she polished off her cookie.
Hadley took a seat next to Gran’s bed on the opposite side of her mom. She noticed an old copy of Sonnets from the Portuguese on the bedcovers. Cracked open, of course, to Sonnet 43, “How Do I Love Thee?”
“You’re doing the Elizabeth Barrett Browning class again?” Hadley shouldn’t have been surprised that her mom was working. Her dad was already furiously tapping on his phone and answering business calls in the corner.
Gran knew as well as Hadley that overachieving ran in the Wells family—as an only child, Hadley had practically had Achieve or Die tattooed onto her forehead.
Her mom smiled. “Just reading it for fun. Such a beautiful poem.”
For fun? Hadley skimmed through the well-known poem. “Do you really believe all that lofty Victorian sentiment about love lasting beyond death?”
“And growing stronger with time. Yes, I do.” She smiled at Hadley’s dad, who looked up from his phone and winked.
Maybe for Elizabeth and Robert Browning. And maybe for her parents. But Hadley was beginning to think it would never happen for her.
“Hadley, did you stop by the realty office by any chance?” her dad asked. “I wanted to get Carol’s input on the asking price for your building, Maddy.”
“Not yet, Dad,” Hadley said levelly. She’d conveniently forgotten her dad’s request. But first she had to make certain that this was what Gran wanted. Not her mom and dad. Not even Hadley herself. But her grandmother, free of any well-meaning coercion.
Her dad typed a reminder into his phone. “We need to get on with selling the business.”
“Mom’s only on post-op day one, Stephen,” Hadley’s mom said. “Let’s give her a little break, okay?”
“Thank you, Liz,” her grandmother said. “But I’m fine. And I can speak for myself, thank you very much. The truth is, I’m just not sure what I want.”
Hadley’s mom touched Gran’s arm. “You broke your hip running after a dog. It just wouldn’t be safe to go back to work.”
“I’m just thinking that it might be nice not to have to chase after crazy little dogs anymore,” her dad said. “Maybe it’s time for a new phase in life, you know?”
Her grandmother fretted with the cardboard hospital menu in front of her, a sure sign of nerves. And she’d barely touched her food. “I’m not certain what I’m going to do. I’m just exploring options.”
Her grandmother was sharp as a tack, and usually just as feisty. But this surgery had sucked the wind out of her sails. Hadley was determined to help her get it back. And the burning question remained in Hadley’s mind, Why Cam? Why, why, why?
“We just want you to be aware of all your choices, Mom. No stress.” Her mom exchanged a worried glance with her dad, who then checked his watch.
“I’ve got to run to a meeting.” He kissed Gran on the cheek before taking her hand. “I don’t want you to worry about a thing.”
“That’s kind of you, Stephen,” Gran said.
Her mom stood and gave Hadley’s grandmother a kiss too. “I’ve got a conference call with a student about her dissertation. I’ll be back later with my iPad so we can watch Netflix.”
Her grandmother smiled. “Well, okay. But only if you go home to sleep in your own bed afterward.”
Once Hadley’s parents had left, Kit jumped off the windowsill. “I’ve got to get back to work. I’m glad you’re doing okay, Mrs. Edwards. Next time I’ll bring Ollie, if that’s okay. He’s asked if he can make you some cupcakes.”
“Thank you, Kit.” Gran winked. “Be sure to tell him I like chocolate.”
“Will do.” Kit gave a little salute.
Kit hugged Hadley quickly. “Darla and I were thinking maybe lunch at Mussels on Saturday, then head over to her place. Still sound good?”
Hadley gave a quick thumbs-up as Kit disappeared out the door.
Then she walked over and sat down on the vinyl chair, aka her bed from last night. Her grandmother was now sucking down her shake and playing Words with Friends on her iPad, both of which reassured Hadley that she was on the mend.
“Does it hurt?” Hadley asked. “Your hip?”
Her grandmother set down the shake with a satisfied sigh. “Honestly, this is the best thing that’s happened to me all day. Besides seeing you.” She squeezed Hadley’s hand. “And the answer to your question is yes, it hurts a little. But nothing compared to how it was before surgery. Honestly, I’m ready to do whatever it takes to mend. I promised Paul I’d be ready for salsa