we didn’t, today had been one of the best days of my life.

All because of Imogen.

*

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