Not the Rebound Guy by Abby Knox (popular books of all time .txt) 📗

a creek without a fence. I can go to the movies whenever I want. I can walk freely around my town. If I have another stroke, I’ll push a little life alert button, and someone will come to help me. If they can’t help me, then I guess I’ll die. I can’t ask for a better life than that, except one with the acceptance of my own daughter.”

Mom bites her bottom lip, much in the same way as I do when I’m emotional. “You don’t need me to take care of you.”

“No. I do need you. I need you to come to pick me up and take me shopping on your days off.”

Mom’s shoulders droop. “I hate shopping.”

“I know! But I’m telling you this is how you can take care of me, do you get that?”

Finally, something clicks. My mom’s face changes, and it’s all I can do to keep my eyes on the road. Fortunately, there’s a restaurant up ahead where we can catch some lunch, so I pull in there and park.

Mom is actually listening. “It’s not the way I would prefer it.”

“I know that.” Grams glances outside at the restaurant and says, “Let’s go hash this out over some burgers.”

“Salad for you, young lady,” I say, catching my Grams’ eye in the rearview mirror.

I glance over at mom, who shoots me a hint of approval for the first time in I don’t know when.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Garrett

The last jar pops just as the ladies return. The kitchen is crowded with four people, but Karen looks around, her mouth agape.

“You did all this while we were gone?”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Garrett! How much did you get done?”

“All finished. And except for that batch right there, everything is crated and ready to be delivered.”

Eliza opens her planner and checks the date. “We’re three days ahead of schedule!”

She throws her arms around me and squeezes me tight.

“You seem happy,” I say with a chuckle.

“I can’t believe you did all this while we were gone!”

“Well, turns out my kitchen is finally finished, so between the two stoves, and with the outdoor burners, it wasn’t that difficult.”

“Oh my god, I love you.”

She kisses me flat on the mouth, and it’s a PG-13 kiss that makes me blush because I know Grams and Karen are watching us. Still, I can’t help but keep her there, plastered against me in my arms. “I love you too, Eliza.”

Grams taps Karen with her cane. “You still think he’s some kind of creep? I don’t think I’ve ever met a creep who works this hard for it.”

“Gross, Grams.”

Karen presses her palms together and brings her fingers to her lips as she thinks. “All right. Here’s my thought. I admit I was wrong about you, Garrett. And Eliza, I’m sorry for not believing in you. I’m going to pay you in full for services rendered, and I’m sorry I got angry and never paid you. But concerning your grandmother, you have to understand that I only want what’s best for my family, what’s left of it.”

“Thank you, Mom. And I’m sorry too. I’m sorry, I assumed your motives were all about control. And I’m sorry I was too pushy when you hired me. It was early days, and I hadn’t evolved in the way I was handling my clients. I’m a lot more flexible now, so if you want to try again and let me help you, I’d be happy to do it. Free of charge.”

Karen smiles. It’s not the warmest mother-daughter moment, but it’s probably the most cuddly that Karen will ever get, based on everything I’ve seen. “I’m not going to let you work for free anymore; I think we both know that.”

Chapter Twenty-Three

Eliza

The welcome home party for Grams is too much stimulation, according to my mother.

All Grams’ Bunco friends, senior center friends, indeed the whole town, have come out to celebrate her coming home from rehab.

A sound system and a bandstand have been set up in the gazebo, and the trees have been hung with party lights. There’s music, food, dancing. Grams talks Garrett into singing his songs that he wrote for me, and I spend half of his set in tears. Everything is perfectly imperfect, just the way I like it and just the way Grams likes it.

When word got around—thank you, diner placemats—that Grams had had a stroke and was expected home from rehab any day soon, people began to contact me: people I hadn’t spoken to since childhood and people I didn’t know.

“I can’t believe all this,” I say.

“Everyone loves your grandmother. I’d be surprised if it wasn’t like this,” Garrett says.

The whole vibe is festive and yet also romantic. If I’m not mistaken, my mom might actually be a little drunk, and flirting with Otto from the diner.

Garrett puts his arm around me and hugs me tight. “Looks like she’s gonna get lucky.”

“Sir!”

“What? Everyone needs a Little woman to get lucky with.”

“Well, I hope she’s planning on going to his place, because the Berry Cottage is full,” I say.

“Is that what we’re calling it?”

I look up at him and notice the wink. “I think it has a nice ring to it.”

Garrett and I are dancing to a sweet love song while Grams is off to the side, chatting with an older man I vaguely recognize as someone she used to work with at the high school.

“I think Grams might be having her own little thing tonight too,” Garrett says.

Sure enough, she waves me over to have a chat.

“Honey,” she says, “I might be having a guest overnight tonight, so do you think you two could, you know, be cool about it?”

Garrett might have to hold me upright as I watch in horror as Grams and her new beau disappear into the house.

“Oh my god, what is happening?”

Garret just laughs. “I think Grams has a boyfriend.”

I shake my head. “Guess we’re both sleeping on the porch tonight, ‘cause she’s gonna hang a sock on the doorknob.”

“Nah, we can just go to my place.”

“What?”

“Oh, didn’t I