Page 46 of Anchored

“Wow. How far did you go?”

Holt glances down at Mookie and shakes his head, shutting the door. “Only three miles but I may have sped up the pace a bit.”

“You realize her legs are like four inches long, right?”

Holt runs his hand through his sweaty hair, making it stand up on end. Somehow he only looks hotter. “Uhh, yeah. I swear she likes it.” His gaze drops to the journal in my hands. “Whatcha got?”

I hold it up, feverish excitement returning. “It’s one of Grandma’s journals!”

Holt immediately walks to my side and looks over my shoulder as I show him the front page with the date. He smells like soap and a healthy dose of sweat, a delicious combination that makes me want to snuggle up to his bare chest. It’s gross, I know, but there’s something so yummy about Holt, I don’t even mind his sweat. But not right now. I won’t be distracted from possibly finding out who the mysterious Hank is.

“Want to read it with me?”

“Absolutely,” comes his immediate answer. “Do you mind if I shower off real quick though?”

I wrinkle my nose and look over my shoulder. “Yeah, you stink.”

“You love it,” he practically growls in my ear, dropping a sweaty, sloppy kiss on my cheek. I give him a push and he darts off to the bathroom, laughing.

To distract myself while I wait, I get a doggie treat from the kitchen and bring it to Mookie’s snout. She literally hasn’t moved an inch. Her dark eyes turn grateful as she gnaws on the snack. I give her pets and another treat. By the time Holt comes back out freshly showered—but still without a shirt in sight—I’ve gotten her to walk to the food and water bowls. She’ll be all right, though I’m going to suggest Holt go running with some of the larger-breed dogs at the pound that need attention.

We have a seat on the couch, Holt’s arm coming around my shoulders as I snuggle in closer. The sweaty aroma is gone, but he still smells good. A sudden thought has me pausing. “Do you think she’ll mind?”

He tilts his head to the side. “She put it in the stack.”

I nod. Good enough for me. "Okay. Here we go.” I open to the first page of perfectly slanted cursive and we both read silently. Pages flip and laughs and gasps and blurred eyes happen to both of us before we get to the end where a thin gold band is taped to the inside back cover of the journal.

“Oh my God!” My heart is breaking for Grandma Gracie. “He was her first love!”

Holt’s arm pulls me closer. “I hate to say it but maybe we shouldn’t go digging. Maybe we shouldn’t try to find Hank.”

I pull out of his grip and turn my torso to face him. “First loves are important. I think after all this time she’d want to see him, if for no other reason than to get closure.”

He gently taps the journal. “It sounds like she gave herself closure. She moved on. Married your grandfather. Hank showing up now might do more harm than good.”

I’m shaking my head before I even realize it. “No! No,” I say more calmly. “I don’t believe that. First loves leave an imprint on your heart. I think she’d want to see him again. Why else would she leave us the journal?”

Holt’s eyes hold sympathy and it pisses me off. “Because she has dementia and didn’t realize she left it in the stack?”

I jump to my feet, refusing to believe that the vibrant woman who gave me the only three months of the year I looked forward to was no longer of sound mind.

“No. Grandma Gracie put it in the stack for a reason.” Holt stands too, his mouth opening to argue with me and I can’t stand to hear him say no, so I rush forward with my own compromise. “We’ll keep digging, but only to find out why he left and if he’s still alive. Then we can decide if it’s worth telling Grandma we found him. Deal?”

Holt takes my hand in his and studies me. I know he’s given in before he opens his mouth. “Why does this matter so much to you?”

I inhale sharply, trying to put it into words. “Because Grandma Gracie is the only family who’s ever believed in me, and now she might be losing her memories. All those summers together were the best part of my life, and if she can’t remember them, then…” My voice breaks off. I can’t say it. Can’t bear to put it into words.

Holt folds me into his arms and rubs his soothing hands up and down my spine, swaying us back and forth. “Shh. Okay. We’ll keep digging.” He pulls back just enough to look me in the eyes. “But all that love she gave you, all those summers together, they will forever be with you and in your heart and in your memories, no matter what happens with Grandma Gracie. You know that, right?”

A tear trickles down my face, and Holt wipes it away. I nod, though my heart still aches for the one woman who’s mattered the most to me.

“Let me get a shirt and we’ll go to the police station right now. Sound good?” Holt’s looking at me expectantly.

“Thank you,” I whisper, falling into his chest for another one of his comforting hugs. He holds me tight until I’m ready to let go.

He puts on a blue T-shirt that matches his eyes, along with his glasses, mumbling about needing them in case we find anything at the police station. He stoops to pick up Mookie, who must still be wiped out because she doesn’t snap or growl at him for waking her up. He feeds his arms through a harness of some sort and straps her into it, her back to his chest, her four little legs sticking straight out from his chest. I roll my lips in to keep from either bursting out laughing or shedding another tear about how adorable those two look together. The man bought his tiny Yorkie a baby carrier!

We take his Jeep like we always do. He holds my hand as we pull out of the driveway. “I think it’s sweet that you want to find your grandma’s first love for her.”

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