Episode 26 Celeste
“This is where you lot sleep?” A raspy voice makes me glance up from my letter from Megan inside the shelter. I quickly wipe my eyes after Meg’s emotional pep talk and fold the paper, then stick it in my bag. “Seems so much smaller on the TV from my couch.” She chuckles. “I’ve slept in worse.”
“Hello.” I exit to greet Paya’s grandmother approaching.
She’s wearing dark jeans and a nice tropical short sleeve button down.
I’m suddenly self-conscious about my outfit and unsure what to do with my hands, as if I’m meeting the parents for the first time.
I wipe my hands and stick one out. “Nice to officially meet you.”
She squeezes my hand with more firmness than I expected. Her lips split into a grin. “I know what you’re probably thinking. The grim reaper has jokes.”
Amused, I play along. “You certainly don’t look like you’re dying.”
That makes her cackle. “Not at all. I got a lot of fight left in me.” Grandma GG winks, a knowing glint in her eyes. “Don’t be so hard on Paya. The dying grandma shtick was my idea and she hates telling me no.”
“Noted.” For some reason, I believe her. “I can see why.”
When she sits down next to me, surprisingly nimble at her age, she pulls out a cigar from her chest pocket.
“I don’t smoke anymore. I promised my Beverly, I’d quit.
I keep them on me though. Something about the weight of a cigar between my fingers reminds me who I am.
” She studies me closely. “Paya really has the hots for you.”
The corner of my mouth curls, my cheeks warm like a teenager with a crush. “She told you that?”
She shakes her head. “Didn’t have to. A grandma can tell such things. For someone who used to act for a living, that girl has zero poker face when it comes to you.”
At the mention of Paya’s tells, a wave of fondness washes over me.
I smile from ear to ear. “And she does this thing when she’s nervous.
” I can’t help my laugh, recalling the time she strolled into my office asking for PTO.
Or the time we were stuck in an elevator together for twenty minutes. “She rambles up a storm.”
Grandma GG releases a booming laugh, nodding in agreement. “When we play poker and she has a good hand, she tries to hide it, but we all know the moment she starts shoving fistful after fistful of food into her gullet, it’s a dead give away. It’s quite entertaining. I love that kid.”
I can tell by the proud look on her face, she means it. “I love her too.” The words tumble out, but when her teasing grin finds me, I don’t try to take them back.
A comfortable silence stretches between us, my confession of love for her granddaughter in the air. I clear my throat, suddenly realizing how long we’ve been away from the others.
“I’m really glad we had the chance to meet. Officially. And that you’re alive and well.” I smile.
Grandma GG pats my knee, her eyes wrinkling at the corners. “You could come over and play poker with us sometime when this is all over. I bet you’d give us a run for our money.”
“I don’t know,” I chuckle, looking down at my hands. “My bluffing might not hold up against a professional.”
“I’ll have Paya give you the details. Breakfast starts at 5pm, Poker at 5:30pm. I expect to see you there.” Grandma GG quirks a brow in my direction, her focused eyes seeing right through me. “Your gut is wiser than your excuses, you know.”
Before I can unpack the weight of that statement, she stands up with a soft groan and stretches her back.
We return to the party and sit on our blanket on the sand.
Around us, the rest of camp is laughing at something Cluck is doing.
Paya’s not back yet, so I ask Grandma GG about her late wife Bev since she mentioned her name several times during our walk back.
Just like that she sparks to life and launches into story mode. I listen intently.
From the distance, Paya steps into view. My heart flutters when her beautiful smile lands in our direction.
“I hope you weren’t telling Celeste all of my secrets, Grandma GG,” Paya says when she sits down and plants a soft kiss on her grandmother’s cheek.
“Only the ones worth gold, Sugarplum.” Grandma GG winks.
It’s clear how much Paya adores her grandmother. She laughs more often. Watching them interact is genuinely entertaining. This visit brought a new wave of vitality to her spirit.
Suddenly I look up to see Paya frozen in place, a slack-jawed expression on her face.
“What?” I glance around, the sudden drop in volume all around us already puts me on high alert. “Why did everyone get so quiet?” Please not another game twist.
Following Paya’s line of sight, I whip around to see what’s going on.
At the center of the outdoor party, Arlie, the woman who barely speaks ten words in a single day is down on one knee in the sand, holding up a machete. A ring hangs from the tip. Is she…proposing?
Beya’s hands fly to her face and she starts jumping up and down, shrieking into the summer air. “We’re getting married!”