Chapter 27
Jessica
Jessica and Paul FaceTimed at 7 o’clock, agreeing to have dinner together during the call. Jessica had lit two candles, and he’d lit two candles. Jessica made a salmon dish for herself, and Paul was dining on mushroom Wellington. He said he’d loved it so much at Annie’s that night that he’d gone out and bought the ingredients to make it for himself and Gran and Pops. It looked delicious: farro, kale, puffed pastry, and shallots.
“Care for more Perrier?” he said with a grin.
“Sure.” They each poured themselves another glass.
“You look gorgeous by the way. I wish I could reach through this screen and touch you.”
“You look good too, Paul.” Jessica looked at him on the monitor. Really good. But she felt shy. She didn’t know why.
Just then, a bent-over woman with gray hair stepped into view. She was using a walker, her face a collage of wrinkles and lines. She peered into the camera and raised her bifocals so that she could see better. “Who are you talking to?” she asked in a sour voice.
Paul turned toward her. “Gran, meet Jessica. Jessica, this is my grandmother.”
“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Brady,” Jessica said.
“What’s so nice about it?” The woman scowled and Paul took on an embarrassed look. “You’re courting my Paul?”
“Well, I guess. I-I hope that’s okay.”
“Has Paul made his intentions known to you?” she asked.
Jessica’s mouth hung open. “Well, we’re just starting out and . . .”
For a moment Mrs. Brady glared angrily at her, then broke out in a huge laugh, tossing her head back as she chortled. “Just kidding, honey. Just kidding.” She trundled away on her walker without saying anything else.
Jessica blew out a breath. She felt like her bones had just been squeezed and rattled.
“Your grandmother’s quite the character,” she said.
“She’s a sweetheart, but a little bit of a jokester.” Paul frowned. “Sorry about that.”
“No worries. How’s she feeling about assisted living?”
“She’s actually more open to it than Pops is.” Paul shook his head. “Wait. I want you to meet Pops.”
Paul disappeared, and a short while later, he led out an aging man who had Paul’s same jutting jaw. Jessica was astonished by the resemblance. Pops sat down in front of the camera. He was dressed in a button-down shirt, his face pale and gaunt.
“Where do you talk into this thing?” he asked with a warbly, gruff voice.
“Don’t worry, Pops. Just speak.”
“Hello?” He squinted at the camera. “Hello?”
“Hi, how are you?” Jessica asked.
“What? What’d she say?” Pops cupped a hand behind one ear.
“You’ll have to speak up,” Paul said to Jessica. “He has a hearing problem.”
“I said, how are you?” Jessica repeated, louder this time.
“Oh, I don’t know. Good as these old bones will let me be, I guess. So you’re dating Paul, I hear.”
Jessica beamed as a warm rush of happiness flowed through her. May as well come out with it. “Yes. I am.”
She was. She didn’t know how they’d got here, but yes, they were definitely dating.
“Well, Paul’s like a son to me. Did you know that? Millie and I raised that boy after his mother skedaddled off with another man and his dad died. I taught him everything he knows about lifting. I was a lifter myself, did he tell you? Won big prizes in my day. Now listen. Paul can be on the shy side sometimes, but the kid’s all right. Turned out real fine, if you ask me.”
“I think so too.” Jessica smiled. “Paul’s a great trainer, from what I’ve heard,” she said, speaking louder. “He works the body like nobody’s business.”
“What? Like Moses’s business? What?” Pops squinted, wrinkling his brow, looking confused. “What the hell are you saying?”
Jessica broke out in laughter. This was too much!
“Okay, Pops. That’s good,” Paul said. “I just wanted you to meet her, that’s all.”
“If you ever get to Tampa, come by, okay? We’d be happy to see ya.”
“I’ll definitely do that, for sure. It was very nice to meet you,” Jessica told him in her loudest voice.
“Nice to meet you too.” He stood and shuffled away, adjusting his hearing aids. Jessica heard him say, “So that’s what they call Zooming?”
“Fun grandparents,” she said when he returned after settling them back down. They were darling, both of them, which only made her like Paul that much more.
“Indeed. There is never a dull moment, trust me. Between Pops’ hearing loss and Gran’s aching back and her waning eyes, it’s a regular road show.” Paul lowered his voice. “Pops still won’t agree to move into assisted living, though. He’s driving me crazy.”
“I may have to threaten them.”
“Is that so?” She raised an eyebrow.
“Okay, maybe not threaten. But I have to think of something fast. I only have two days left or they lose their spot.” He took a breath as he rubbed his neck. “How was your day?”
“Hectic as usual, I’m afraid. Had a client nearly flip out because I couldn’t find the exact shade of lavender she wanted for her guest bathroom. Did you know there are over fifty shades of lavender?”
“I had no idea. It sounds like serious stuff,” Paul said.
“It is. Trust me.”
“Hold on, I have something that might improve your mood.” He grinned.
Jessica waited as Paul directed his camera at his computer monitor. Soon, beautiful images of Jupiter came into view. She had never seen the planet in such detail and with such vibrancy. “Isn’t that just cool as hell?” he asked. “These pictures were just released from NASA today.”
She stared at what looked like a large marble with swirling dark blues accented by whites and shades of gray.
“It’s amazing,” Jessica said. And it was. Just looking at that huge mass of stars made her feel calmer.
“Those photos make you realize how small we all are compared to the great big universe out there,” Paul said. “And when you have problems, maybe they’re not as big as they seem.”
“Well, you’re just full of wisdom, aren’t you?” Jessica said.
Paul chuckled. “I actually have a personal philosophy. Wanna hear it?”
“Please. Go ahead.”
“Be the reason someone smiles. Make improvements, not excuses. And if you believe very strongly in something, stand up and fight for it.”
“Sounds good to me,” Jessica said.
“What’s your philosophy, Jessica?” Paul asked.
“Wow. I really never thought about it. Let’s see . . .” She considered it. “Do good?”
“Not bad,” he replied.
“Be kind?”
“I like it.”
“And have fun occasionally. How’s that?”
He laughed. “Why not?”
It was nine-thirty when they finally said goodbye. Paul put his hand up to his computer screen, and Jessica did the same. A sadness enveloped her. She felt like she was reaching out to a world that existed only in some alternate reality. This was how love had always been for her. Even when it felt real and strong, there was still an element of it that was out of her grasp. She had reached out so many times but had never been able to really touch it and hold it in her hands. And when she’d touched it with Adam, it had flown away and disappeared.
Like a bird.
This time, she hoped it was here to stay.