Chapter Fifteen
“L et’s go see Grammie,” Jovi said, tugging the packaging-tape dispenser across another box of candy.
“I have two more orders to pack and ship, then I’m finished.
” She cast her sister a hopeful look. Isabel stood on the other side of the counter in the workroom at the candy company.
Dark circles under her eyes, the cup of peppermint tea she’d been sipping for over an hour, and her lack of enthusiasm about anything work-related all hinted at her dismay.
Jovi’s heart pinched. She couldn’t do anything about Mason leaving, short of driving by Garrett’s place and giving her brother-in-law a piece of her mind, but she’d do whatever she could to draw her sister out of her funk.
Isabel lifted one shoulder. “Can’t.”
“Can’t or won’t?” Jovi double-checked the address on the box, making sure it matched the data entered in the spreadsheet, then carted the package over to the neat stack she’d assembled near the door.
“What if he comes back and I’m not there?”
“Then he can heat a frozen pizza for dinner and watch TV alone.” Jovi crossed to the row of boxes on the counter Irene had already packed. “He’s a grown-up. He’ll survive if you’re not home.”
She stopped short of mentioning it would serve him right if he came back and Isabel wasn’t there, but her snarky commentary probably wouldn’t help.
After their tense dinner meeting with Mom and Dad last night, she didn’t need to pile on any more stress.
Even though Isabel had presented updated data indicating a solid bump in recent sales, their parents hadn’t been swayed to change their minds about selling in June.
And although she’d tried to reassure her family that nothing was going on between her and Burke, they hadn’t appeared convinced.
“Come on, it’ll be good for you to get out of here for a bit.
You’ve been working nonstop. Besides, we need more vanilla extract and sugar.
Jerry says both are cheaper and in stock at one of the wholesale warehouses in Anchorage.
” Jovi glanced at the clock. “If we leave now, there will be plenty of time to visit Grammie before she eats dinner.”
Isabel heaved a pathetic sigh. “All right. Fine. But you have to drive.”
Yes. Jovi pumped her fist in the air. “Sure, I’ll drive. Just let me grab my coat and we can go.”
She finished packing the remaining boxes while Isabel collected her purse and keys from her office. A few minutes later, as they walked out of the candy company, Isabel trailed behind.
Jovi stopped and turned back. “Everything okay?”
Isabel frowned and didn’t look up from her phone.
Uh-oh. Jovi returned to her sister’s side. “Isabel, what’s wrong?”
Isabel pressed her lips together then shoved her phone in her pocket. “I texted Mason that I was going to Anchorage for the afternoon. Hoping he might care enough to call or at least check in. Is that pathetic or what?”
Jovi put her arm around her sister, steering her toward the parking lot. “Hey, you’re not pathetic. You and Mason are going through a tough time, and it’s okay to be sad.”
They walked the rest of the way to Isabel’s car in silence.
Once they were on the road, Jovi turned up the radio and sang along to a pop song.
The snow-covered wilderness flashed by outside, bathed in pinks and purples of the early sunset.
Isabel looked out the window. It hurt to see her sister struggling, but what else could she say?
The news about Michael’s secret baby still stung, but she wasn’t going to dwell on that. At least not right now.
As they drove on the highway toward Anchorage, Jovi’s thoughts turned to Burke.
She hadn’t seen him or Darby Jane in over a week, and part of her kind of missed them both.
He’d asked her to meet at the diner for breakfast on Saturday because Darby Jane wanted to tell her something important, and Walker had information about Grammie and Lois to share.
That was an invitation she couldn’t resist. Walker was sweet, but he had a reputation for meddling in other people’s business.
He probably didn’t have anything to tell her that she hadn’t heard before.
Still, her curiosity was piqued. And she wouldn’t say no to Darby Jane.
She’d suggested that they meet outside first and watch the dogsled teams passing through town on their race to Nome.
She hadn’t been back home to watch the race in ages, and it was definitely an experience she didn’t want Burke and Darby Jane to miss.
A smile tugged at her lips as she imagined their reactions.
Darby Jane would have a zillion questions, and Burke would probably frown at all the noise and chaos.
So okay, Burke was a little uptight. Maybe a lot uptight.
He also had a certain charm that drew her to him.
Hence that mind-blowing kiss. Or was it the way he looked at her—part amusement and part wonder?
As if what she had to say truly mattered.
Michael had never looked at her like that. Or made her feel the way Burke did.
Warmth heated her skin. What was she doing, thinking about him like this?
Jovi shook her head, trying to rid herself of the thoughts.
She didn’t need any distractions right now.
Not with Isabel hurting and the mess with Michael still fresh in her mind.
Besides, she’d meant what she said when she told Burke they couldn’t possibly be together.
But as they drove farther down the highway, her mind kept drifting back to him.
She couldn’t deny the way he made her feel.
Her feelings had often led her astray, though.
A one-way trip that dead-ended in heartache.
Isabel glanced over, irritation etched on her face. She turned down the radio. “Why are you smiling like that?”
Bummer. Caught swooning by the disillusioned married one. This was not the time to confess she’d kissed Burke. Jovi cleared her throat and tried to morph her expression into something less happy. “No reason. I guess I just love this song.”
Isabel’s frown deepened, and she returned to staring out the window.
When they arrived at Oasis Care, Jovi greeted the woman sitting at the reception desk. After showing their IDs and signing in, she directed them to Grammie’s apartment halfway down a long corridor.
As they walked toward her door, Jovi couldn’t help but notice the sterile smell in the air.
She glanced at the artwork on the walls featuring tastefully framed, peaceful-looking watercolors of natural scenery.
Classical music filtered in from the pianist performing in the atrium.
There were worse places for an elderly person struggling with dementia to live.
Her gut still twisted with regret. Why did this have to be so hard?
Isabel knocked on the door.
“Come in.” Grammie’s voice sounded more frail than last time.
Isabel stepped inside. Jovi followed, then quietly shut the door.
Grammie was lying on her bed, her eyes closed. The same quilt they’d admired during their last visit had been draped over her slender body. Jovi approached, gently placing her hand on Grammie’s.
“Grammie, it’s me, Jovi,” she said softly.
She opened her eyes. Then her lips curved down into a frown. Panic flared in her eyes. “We have so much to do and so little time.”
Grammie’s sudden outburst caught Jovi off guard. She looked at Isabel, who’d stepped up to the bed beside her.
“What do you mean, Grammie? What do we have to do?” Isabel adjusted the blanket over Grammie’s legs.
Grammie tried to sit up, her eyes frantically scanning the room. “They’re trying to steal things from me.”
Dread washed over Jovi. “Who is trying to steal?”
“You know who.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Don’t say their names. But we have to stop them. It’s so important.”
Isabel set her purse down, then slipped off her coat and draped it over the arm of the recliner near the window. “Can you tell us what you’re looking for? Maybe it’s been misplaced. Jovi and I have plenty of time. We can look around.”
Grammie shook her head, her eyes darting around the room. “No, no, no. They took it. They’ve been taking things from me for years, but I’ve never been able to catch them. Now they’re planning something. I know it.”
Jovi exchanged another worried glance with Isabel. Mom and Dad had mentioned that Grammie had been exhibiting paranoid behavior for the past few months.
Jovi clasped Grammie’s hand between both of hers. “We believe you, Grammie. Do you remember anything else about the person who took it this time?”
Grammie’s eyes filled with tears. She looked away, her gnarled hand trembling as she reached for the intertwined gold hearts dangling from her necklace that Grandpa had given her years ago. “Someone I trusted,” she whispered. “Someone I never thought would do such a terrible thing.”
Her eyes drifted shut. Jovi stood at the bedside, staring in disbelief as Grammie began to snore.
“Wait. No.” She nudged Isabel with her elbow. “Do something. I still have questions.”
Isabel gave a helpless shrug. “You’re the nurse. I—I don’t know what to do. Waking her up usually doesn’t help, though. I’ve learned the hard way that she’ll likely be confused and extra irritable.”
Jovi blinked back tears. Poor Grammie. Even if what she’d said wasn’t entirely true, how frightening to keep reliving the same terrible scenario over and over. She sniffed then leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to Grammie’s soft cheek.
“I love you, Grammie. I’ll be back soon,” she whispered.
Turning away, she trudged after Isabel toward the door.
This was heartbreaking. Even if she couldn’t do anything about Grammie’s dementia, she had to figure out what went wrong between her and Lois all those years ago.
Maybe discovering the truth would finally bring their families some peace.
* * *
Who would steal from Grammie?