Total pages in book: 136
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132951 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
“You try telling her that, sir.”
“Fuck, she’s stubborn.”
“Seems to be a family trait.” He clears his throat. “Madame Grace intimated that Ms. Reformer would be visiting this evening.”
“Yeah, that’s right.”
“Will she be taking public transit again, sir?”
I sigh and rub the back of my neck. “Probably, yeah.” In hindsight, I should have gone to the Watering Hole and stopped to pick her up on the way home.
“If there’s sufficient time, I could retrieve her, sir, if you’d like,” Cedrick offers.
“Yeah, actually that would be good.” I have no idea how long it takes to get here by bus, but a car would be far more comfortable. “Oh, and there’s a bakery close to the library called Just Desserts. Meems loves their lemon cake.” I didn’t have time to stop when I went to pick up her books last time. “Can you make sure Mildred comes in with you and chooses something for herself?” I start down the hall.
“What about you, sir?” Cedrick calls after me.
“Don’t worry about me, but bring back something for the staff.”
I find my grandmother in her reading room with Ethel and Norm, who are filling boxes as she directs them. She’s wearing a blue dress, with her hair and makeup done like she’s ready for Sunday Mass.
I cross my arms and lean against the jamb. “What are you doing?”
“Connor!” Her wide smile drops. “Where’s Dred?”
“Her name is Mildred.”
“She asked me to call her Dred, so that’s what I call her.”
“There’s nothing dreadful about her,” I mutter as I cross the room and fold her into my arms. She feels frailer, smaller. I wish her heart wasn’t struggling to keep up. “Can’t you manage this sitting down?”
She brushes me off. “I’m fine.”
“Your doctor would beg to differ.” She’s been sleeping more lately, fatiguing quickly.
“I’m not lifting anything. I’m just directing Ethel and Norm.”
I arch a brow. “So you’re micromanaging.”
Ethel coughs to hide her laugh.
“I’m overseeing.”
“You’re being an overlord. Sit down, please.” I guide her to her chair.
“Where is Dred?”
“She’s still at work for a little while.”
She frowns. “Well, why are you here, then?”
“To limit your overlording.” I’m sure the last thing Mildred wants is to be stuck in a car with me during rush-hour traffic. Cedrick is much more pleasant company.
Meems looks unimpressed.
“Cedrick is on his way to get her.”
“You will be the one to take her home,” she orders.
“Fine. Now please explain what this is all about.” I motion to the boxes stacked neatly by the door, then open the box of chocolate digestive cookies and arrange them on a plate, setting it on the table next to my grandmother. They’re forever a favorite of hers.
“I don’t need all this space,” she says.
I sit in the chair across from her. “You also don’t need to move out of all this space.”
“It’s too big for me. It’s exhausting just getting to the dining room.”
“We can move you to the main floor,” I suggest.
“The guesthouse is closest to the important rooms I use,” she argues. “Besides, you and Dred will need privacy.”
“Because twenty-plus-thousand square feet of space doesn’t provide enough of that? Besides, you can’t give me this house. It’s willed to my father,” I remind her.
“It’s mine to do with what I want, and I want you and Dred to have it. I’ve already changed the will, so arguing is a moot point.”
I grip the arm of the chair, caught somewhere between shock and validation. “Father will not be happy.”
Meems shrugs, unbothered. “He has his own mansion that he’s perfectly content living in.” She glances away before she continues, “And I won’t have him and Courtney moving in here and painting everything white, so it looks and feels like Antarctica.”
I snort. “Their house has about as much personality as dry toast.”
“That’s generous.” Her expression softens, and she reaches across to take my hand. “I’ve already gifted a house to your father, and to each of your sisters. It’s your turn. Everything you have right now, you’ve earned on your own.”
“My father would argue with that, considering he paid for my degree.”
“Your grandfather and I paid for your degree. Your father just likes to hold it over your head because he wants you to feel indebted. I want you to fill this house with the love it deserves, Connor.”
I feel like a giant piece of shit for lying to Meems, but this is the happiest she’s been in years. Her approval means everything, and I want to preserve it however I can. “If it will make you happy, Mildred and I will move in here.”
Currently I live in a penthouse apartment downtown, close to the arena. Moving here will mean more of a commute, but Meems is worth it. I just need Mildred to agree.
“More than you know.” She beams, and it feels like a kick in the balls and the best damn thing at the same time.