Chapter Eight
G race came home from college the first week of May. She arrived late Saturday evening and was ready to crash so I helped her settle in her room then let her pass out.
The next morning, I went to her door quietly and cracked it open. I watched her sleep for a few moments before closing it again softly.
I was so happy to have both girls home again.
I went to the kitchen to start coffee and listen for Sadie to wake. She slept late on the weekends and usually sprung out of bed in a loud, happy mood. I wanted to intercept and keep her quiet so her sister could sleep longer.
I was at the counter scrolling through my phone when I heard Sadie’s little feet hit her bedroom floor. I hurried down the hall but knew I was too late, hearing noise from Grace’s room. I stepped into the open doorway to find Sadie on her knees, bouncing up and down on the bed .
“Come on, Sissy, wake up! Momma promised pancakes since it’s your first day home.”
Grace had pulled a pillow over her face and groans were coming from under it. “Sadie, quit it! I think I’m getting sick.”
Sadie stopped and put her hand to her mouth as she crawled up the mattress and tried to peek under the pillow. “Oh no. Do you want me to take your temperature?”
Grace threw it aside and grabbed her sister around the waist, pulling her into a bear hug to tickle. Sadie let out a shriek as she tried to squirm away.
“Payback, you little terror!”
Uh oh, Grace went for the armpits.
“Okay, okay, OKAY!” Sadie squealed through her giggles. “Moooomma! Help!”
I leaned against the door frame with a loud sigh. When the girls noticed I was standing there, they each started campaigning for me to take their side. I put my hands in the air and headed back down the hallway. “I’m staying out of this and going to eat pancakes,” I called over my shoulder.
I heard the girls reach a truce, but then they started arguing over who got the first pancake and whether they should have chocolate chips or strawberry filling in them. I rolled my eyes as I got out bowls and the ingredients for both.
It was wonderful having them under the same roof again. I just hoped it would sustain minimal damage.
We were finishing breakfast when Grace’s cell buzzed on the table and she made a face at the screen. “Ugh, Aunt Alexis keeps trying to call me.” She pushed it to voicemail. “Take a hint.”
I eyed her phone with worry. Of course, Alexis would be reaching out considering her brother’s release next month.
A few years ago she’d unexpectedly contacted me again, begging me to help her mend things with Grace. She’d called me at work, sobbing as she’d told me she and Drew’s mother had passed away the week before, and ‘her dying wish was for her family to be healed and she made me promise I would make it happen.’
I had no doubt that was true. Pheona had always been a bit hard to stomach. She spoiled Drew and Alexis their whole lives and acted as if they were flawless humans. Nothing that went wrong was ever one of her sainted children’s fault. She always found a way to blame someone or something else for them. I’d always wondered how much debt Pheona racked up attempting to keep Drew out of prison.
The last time I’d spoken to his mother was when she called after the divorce was finalized to cry and tell me how disappointed she was in me for not standing by her son and that she’d always known he deserved someone better. I’d hung up on her, my hands shaking as I blocked her number.
I’d felt somewhat guilty for cutting their grandmother off from the girls completely and coaxed Grace to start communicating with her aunt again once Alexis promised she wouldn’t talk about Drew, period. I’d also agreed to the same conditions for Sadie. The girls had casual communication with their aunt since. She saw them once or twice a year, usually around their birthdays or during the holidays. It seemed like a “relationship” with them had always been more about her promise to her mother and less about genuinely wanting to be a part of their lives.
Under the circumstances, it might be hard for Alexis to keep her mouth shut about Drew leaving prison. I chewed my lip. Maybe I should tell Grace.
I watched her with unease as she finished her last pancake. Sadie had already left the table to brush her teeth and get dressed. It would be better if the news came from me.
“I know your aunt can be a lot, but it can be nice to connect with family, even if they annoy you sometimes.” I cleared my throat. “Actually… I was wondering if you had given any recent thought to—”
“No,” Grace cut me off, a scowl I’d seldom seen in years marring her face. “One thousand percent no, Mom.”
I quickly nodded and put my hand on top of hers.
“Okay, baby.”
The last thing I wanted to do was upset her. I could give Drew credit for that at least. When Grace was little and would get worked up over something, he was the one who had been very adept at calming her down. It was the most patient I ever saw Drew, talking in a soothing voice and helping her work through whatever emotion she was feeling until she would settle. His tenderness with our daughter was one of the things I’d loved most about him .
Grace took her dishes to the sink. “So, now that you are full of coffee and pancakes —delicious by the way— and all is lovely in the world, I have something to tell you.”
I stopped lifting my cup and raised a brow instead.
“I have been offered a teaching assistant position with Professor Marks over the summer semester!” Grace came back to the table for my dishes with a huge smile. “I have to go back to Philadelphia in two weeks.”
Filled with pride, I started to congratulate her, but then my face fell as I understood what she was telling me.
“Why am I just now hearing about this?”
“It happened on Friday. And Mom, it’s a big deal! People don’t usually get to TA their first year. It also means I get to sit in on her classes for free. Sage’s parents kept the apartment for the summer so I still have a place to stay and it won’t cost you anything.”
I opened my mouth to argue that we had agreed to split the rent, but Grace lifted her hand to stop me.
“They thought it made more sense than moving everything into storage and then into another place for the fall semester. They refuse to have you pay half those months since it was their decision. I’ll only be alone for about two weeks. Sage is going to come back to Philly in June after their Europe trip.”
Grace came back to stand beside me, her big brown eyes hopeful, her dark curly hair in a messy bun on top of her head. She clasped her hands together under her chin. “Please, please, please say it’s okay.”
I tried to hide my disappointment. I’d been looking forward to her finally being home after her first year away at school. I knew I was running out of summers with my eldest and had been planning to squeeze in a lot of quality time with her in Florida.
I studied my daughter, in a pajama set covered in kittens and rainbows that she’d gotten for her last birthday. In it, my already petite girl looked much younger than her 18 years.
Grace was a quiet and serious child most of her life. I’d been so relieved when she’d begun to come out of her shell the last few years of high school.
She’d decided she wanted to pursue journalism and turned her grades around to apply for scholarships to some of her dream colleges. We’d been so excited when she received her acceptance letter to the University of Pennsylvania.
I’d observed Grace begin to really find herself over the last year. On every trip back home, she seemed wiser and more mature. My first baby was turning into a full-grown adult. It was hard for me, but I was also happy to see her growing and changing, figuring out and becoming who she wanted to be. She was much further along than I’d been at her age.
I forced a smile. “One condition. You come down to Florida for the 4th of July since I also got robbed of Spring Break this year.”
“Deal!” Grace threw her arms around me. “Ahhhh!” She kissed my cheek loudly. “Thank you, thank you, thank you! I have to text Sage and let her know,” she called over her shoulder as she hurried down the hallway .
I picked my cup up again and took a big swallow of coffee, then brushed away a tear that escaped. I didn’t want Grace to leave again so soon but this was a big opportunity I would never deny her.
At least back in Philadelphia, she might be better protected from finding out about her father’s parole for longer.
It was easy to surmise my daughter wouldn’t handle the news well from her reaction to the question I hadn’t even been able to get out about her reconsidering contact with Drew.
Grace could completely shut down if she found out he might try to re-enter her life soon and that could derail how well she was doing at school.
It seemed like the further she’d gotten from the memory of her dad, the happier she had grown over the years.
I knew I wasn’t willing to take that away from her and would do whatever I could to protect Grace from the knowledge for as long as possible. Even if that meant losing precious time with her myself.