a lie, telling the truth is just conversation.”
~ Barbara-Jean Nelson
“Oh, oh there, park there.” Gam pointed to a spot at the far end of the lot. “Under the tree. In the shade!”
“Gam, are you sure?”
“Yes, it’s in the shade. The car will be nice and cool when we come out.”
It was a long way to walk to the entrance. “I can drop you off in the front and then go park.”
She waved her hand dismissively. “No, no, no. Someone will grab it. Go get it!”
I did as she asked because when Gam decided something there really wasn’t any point in arguing.
“I don’t know why you waste your money on a car that you don’t even own.”
“I told you, it was all they had for rent.” That wasn’t entirely true. They had this two door Mercedes and a four-door Nissan Sentra, I’d gone for the Mercedes. “And it’s not that expensive.”
“Well, maybe not today, but that’s how they get you. One day turns into two, turns into a week and you forget you have it. Then you’re so flustered when ya finally do return it that you forget to fill the gas tank and”—she snapped—“that’s how they get’cha.”
“I’m not going to forget I have it. And I plan on returning it with a full tank.”
“Well, mind you do,” she admonished as she pointed her finger at me.
I came around to help her out and noticed, once again, how frail she felt when I supported her arm so she could stand up.
“Are you still taking your classes?”
She’d told me that she and her friends took fitness classes and walked, I was wondering if she might be burning more calories than she was eating.
“Oh yes, we have aquarobics on Mondays, yoga Tuesday and Thursdays, Jazzercise on Wednesdays and power-walking on Fridays.”
“Well, maybe you should think about—”
“Holden! Holden!” Gam started shouting and I didn’t get to finish my thought.
I looked up and saw a tall, good looking man across the parking lot lift his hand to shield his eyes from the sun and look our direction.
“Holden, come here!” She waved her arm wildly. “I want you to meet someone!”
He started walking toward us and I noticed he was limping and had a cane. “Is he okay?”
“Of course, he is.” Gam’s face scrunched like she didn’t know what I was talking about.
We started toward him and met him halfway in the middle of the parking lot. Gam was beaming with pride as she made introductions. “Holden Reed, this is Sasha Nelson, you might know her as Alexis Moon.”
I tried my best not to reveal my inner cringe. Gam loved to introduce me that way. It had always embarrassed me because most people had no clue what Sunset Bay was and everyone else already knew who I was. I was pretty sure that Holden fell into the “had no clue” category since he didn’t appear to be in the demographic of our viewership.
I forced myself to smile, even though it was the very last thing I wanted to do. I pulled on my acting training and pretended that I was just playing a role. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“You, too.” Holden looked like he wanted to be anywhere but standing there speaking to us. He was doing his best to be polite but I could see that he was plotting his escape. “It was so nice to meet you, I was actually just—”
Gam grabbed his arm, attaching herself to prevent his escape. “Holden is a huge fan of Sunset Bay, aren’t you, Holden?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Really?” I would not have called that. He looked rough and tumble. I’d have never pegged him for a daytime soap opera viewer.
“Holden used to be a bull rider, a real-life cowboy, but then he got hurt. They didn’t think he was going to walk again. He had three surgeries and it was touch and go there for a little bit. He moved back to Wishing Well a few months ago and started taking my restorative yoga class. He’s still recovering, and he doesn’t miss a day of Sunset Bay, isn’t that right Holden?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
I wanted to apologize for my Gam revealing his entire life story to me, but the damage was already done.
“In fact!” Gam’s hands flew up in excitement. “He even has theories. He knew Xander was the baby’s dad two weeks before it was revealed!”
“Oh.” I felt bad for Holden but appreciated him humoring Gam. She could be a lot and had a tendency to overshare. I’d had to stop