Page 165 of Eight Years Gone

Colton shrugged. “Grace is a good cook.”

Jagger nodded, knowing that Grace would be thrilled that Colton thought so. “Damn right. I call dibs on any leftovers.”

“Go for it. I’m not bringing something like that to school. Leftovers always stink. You open the lid on something like that, and it’ll smell like fish and farts.”

Jagger laughed. There was no denying that Colton was funny when he actually spoke more than a sentence at a time. “That would probably mess with your cool points.”

Colton jerked his shoulders again.

“Let’s get out of here. Thanks for helping out for the last couple of days. Todd says the flu bug Andy brought home from playschool is no joke.”

“No problem.”

“I’ll spot you a couple of fifties for your non-date,” Jagger said as he grabbed his water bottle and phone, texting Grace. We’re heading home.

She texted back almost immediately. I just pulled the casserole out of the oven, and the salad’s ready to go.

He responded. Can’t wait.

Jagger stepped out with Colton, locking up. “Dinner’s ready. I’ll see you at home.”

“Yeah. I’ll be right behind you.”

Jagger got in the Stingray, watching Colton walk down the block toward his fancy white GMC Canyon—a far cry from Logan’s Porsche, but it was certainly nice enough.

Turning over the ignition and reversing from his spot, he nodded again. Having Colton staying with Grace and him wasn’t too bad. They had a long way to go before they were a big, happy family, but they were slowly finding their way.

Forty-Two

Grace added another white mum to the simple arrangement Henry Leary had personally picked out for his mother’s thirtieth birthday.

The five-year-old had had ten dollars to spend from his piggy bank, which hadn’t been much when it came to flowers, so Grace added a couple of peach roses and berries to give the arrangement the oomph it deserved for such a sweet gesture.

“Stephanie’s going to be a happy mess when Asa drops those off,” Aunt Maggie said as she put together a sunflower and burgundy rose arrangement—one of the last of the day before Asa began deliveries in thirty minutes.

Grace grinned, trying to ignore that Aunt Maggie’s fingers were clumsy today. Her gait had been way off, too, making her cane a necessity whenever she needed to get around.

“Yes, she is. And Henry will be incredibly proud. Johnathan was trying to give him some hints when we looked at some flower options together yesterday, but Henry has a mind of his own.”

Maggie laughed as she tucked some of Grace’s extra peach berries into her arrangement. “It was lovely that Johnathan didn’t steal Henry’s thunder. He and Stephanie are great parents.”

Grace added another branch of filler, then stepped back, making certain she’d achieved the balance she was looking for. “Yes, they are.”

Maggie chuckled again. “Little Henry got quite a deal right there.”

Grace wrinkled her nose as she snagged her lip, knowing they’d lost money instead of making it with Stephanie’s birthday arrangement. “It pays to be five and adorable.”

Aunt Maggie grinned. “That it does.”

Colton walked from the front end of the store, wearing jeans and a navy-blue sweater. He’d pulled off edgy yet preppy with his black eye and designer clothing.

“How are things going out there?”

“Good. Pretty busy. I need to grab Mr. Pendleton’s arrangement.”

“Go for it.”

Colton opened the walk-in door, pausing before he stepped in. “We’ve had five more orders for the Thanksgiving centerpieces. The one with the two candles seems to be the most popular.”

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