Page 70 of Made for You
I frowned. “Do I really look that bad?” I padded through the kitchen and into the living room. When she didn’t respond, I turned to find her watching me.
Her eyes locked with mine, and her smile flashed. Appreciation shone in that gaze and sent my stomach to the floor, a new kind of need spiraling through me.
“Not so bad,” she said, eyes flickering over me before she turned to the freezer to find the ice packs.
And I sat feeling old and yet oddly victorious that as battered as I was, she clearly still felt it. The way we were knitting together. We’d had our moments, and there was still some measure of friction between us and what might be ahead for us, but every bit of this felt right.
If only I could make the rest of my life line up like things were with Nik.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO
Nikki
Just shy of a week after tending to Bruce’s wounds, I held Gram’s hand and tried not to grip it too hard. The moving truck was unpacked, all her boxes and things piled into her new suite at Silverton Springs, and a decent amount of them were settled into where they’d stay. I’d be back tomorrow to help with more unpacking. All as it should be.
So why did it feel like my chest was caving in?
“Don’t look so forlorn, honey. I’m ten minutes from the house, and you’ll—” Gram cleared her throat, a thin smile pressing her lips as she swallowed. “You’ll flourish.”
I took her hands in mine. “You will, too. This place is great and I’m so happy for you.”
I’d been anxious right up until I’d toured the facility and witnessed how luxurious it was. Comfortable, stylish designs. Friendly staff. A gorgeous dining room that put any other retirement home’s eating arrangements to shame, I had to imagine.
Add to that how many people welcomed her like she was their favorite person and oldest friend—from staff to residents—and I realized she wouldn’t be alone. That was the point of this, at least one of them.
“Need any help in here?” A handsome older man tipped his head in through the doorway.
It clicked—this was the man from the premiere! Had they been dating then, too? Had she kept it from me, or had it been a fledgling thing?
“Amir, come in. I want you to meet Nikki.” Gram’s light tone and the way her lashes fluttered the instant he spoke introduced him long before she said, “Nikki, this is Amir Adel. He’s relatively new in town, like you.”
I extended a hand, and he took it with both of his weathered but soft, dark hands, warmly shaking in a way that might’ve been odd if he didn’t have such a genuine air. His graying hair was neatly styled, and thick eyebrows made his golden eyes look bright and open. He was at least half a foot taller than Gram and right around her age, give or take. He wore jeans and a plaid button-up shirt, brown shoes, and a matching belt.
“So lovely to meet you, Nikki. I believe I saw you at the premiere a while back. Rosie has told me so much about you.” He grinned, a charmer’s smile that made me return it.
“Nice to meet you and see you again, as well. I have to say Rosie’s been a bit stingy with details on you, but I’m hoping now that we’ve officially met, I’ll get to hear a bit more.”
One glance at the woman in question revealed bright cheeks and a muttering of something under her breath. In all my life, I didn’t ever remember seeing her blush like this, and it was likely the only thing that could’ve eased the shredded feeling in my chest.
Amir’s attention caught on Gram, too. “Well, I hope so. Maybe you can join us for dinner soon?”
“I’d love that, thank you.”
He nodded, then took a large step back. “Wonderful. I’ll give you two a moment, then. And Rosie, see you at dinner?”
Her gaze steadied on him and she nodded. We watched him exit, and I had to give him points for reading the room and not lingering to chitchat.
“He’s lovely, Gram.”
She huffed. “Isn’t he?”
The smile beaming from me at her consternation over this man came so naturally, it was a relief. I’d prepared myself to push through this afternoon, this goodbye, and then drown my sorrows in a two-thousand-piece puzzle and a tall glass of wine when I got home. I should work on my game, but I knew I wouldn’t have the gumption. Actually feeling free to smile was a relief.
I had to tell her what I’d planned, though. I didn’t want to bring down the lightness of my meeting her boyfriend, but I did need to get these words out. “I need you to know how much I appreciate you saving me again.”
She gasped, then waved away my words. “Don’t you say such a thing. I’ve—”
“You have to admit you saved me before. I don’t know what I would’ve done without the time with you. And even though I know going back to California was the right choice at the time, being here makes me wonder why I needed to leave.”
