Page 33 of What I Like About You

“You good? Maybe you should talk to Gramps about—”

I shake my head. “Gramps hates me.”

Ollie shrugs. “He’s just triggered, you know? He’ll get over it.”

I cover my face with my hands. “I just wanted to bake. He just wants to forget her.”

“Maybe he’s not ready to remember yet. Maybe we’re making it worse. I don’t know. Dude can barely take care ofhimself—it’s pretty brutal to watch.”

I squeeze my eyes shut. “I’m sorry, Ol.”

Ollie waves me off and nudges my shoulder. “Did you bake double dark chocolate?”

I open my eyes and nod.

“Excuse me while I go eat one. Or five.”

He holds his hand out to me and pulls me up to standing. I swear, he’s even taller than he was just a week ago. He says something that makes me laugh—I can’t remember what though, because when we reenter the kitchen a second later, Gramps is there, eating a red velvet cupcake over the kitchen sink. Scout sits patiently at his feet, waiting for any possible crumbs to fall.

Seriously? Moments ago, Gramps’s griefcrushedme into a panic attack and now he’s just—eating my cupcakes? He can’tseeGrams’s baking equipment, but the cupcakes they produce are apparently fair game. I can’t.

“What?” Gramps asks, voice flat. “You made my favorite.”

At least that hasn’t changed.

“I made them for Shabbat, Gramps,” I say quietly.

“Oh.” His eyebrows lift with surprise. “Well, I’ll bring them, I guess.”

I make a decision before I can unmake it.

“I’ll bring them myself, I think.”

I don’t know Hebrew and I’ll most definitely fumble through the service, but Gramps asked me to go—and now I’m sure he needs me more than I thought.

“Really?” Gramps is expressionless. “Why?”

“I want to,” I say, and the funny thing is, I mean it.

We’ve only been in Middleton for a week—and we haven’t seen Gramps outside the house, not once. If I can ignore the anxious thoughts that always accompany a new social situation, I can see Gramps interacting with the outside world—beyond this sad house. Maybe I’ll catch a glimpse of who my Gramps used to be.

I need that.

“Me too,” Ollie says, and I know he feels the same.

If cupcakes can’t fix us, maybe Shabbat can.

September 6

5:05 PM

i know it’s late but you need to know i have no clue what to wear to shabbat services

AND I BLAME YOU

Mom

Omg your first shabbat??

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