Call Her Mine (Harmony Pointe #1)- Melissa Foster Page 0,75

long embrace. She hadn’t realized she’d been living on partial breaths, rushing from one thing to the next, for weeks, probably for the better part of a year. But her grandmother’s warmth had always centered her. Even in the craziest of times, during finals week in college or when she was making the decision to move from the city to Sweetwater, a simple hug, a phone conversation, or one of her grandmother’s beloved handwritten letters would make everything clearer.

“Come inside, my lovelies,” Flossie said. “I’ve just made a feast!”

As they followed her in, Aurelia’s heart filled up as she took in the aromas coming from the kitchen. She’d know the scent of her grandmother’s bourekas and meatballs anywhere.

“Grandma, you didn’t have to go to all this trouble,” Aurelia said.

Flossie waved dismissively. “Thank goodness I did. Remi needs a good meal before she blows away with the wind.” She wrapped her hand around Remi’s arm and said, “You are going to eat today, aren’t you?”

“Absolutely,” Remi said. “After the last few weeks, I deserve a home-cooked meal.”

“Good girl,” Flossie said.

Aurelia looked over the living room. When her grandfather had passed away, she’d wondered if she’d feel his absence in a smaller way over time, but he was everywhere. His smiling face was proudly displayed in elegant frames on the surface of nearly every piece of furniture, which they’d moved from their home in Sweetwater where Aurelia had grown up. Even the furniture held warm memories. She’d broken the iron-and-glass curio cabinet when, at nine years old, she’d tried to do a cartwheel in the living room. After cleaning up the mess, her grandfather had coaxed her into trying again until she got it right. The intricately carved end tables that had always been piled high with books now held books and photographs. Even the windowsill overlooking the gardens below displayed pictures of her grandfather, of Aurelia’s mother, Abigail, and of Aurelia and a number of her friends. The same blue-tufted sofa where Aurelia had lain when she had the flu as a little girl boasted multicolored pillows, anchoring the cozy room beneath an enormous colorful abstract painting of a wild horse running through water. Its mane and tail flowed behind it, and its powerful body was angled as if leaning into a sharp turn. Her grandmother had always likened the wild horse to Aurelia’s mother. Abby was my free-spirited girl.

“It smells wonderful,” Remi said as they followed Flossie into the kitchen. She towered over Flossie.

Flossie took Remi’s hand and said, “I’ve made bourekas, meatballs with tahini and tomatoes, and chicken soup.”

“What’s a boureka?” Remi asked.

“Only the world’s best comfort food. They’re buttery, crisp dough stuffed with any number of delicious fillings,” Aurelia said. “Grandma, did you make strawberry-and-cheese bourekas?”

“Bubbelah, what do you think? I made spinach and cheese and strawberry and cheese. And yes, I made enough for you to take some home.” She began ladling soup into bowls. “Why don’t you girls carry the rest of the food to the table, and then we’ll catch up. I want to hear all about Chapter One. And, Remi, what brings you to the East Coast? A man, perhaps?”

“I’m trying to escape the men in my life,” Remi said as she carried a dish of meatballs in a creamy sauce to the table. Each meatball had half of a cherry tomato and a sprig of parsley on top. She set the dish beside the platter of bourekas Aurelia had just set down.

“She’s got an unwanted admirer, Grandma,” Aurelia explained as she set out silverware and drinks and Remi carried the soup bowls to the table.

“A stalker?” Flossie’s silver brows shot up in surprise above her gray-green eyes. “Goodness, Remi. What does Aiden have to say about all this?”

As they took their places at the table, Remi said, “If he had his way, he’d keep me under lock and key every second of the day.”

Flossie’s shoulders sank, and her lips pursed. “Remi, bubbelah, did you run away again?”

“It’s not like I do it all the time.” She dished meatballs onto her plate. “Just when I feel like I want to scratch my eyes out.”

“Aiden loves you, sweetheart. He’s been your protector since you were twelve. That’s a long time for a brother to watch over his sister. And he’s helped you grow a magnificent career,” Flossie reminded her.

“I know. And I love him for all of that,” Remi said. “But is it wrong that sometimes I just want to be a twentysomething girl who