Page 56 of The Lilac River

"No, Mom. I’m staying."

Her smile was small, but it reached her eyes. A flicker of warmth bloomed in my chest. Watching her now, I noticed the shadows beneath her eyes, the weariness tucked into her movements. When had I stopped paying attention to how tired she always looked?

"Why don’t you take a bath? Maybe a nap?" I offered gently.

She blinked at me. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely. In fact, bath and nap. Doctor’s orders."

Grandma winked at me approvingly. "Go on, Ella. We won’t burn the house down."

"It would be good," Mom admitted, stretching her back with a soft groan. "It’s been a long day."

She deserved better. Not double shifts at the hospital and microwaved leftovers. Not quiet sacrifices and aching joints. I’d barely gotten paid, but my first check, well, part of it was going straight into her account.

"What do you want for dinner, Grandma?" I asked briskly, helping Mom to her feet. She pulled me into a hug, longer than usual. When she left, her shoulders already looked lighter.

"I’ll skip dinner," Mom called. "Late lunch at the hospital cafeteria. A bath and early night sounds perfect."

The minute she disappeared down the hallway, Grandma leaned toward me like a kid sneaking candy. "Now, spill. What’s the tea on that Nash boy?"

I smirked. "Been reading those teen magazines again while waiting at the checkout?"

"Maybe," she winked. "Still want the full story, sweetie. People don’t drink tequila like that for nothing."

"Ugh. Do I have to?" I winced as another pulse of pain thudded behind my eyes.

"Nope. But it might help." She patted my knee. "You didn’t want to come back. I get it. But you’re here now, and you need to figure out how to live here without killing each other."

"I don’t know how." My voice cracked. "He hates me. And teaching Bertie doesn’t help."

"Have you thought about talking to him? Like adults? Bertie's education matters, after all."

"I’m a professional," I said, bristling.

"Never said you weren’t. But how do you propose handling parent-teacher conferences with all that sexual tension hanging thick in the air?"

"Grandma," I groaned.

"Don’t dodge." She raised a brow. "Why can't you just sit down and talk to him?"

Reasons swirled through my head. But none of them were good enough. I still loved him. I left because of his father. I left to protect Mom. I left because I was ashamed.

"Stupid reasons, hey?"

"God, Grandma, can you read minds?"

"Nope. Just seventy-five years of seeing the same heartbreak in different faces." She folded her hands in her lap. "Want a story?"

I nodded, already knowing this would be one of her heart-wrenching, soul-patching stories.

"When I met your Grandpa, I was engaged to someone else. Joshua. We weren't suited, but back then, marriage was just... expected."

"Did you cheat?" I asked.

"No. Grandpa wouldn’t touch me while another man's ring was on my finger. Said until I ended it properly, we could only be friends."

"And you ended it?"

---