Page 83 of About that Fling
“I look forward to hearing more about it.” Beth turned and walked into the house, waving them to follow. “Bathroom’s down that hall if you need it. Want to drive together to Nana and Gramps’s place?”
“That sounds good,” Adam said, resting his hand in the middle of Jenna’s back as he guided her into the living room. “Would you mind if we headed over right away? I’d like to get there as soon as visiting hours start.”
“I’ll just grab my keys,” Beth called. “Jenna can ride up front with me.”
“What, you don’t want some brother-sister bonding time?”
“Nope. I’ve bonded plenty with your annoying ass.” Beth grinned as she led them out to her bright orange MINI Cooper. “Now I need to get to know Jenna better.”
The two women chatted all the way to the west side of Seattle, and by the time they reached the assisted living facility, it was clear they’d become fast friends. Adam watched from the backseat, feeling equal parts relief and nostalgia. It had never been like this with Mia and Beth, not even before the affair. There had always been something stiff in their interactions. Something guarded and even a little competitive, though he could never figure out which of them set that tone. No matter how many courses he took in counseling and human behavior, there was no accounting for chemistry.
He’d wondered sometimes how Mia and Jenna had become so close after only two years of friendship. Now, seeing how quickly his sister connected with her, he didn’t wonder anymore. Jenna was easy to love quickly and fiercely.
Love.
He’d said the word to her yesterday in the car, and watched her eyes widen.
That’s what I love about you, he’d told her, and he meant it. But he meant more than that, and he wondered if she knew.
“Here we are,” Beth said, pulling into a parking spot. “How much did Adam tell you about what to expect?”
“I know your grandmother is in the last stages of Alzheimer’s, and that your grandfather barely leaves her side,” Jenna said. “Not even when the nurses come to tend to her.”
Beth nodded and reached for the door handle. “There’s a good chance Nana won’t wake up at all. She’s been sleeping a lot lately, and honestly, that’s better. Before this, she went through a real combative stage.”
“Does she recognize you?”
Beth shook her head, and Adam watched her features pinch with sadness. “Not usually. Not anymore. When she’s lucid these days, she doesn’t even seem to know who Gramps is, though she does perk up a little when he sits by her bed and plays Beatles songs on his guitar.”
Adam swallowed hard and pushed the passenger seat forward, clambering over it to emerge from his sister’s clown car into the drizzly morning air. They filed through the front door together, stopping to sign in at the front desk. Beth signed first, then Jenna. Adam looked at her signature, feeling an odd swell of pride when he saw she’d written “lady friend” in the relationship field.
Beth led the way down a corridor bathed in fluorescent light and the cloying pine scent of cleaner. She stopped in a doorway at the end of the hall and knocked loudly before trooping in.
“Hi, Gramps! Look who’s here to see you!”
Noticing Jenna’s hesitation, Adam stepped past her and into the cramped little room. He watched Gramps’s eyes go wide with surprise, then delight. As the old man struggled to get to his feet, Adam hurried to his side.
“Don’t get up, I can hug you right where you are.”
He wrapped his arms around Gramps, surprised at how bony he felt. He wore a faded Chicago Cubs sweatshirt that Adam remembered buying him for Christmas ten years ago. His pants were baggy enough to fall off his hips if he stood up, so it was probably best to keep the old man sitting. Drawing back, Adam glanced at the hospital bed where Nana lay. She seemed peaceful enough, though her face was creased in a frown.
“Good to see you, son,” Gramps said, and Adam turned back to see Beth smothering him in a hug. “Bethy said you were bringing someone with you?”
“I did.” He turned to wave Jenna into the room. She took a few timid steps forward to stand beside him, and Adam felt his heart twist with affection for every damn person in this tiny room.
“Gramps, meet Jenna,” he said. “Jenna, meet Gramps and Nana, also known as Floyd and Edie.”
Jenna smiled and took a step toward Gramps. She seemed to hesitate, and he saw her rub her palm against her thigh, readying herself to offer a handshake. Instead, she stooped down and wrapped her arms around the old man’s bony shoulders.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir.”
“Call me Gramps, everyone does. Even the nurses and doctors.”
“Gramps,” she said, trying out the word as she drew back from the hug and stood upright again. “I see you’re a Cubs fan? My grandfather took me to see them play at Wrigley years ago.”
“Wrinkly ears?” He scrubbed his hands down his face, frowning. “Sure, I’ve got wrinkly ears, wrinkly cheeks, wrinkly jowls. That’s what happens when you get old.”
Jenna blinked, her mouth dropping open in horror. “No—I—Wrigley Field. Um, baseball? Adam told me in the car you’re a fan of the game.”
