“Well, when things lighten up a little, I’m going to go for a few days. I’ll listen to her tell me what she’s worried about, look at her inventory and talk to her lawyers, who I actually already know. I lived in that house for thirteen years. Then she can lock up the house. I’m trying to find her something up here so I can see her often. When it’s all over and done, I can go back, take a couple of things to remember her and have her lawyers arrange an estate sale.”
“Wow,” Iris said. “The difference between rich and poor. Garage sale versus estate sale. You don’t want to live in that house?”
“And do what?”
“I don’t know. Have a kitchen and a large bathroom?” She rolled her eyes upward, indicating the loft.
At that moment, Troy came in the back door. His hair was errant from sleep and he wore a set of sweats that had somehow found a home in Grace’s loft. Hands in his pockets, he shuffled in wearing his docksiders and no socks. He nodded at Iris and went straight to Grace, kissing her cheek.
“I’d rather have this,” Grace said, putting her arms around his waist.
* * *
Iris, Troy and Grace had a completely unplanned and very productive brainstorming session and it was Iris who provided a solution, if Winnie would go along with it. “Go now,” she said. “Go now, while I’m on spring break. Take a few days. Make sure you leave me with your flower orders. Knowing you, you have everything you need for Peyton and Scott’s wedding written down somewhere so I can place the order. If your new assistant is good, she’ll be available to open the shop next week if you’re still gone. If not,” she said with a shrug, “I’ll post a sign. Closed For Family Business. Leave me your work cell and I’ll fill phone orders after school.”
“I can help,” Troy said.
Grace bit her lip. “I was kind of hoping you’d come with me,” she said.
“Me? I don’t want to get in the way.”
“Even if it’s just for a couple of days...”
“You should, Troy,” Iris agreed. “All this—Grace’s mother, the business of Grace dealing with her will and property—this could affect you.”
“She’s right, Troy. If you can. If you don’t want to, I understand. I know my mother can be hard to take.”
“Winnie doesn’t get to me like she gets to you,” he said. “But you better open this discussion about her relocation right away. She doesn’t strike me as the kind of woman who gives in to someone else’s ideas easily. And moving out of her home when she’s sick and feeling vulnerable—that might be too much to ask of her.”
“Moving is hard, but Winnie won’t have to actually do any moving. She’s been directing traffic her whole life. She’ll have other people do it all. She’ll board a plane. Her assistant will handle everything from the luggage to the flight. She’s the gatekeeper of the records and BlackBerry. When I was young, before I left Mother’s house, there was a different assistant in charge and my mother showed me a cataloged inventory of her possessions that was as thick as a big-city phone book.”
“Must be nice,” Iris said.
“It’s how she chooses to live, the same way her parents lived. It’s not that it’s easy—a lot of energy goes into everything she does. And she does good things. She’s a socialite—she’s raised millions for charities. But she can’t drive a car. I prefer a different kind of life, a much lighter load. I don’t want my life to be that complicated.” She thought for a second. “This could work except for one thing—the Lacoumette-Grant wedding. I have to be back for that. I want to be back for that wedding. It’s a big job but I really want to see a Basque wedding in a pear grove! It could be so good for my résumé!”
“Grace, you have a week. And I can keep the shop open for you on that weekend, if you want me to. We’re not going. Half the town is going and my deputy is going to guard the town,” Iris said.
Grace sank onto the stool at her worktable. “Do you think there’s any chance Winnie will go for this idea?”
“What’s the alternative?” Iris asked.
“I guess I could fly down to San Francisco a lot.”
Seventeen
Ginger started her day at eight that morning and at five she went back to Ray Anne’s. To her surprise, Ray Anne was there as if waiting for her. She was sitting on the sofa with her laptop open. Ray Anne had stopped by the flower shop in the afternoon to talk with Grace, but Ginger was too busy to say more than a quick hello. She suspected Ray was watching her, making sure she wasn’t going to pieces or running to hide.
“How was your day?” Ray Anne asked.
“Oh, God, it was unbelievable!” Tears suddenly ran down Ginger’s cheeks. “The second I walked in, Grace and her friend Iris explained all the complications of the week and how important it was that I get the feel of the shop because they were desperate for help. Iris’s mother used to own that shop and Iris started showing me how to make centerpieces and bouquets. She had me watching videos of floral construction right away. Then she helped me do my own—following a picture—and my first two weren’t so good, but my third was pretty good and she could fix them. A shipment of flowers came in the afternoon. And Grace’s mother and some man came to see her. I had to constantly clean up, run the register, take orders—but I could never get them right the first time so I needed help. I had so much trouble pricing them at first.” She sniffed. “Grace’s boyfriend brought us lunch that we had to eat in shifts. Iris’s husband stopped by three times to see if she needed anything, and Peyton who’s marrying the doctor came to check in with Grace about her wedding up near Portland on her family’s farm, and I had to learn to write up flower purchase orders, and I think I swept that shop floor more than I’ve ever swept in my life.”
“Oh, honey,” Ray Anne said sympathetically. “Was it just horrible?”
“Huh?” she said, and grabbed a tissue to blow her nose. “It was wonderful!”
“Wonderful?” Ray Anne asked carefully.
“It’s just a little flower shop but it felt like the hub of a big city! I guess word has gotten out that Grace’s mother is sick, but she didn’t look very sick. She’s beautiful and is being chauffeured around with some Russian man who is her escort or something. But people were dropping in all day to check on Grace, ask if there’s any way they can help, offering anything she might need and they were so nice to me!” And then she broke down and sobbed into her tissue.
Ray Anne moved closer to Ginger. She put a hand on her back. “Is this normal? To be sobbing because it went well?”
“I don’t know,” Ginger murmured. She blew her nose again. “Now that I’m home and sitting down, I’m exhausted. And I want my baby, Ray! I want my baby so much.”
“Oh, angel.”
“But I only thought about him a couple of times today because I was so busy. Maybe it was a few times, but I didn’t dwell. I usually think about him from the second my eyes open till I close them again at night.”
“I know it seems like such a little thing, but sometimes being busy helps us persevere. Especially if the work feels meaningful. Did it feel meaningful?”
“To the people who chose flowers for special occasions, it means the world to them. Thankfully we didn’t make up any funeral flowers. Grace told me if I wanted to go to the wedding to help her, she’d be so happy. And I can visit my parents. I can spend a night with them.”
“Do you want to do that, Ginger?” Ray Anne asked her.
Ginger grabbed Ray Anne and hugged her hard, crying on her shoulder while Ray Anne stroked her back.
“Will you do me a favor, Ray?”
“If I can,” she said.
“Will you call my mom and ask her to take down the crib? And put away some of those baby things?”
Ray Anne held her away, looking at her in shock. “Ginger, have you had the crib and all those baby thin
gs sitting out all this time? For nine months?”
She nodded and wiped her eyes. “I couldn’t let go. I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to get rid of everything. But I’m afraid if I go to my folks, even for one night, with all his little stuff sitting around like it’s ready for him to come back and use it, I’ll just spiral downward. I’m afraid I’ll crawl right back into the bed and stay there forever.”
“Listen to me,” Ray Anne said. “You will have bad days. You will get emotional and sad and long for little Josh. And you’ll get through it and move on to the next hour, the next day, the next week. And if I hear you’re in bed and can’t get up, I will drive up there and get you.” She gave her hair a stroke. “Don’t make me do that. I’m very busy right now.”
“I have to get a grip,” Ginger said, sniffing. “I think maybe I need a shower. And on Sunday I’m going to run over to Target and get some nice clothes that aren’t so expensive for work. I just couldn’t make myself change into those baggy old jeans.”
“That’s my girl.”
“I think I fell apart a little bit.”
“Ya think?” Ray Anne asked. She gave her a fond pat on the shoulder. “I think I better have a glass of wine. You take a shower.”
* * *
Troy and Grace were on their way to Bandon to have dinner with Winnie and Mikhail. They were both extremely quiet for the first fifteen minutes. Then Grace reached for his hand and gave it a squeeze. “I know you didn’t sign on for this. I really appreciate all your support, but I know how stressful and crazy it is. When you’ve had enough...I understand. It’s too much to ask of anyone.”
He squeezed back. “I’m not going to bail out on you in the middle of this.”
“We were just dating, seeing where it would go, then the world seemed to explode. Listen, I can do this. I can. I can go with my mother for a few days, get things a little organized, plan how it will go after her... Enough for her to have some peace of mind. Hopefully Ray Anne will find a suitable house and—”
“And if Winnie rejects that idea?” he asked.
“Then I guess I’ll be making some trips to San Francisco to visit her, but my life is here. I’m not moving. Not even for six months. The only way we’ll live near each other is if she’s willing to move here.”
“She said you have a trust from your father. Are you actually rich?”
“Nah. I have enough to ensure I won’t be homeless or hungry. I could’ve spent it in one weekend, but I’ve taken very good care of it.”
“Could you live off it?”
“The way I live? In one room? For a few years. But I love working. Listen, I’m never going to live the way Winnie lives. Do you think I’m just saying that? That’s one of the two main reasons we barely spoke for five years. I wouldn’t compete anymore and I wouldn’t come home to step into that life.”
“Was it hard?”
“I gave it a lot of thought. I’m not the first person to disagree with her parents or to reject their lifestyle for my own choice. But what was hard was disappointing my mother, letting her down like that. It made her so angry. I might have made a different decision had I known she only had five years. But as Mikhail would say, die is cast! I’m sorry this has landed on your shoulders.”
“Just do what you have to do and when I can help, I will.”
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “This isn’t what I envision my life to be—one crisis after another.”
“Gracie, sometimes that’s how it is. We can’t plan everything.”
“I try. I really try. I like to stay ahead of things, but this...jeez, it’s insane, that’s what it is.”
Winnie had chosen the same restaurant Troy had met her in last Sunday evening. This time when he approached the maître d’ he was expected. Mikhail stood when they approached the table. He grabbed Grace’s face and kissed her on each cheek in his way. Then they sat and ordered drinks while looking at the menu.
“Your flower shop is very cute, Grace,” Winnie said. “You must be proud of it.”
“Is perfect!” Mikhail said loudly.
Grace looked over the top of her menu. “All right, who are you and what have you done with my mother?”
“If I understood you, it’s exactly what you want. Yes?”
“Yes,” Grace said. “Why are you being so nice to me?”
Troy grabbed her hand. “Gracie, let your mother be nice.”
“Right. Thank you. Troy says we’re button-pushing maniacs.”
“He would be correct,” Mikhail said sharply. “Where is waiter? We should toast something. I don’t know what, but something. We are together. Is good enough.”
“I have an idea, Mother. Why don’t I go to San Francisco with you for a few days. You can tell me all the things you’re concerned about. We can make decisions about how you want things to be handled, and you can give me the names of agents and lawyers if you feel like it. Then I’ll come home. I already have someone looking for a house for you in Coos County so we can be closer to each other.”
“What?”
“I asked a Realtor to look for something nicer than the cottage you’re staying in here at the resort, one level with a full kitchen, and I asked for an ocean view. The ocean is beautiful in summer. It’s beautiful all year, but we have six months of mild weather ahead. I’ll be nearby and can see you all the time.”
“What about my house? My things?”
“We’ll have Virginia and the housekeeper pack and ship what you want with you. I think I can find a place and have it ready quickly. Let’s close up the house. I’ll deal with it later. With your instructions and Virginia’s help, I’ll take care of everything, down to the last crystal ashtray. Right now, I want you nearby. I want to spend more time with you if possible.”
“Then come to San Francisco!”
She calmly shook her head. “I don’t live there. In fact, with all the traveling you do, you don’t even spend six months a year there. I’m willing to do anything you say—dictate your instructions to whomever you like. If I know you, you’ve already done so. If you don’t like this idea then I’ll visit you as often as I can. But I’m not going to move to San Francisco. My home is here. But I can move you. I can find you a lovely place and excellent home care professionals if that becomes necessary.”
“Is excellent notion!” Mikhail bellowed. “We will toast it.”
Heads turned in the restaurant.
“Excellent notion?” Winnie said. “Leave my home for a strange place during the last months of my life? How is this excellent?”
Grace reached for her hand. “Because I don’t think I can keep you comfortable in that big drafty urban mini-mansion. It’s full of stairs, even in your bedroom and bath. The kitchen is a mile from the master bedroom and when you need assistance with things like getting around, bathing, eating...believe me, you’re going to want a little less space and no stairs. Remember that little house you rented in Cabo? One story, nice accessible patio, view of the sea from the window? Hardly a prison, Mama. But I think you’ll be miserable stuck in an upstairs bedroom in San Francisco, tended by servants.”
She sensed rather than saw Troy’s head turn to look at her.
“I don’t know...”
“Mama, I want you to be comfortable. I want to be around to be sure...”
“Do you even know anything about this condition?”
“Oh, yes,” she said. “I’ve been up till all hours reading about it every night. I talked to our local doctor about what you might need and if it would all be readily available.” She got a little teary. “I think this can work,” she said softly.
“Is excellent notion!” Mikhail bellowed again. The drinks arrived right as he shouted. “We go at once! This can happen.”
“Don’t you have a team to coach?” Grace asked. br />
“I have family emergency. Excuse me—I will have lovely Virginia make arrangements,” he said, standing.
“I’d like Troy to come, if that’s all right.”
“Certainly,” Winnie said, leaning her head into her hand. “But, Izzy...Grace, I meant Grace, we’ll be busy with family matters.”
“No problem,” Mikhail said. “I will teach him poker.”
“I know poker,” Troy said.
“Ha. You think you know poker. Is too early to tell!”
* * *
Before dinner was over, Virginia had flight arrangements for all of them. They were to meet at the regional airport in North Bend for a two-o’clock departure the next afternoon.
Troy took Grace home and stayed the night. He was holding her after loving her. “Are you sure, Troy? You feel okay about going with me? Even though you’ll miss a couple of days of work?”
He stroked her hair away from her eyes. “I don’t know how we can go forward until you try to fix this thing with your mother. She’s not easy, I can see that. But she’s your family. And I think if you and your mother’s roles were reversed, she’d be there for you. As best she could. And maybe not in the exact way you want her to be—just like you—but she’d do her best.”
“Probably...”
“And if you were relying on her, you’d go to her.”
“Probably.”
“I get real put out with my family sometimes. We have our issues, our fights and standoffs. Then we pull it together. My folks are in their early sixties now, thinking about retirement, and I can’t even imagine losing them.” He gave her a little kiss on her temple. “When we get through some of this craziness, I want you to meet them.”
“I bet they’re very nice people.”