Mistletoe and Mr. Right (Moose Springs, Alaska #2) - Sarah Morgenthaler Page 0,118
scraping the sides of his milkshake glass to get the last drops. “So this is where it all began. The Thelma to your Louise?”
“Absolutely. I could have lived here,” she told him. “I tried to. Zoey rode a bicycle home after her shifts, and I offered to give her a ride. She introduced me to her grandmother, and I fell in absolute love. I don’t think I left Mudgeton for a month.”
“Does her grandmother still live here?”
“Grandma Madge? Yes, she’s here.” Lana hesitated, then she bit her lower lip. “Would you like to meet her?”
Rick would. It was nearly eleven at night, but according to Lana, Madge was a night owl. She also informed him that she would be in big trouble if Madge found out Lana had been in town and hadn’t said hello. Calling up Madge was easy. Procuring her the last piece of apple pie from the greedy hands of the other diners was harder, but Lana managed it.
They drove down the street to a small single-family home, decorated with an eclectic collection of windchimes and ceramic gnomes in Harley clothes.
“Is Madge a biker granny?”
“Totally. Brace yourself,” she told Rick as they knocked on Zoey’s grandmother’s door. “And just agree with her. Madge won’t take no for an answer.”
An absolutely delighted elderly woman opened the door as if it were noon and they were completely expected. Zoey’s grandmother was as tiny as Zoey was and then some. Head to toe in Hogwarts-themed pajamas, Madge Caldwell hustled them inside, telling Rick he was handsome so vigorously that his cheeks burned by the time he was told to sit down at the kitchen table. She made a fuss over Lana like she was a long-lost granddaughter.
“Sweetie, just look at you,” Madge kept saying. “You’re so thin. I bet you haven’t eaten all year. Sit down, no no, sit. I’ll get you something to eat.”
Unlike Zoey, Madge wasn’t shy in the least.
“So tell me about my granddaughter. Zoey keeps sending me pictures of that man she met, and he’s certainly good-looking enough. But I worry about her up there all alone.”
“Zoey’s happy.” Lana took Madge’s age-spotted hand. “I’ve never seen her so happy. She and Graham are perfect for each other. And I promise, he’s not leaving her alone for a second. He’s smitten.”
“I looked him up online, you know. These fingers might be old, but they’re more than capable of finding dirt on a man who’s stolen my only granddaughter away from me.”
“Are you doing okay? Zoey worries about you too.”
“Nonsense. That child has lived with me for years, and it’s about time she went off and took something good for herself. I have plenty of company, and you know the local boys are always over here helping me out. If they knew you were here, the tires would already be squealing.”
Seeing Lana grin was even better than the thick slices of banana bread Madge kept putting on their plates. They ate until Madge was satisfied…long past the point of being stuffed. Lana told Madge about Killian and her family and about the party they’d abandoned. She told her about Moose Springs and the group’s investments and how she wasn’t getting along as well as she’d hoped.
“You’ve always been a loner, child, and not by choice. Sometimes the more you want to have a connection with someone, the harder it is to make it happen. The best thing to do is sit back and let the world bring your people to you. Isn’t it better to have one or two of the right ones instead of a hundred wrong ones?”
Lana glanced at Rick, worrying at her lower lip. Madge looked knowingly between them. “I think we are who we are, not who we planned on being.”
Then they were told that they absolutely must stay the night. There would be plenty of time to go back to Chicago in the morning.
“I made up Zoey’s bed for you, child.” Madge said. “Young man, you can have the couch.”
“I’d rather sleep on the couch if you don’t mind,” Lana said. “I have a lot of fond memories of that couch.”
“That couch has some questionable memories of you.” Madge patted her head. “I’ll get your quilt.”
“You have a quilt?” Rick asked Lana, chuckling.
“And a pillow. I’ve spent a lot of time in this house over the years.”
“Come on. You too,” Madge said to Rick, grabbing his arm and dragging him through the house. “I’ll get you some night clothes.”