Chapter 7
Nash
Magnolia’s mouth drops open and something that sounds like a squeak escapes her.
It wasn’t the best choice of words to explain my problem right now, but before I can say more, she tells me in a sweet voice, “If someone you love is passing away, I understand there might be a time of loneliness afterward, but it’s not the time to make rash decisions.”
I’m not sure if I should laugh or pound my forehead against the steering wheel.
“I need you to be my fiancée.” There. That was a lot clearer.
“Will we have time for a first date before we get married?” she asks with skepticism.
I’m doing a crap job of explaining the situation, and she doesn’t deserve to be confused, especially with the way I’m managing the whole thing.
“My grandfather’s dying wish is that he meet my fiancée. Except she left me two months ago, and he doesn’t know it. The hospice nurse says he’s not going to last the night. Maybe not even the day.”
This is the part where she should demand I drive her home.
She sits quietly for a moment before she asks, “Are there any details I should know?”
I sigh with relief. Her willingness to help is going to make my grandfather’s last hours peaceful ones.
“You’re a broker.”
“Ain’t that the truth?” she mutters.
If this wasn’t such a serious moment, I would laugh.
“You like to travel on the weekends. It’s why you’re never around. We’ve been together for five months.” I won’t tell Magnolia that I proposed after only three months of dating.
“So short and engaged already?” She hums her disapproval.
I ignore that little comment. “Your ring is getting resized, if he asks.”
She glances at me sharply. “Smaller or bigger?”
“You pick.”
“Wise answer. Let’s say bigger. I’ve recently been hitting the weights, and I’m feeling stronger. Growing all sorts of muscle.”
She lifts her arm and flexes. I smile encouragingly. “I can see it!”
I can’t see it, but if she likes lifting weights, then good for her.
“I guess if I want faster results, I should go more than once a month,” she muses.
I choke on my laughter. How is this woman so funny all the time?
Slowing the car, I turn onto the concrete drive. “Here we are.”
Magnolia pauses mid-ramble and looks around with awe.
I slow at the gate and hit the button on the car’s visor.
“Is your grandfather in maintenance?” she asks as she faces away from me.
I glance around at what she’s looking at.
The concrete driveway is lined with landscaping. The wrought iron gate is a work of art. There’s ornamental grasses, flowers, shrubs, and a variety of trees. It almost feels like you’re pulling into an old English estate. Like something from those BBC shows my mom loves to watch.
I think Magnolia agrees with my assessment of it because she’s staring at everything in wonder.
“He’s a landscaper,” I say by way of explanation.
She’s glued to the window. Soaking up every detail of the beautiful estate, the same way I did when I first came here. The sun is shining through the window, giving her long, blonde hair a halo effect.
I park in front of the house, and she’s already standing on the sidewalk by the time I climb out. I take a deep breath and lead the way up the stone steps and through the front door.
The mood is somber, and I fight the urge to sprint to his room.
“Should I take my shoes off?” Magnolia whispers as we walk through the entryway into a foyer with tiled flooring.
A large staircase with a detailed banister and an open balcony is the first thing in front of us.
“No, you can leave your shoes on.” I hurry up the stairs.
Magnolia follows quietly behind. Mary is waiting outside of the main suite, watching our progress up the stairs.
“It’s good that you finally came,” she scolds Magnolia quietly.
Just before we reach her, Magnolia whispers, “Landscaper, my ass.” She points to the expensive art on the hallway walls.
Mary greets me with a pat on the arm. “It’s about time you brought her.” She latches on to Magnolia as though she might disappear into thin air. “He’s been beside himself about meeting her.”
Mary opens the door and leads Magnolia inside.
The doctor stands next to my grandfather, who looks as though the bed is trying to swallow him. He turns his head slowly when I step forward.
“You brought her.” Grandpa’s voice is frail and barely reaches us. A very different thing from his usually booming one.
The doctor moves away from the bed, stopping next to me. “He’s weak. I wish I had good news for you. But enjoy this time with him.” He rests a hand on my shoulder briefly, then leaves the room with Mary.
“Come closer,” Grandpa rasps.
I follow behind Magnolia and rest a hand gently on her shoulder. “This is Magnolia. Magnolia, this is my grandpa, Alexander.”
“Not Jane?” Grandpa asks with a frown. Because Jane was the name of my ex-fiancée. Why didn’t I think of that? Completely different names? I could kick myself.
“I prefer Magnolia,” she says simply. She moves forward to stand next to his bed. “Nash didn’t tell me you were so handsome.”
That elicits a small smile from him. “You’re a flatterer. I like it.”
“I never flatter. It’s the truth. I see the family resemblance.”
“And why didn’t you come to visit me sooner?”
Magnolia glances back at me with wide eyes. I didn’t have time to go into the details.
“Remember, she was gone?” I ask, trying to make eye contact with Magnolia, even though I’m answering Grandpa.
Magnolia’s eyebrows go up even higher.
“Did you like Florida?”
“Wonderful. The fami—”
I clear my throat loudly, willing her to read my mind. You like to travel on the weekends.
“I mean, the fountain was beautiful where I stayed.” She picks up on my not-so-subtle clue.
I can’t believe I forgot to tell her where her family was from. I can only blame it on my preoccupation with the inevitable.
I told Grandpa that she was away on a business trip in Florida.
His gray face looks ghostly in the curtained room. The pall of death doesn’t seem to mind that it’s only late morning.
“You two look like you’re going to a funeral. I hope you don’t look sad for me.”
“My betta fish died this morning. The wake’s at noon,” Magnolia explains in a cracked voice.
A smile flits across my grandfather’s face—albeit a tired one.
“I’ve never been so…” He pauses to take a deep, shaky breath. “So happy to be wrong. About a person.”
Magnolia slides forward slowly and sits down on the mattress beside him.
He reaches for her hand and grasps it like a lifeline. “Take care of him. Magnolia. Such a nice name. Miss Magnolia. You will, won’t you?”
“I will what?” she whispers.
“Take care of Nash.”
“Of course.” She reaches over and pats his hand. The lamplight reflects the moisture in her eyes.
Grandpa looks over her head at me. “I’d like to speak to her alone.”
“But—” I say.
“Come back in five minutes.” His whispered words still carry the command.
I nod once and step into the hall, leaving him in there with a complete stranger.
I pace back and forth, wondering how long five minutes can last.
I can hear the soft murmur of voices, but don’t understand their words. After an eternity, Magnolia opens the door and just stands there, staring at me.
Her eyes are puffy, and tears trail down her face. “He’d like to speak with you now.”
“What did he say?”
She searches my face, then finally says, “He told me how wonderful and special you are and made me promise again that I would take care of you.”
“Thank you for speaking with him,” I whisper, then hurry past her to stand next to the bed.
Magnolia stays in the doorway with Mary.
“If I were thirty years younger, I’d give you some competition with your fiancée,” Grandpa rasps out to me.
“More like sixty years younger.”
A small smirk appears on his tired face.
“I’d want to give you a fighting chance.” His retort is a reminder of his signature sharp wit.
I frantically chew the inside of my cheek. He’d be appalled if I suddenly burst into tears. Although I would love to see him shocked for once in his life. It isn’t right that I’m losing him so soon after finding him.
“Quit sniffling.”
My grandfather, ever the emotional philosopher.
“Tough. If I want to cry about my grandfather dying, I will.”
“Your fiancée did enough of that for both of you.” The fond tone creeps out as he gasps out the last few words.
He sucks in a labored breath and closes his eyes. “I like her. It does my heart good that she’ll be the one taking care of you.”
“I thought you didn’t like people who showed weakness.”
His eyes crack open. “I’ll make an exception for her.”
“You’re going soft.”
“Isn’t that what people do when they’re about to die?”
“Maybe they’re wrong. Maybe I should find a different doctor. Call another specialist.”
“My heart’s failing. Someone my age isn’t a candidate for a heart transplant.
Just let me be. I can die a happy man now.
I only wish I’d found you sooner. That I hadn’t let stubbornness get in the way.
That I’d begged your father to forgive me right away…
” The rasping breaths echo in the room. “I’ll be with him soon. ”
I sink down onto the bed. “I need to take Magnolia home, but I’ll be back. You’re not allowed to go anywhere until I get back. Got it?”
He nods once.
I hate to leave, but I have a complete stranger at large in the house. I step into the hall and find her standing there, cheeks still flushed from crying. Mary walks into the room to stay with him.
“Hi,” Magnolia says.
I motion for her to follow me downstairs. I don’t want to risk us being overheard.
“Thank you,” I say as we reach the front entrance. “You put his mind at ease. Thanks for taking the time to talk with him.”
She swipes at her eyes with her fingertips. “He seems so lovely.”
Were we in the same room? My grandfather is many things, but lovely isn’t one of them.
“That’s nice of you to say. It was easy to see that he liked you.”
“I liked him too.” Her voice catches, and it’s easy to believe her.
“Thank you for that.”
“Would you mind—” she starts, then stops herself. “Never mind.”
“No, what is it?”
“Tell him I enjoyed meeting him. And I sincerely mean that. I wish both of you the best.” She shakes my hand, then turns to go out the door.
I walk to the staircase and stop.
She rode here in my car with me. She doesn’t have a way to get home.
“Magnolia, wait!”
She’s already outside. I hurry after her. She’s a speed walker, because she’s almost to the wisteria bush by the time I make it outside.
“Magnolia! Wait! I’ll take you home.”
She turns around and waves. “I’ll order a ride! You need to stay here with your grandfather.”
I open my mouth to argue, but she’s right. I don’t want to leave his side.
“I’ll have his driver take you home. Please. It’s the least I can do after what you’ve done for me.”
I make a quick call on my cell. Eli—Grandpa’s official chauffeur and personal assistant—will bring the car around from the garage to take her home.
When I hang up, I stare at her, having that uncomfortable feeling that I’m forgetting something. “I promised to pay you, didn’t I?”
She shifts, looking everywhere but at my face. “Well, yes, but I just can’t take payment for something like this. Not under these circumstances.”
“I insist. It was a kind thing for you to do. And you need the money.”
She straightens her shoulders, as though she’s deciding if she’s going to be insulted or not.
“You just lost your job,” I remind her.
The town car rolls to a stop next to us, and I open the passenger door.
“Eli will drive you back to your apartment. How about cash? You know what? I’ll just give you everything in my wallet.”
I pull out the wallet from my pocket and flip it open. I mumble a not-nice word under my breath.
A five-dollar bill stares back at me. I forgot I’d sent the wallet through the washing machine this week, and the cash is still on my kitchen counter, drying.
“I have your phone number. I’ll Venmo you.”
She waves a hand through the air. “You have enough to worry about. I would feel guilty taking it.”
“I promise I’ll fix this for you,” I tell her. But it’s just a vague promise, and I can tell she doesn’t believe me.
“Could you…” She pauses, as though she’s figuring out how to ask a question. “Could you let me know how he is tomorrow? You have my number.”
I nod twice, swallowing the lump in my throat. “Of course. Thank you for being so nice.”
The mist in her eyes grows until a single tear rolls down her cheek. She closes the door to the car, cutting off anything I could say.