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She pushed the door fully open and moved out of the way. Nolan stepped inside, and she led the way to the kitchen. If he was here, she might as well offer him a drink. It was the right thing to do.
In the kitchen, Nolan sat in the chair she had just picked up after knocking it over, and she went to the cabinets. “Drink?” she asked. “I have beer, wine, iced tea.”
“Iced tea would be good.”
She nodded and reached into the fridge for the pitcher of iced tea she made this morning. “You said you were going to apologize.”
“I’m sorry I yelled at you, but you have to understand my point of view.”
“I know and I’m sorry, too. You were sleepwalking and had no idea what had happened.”
She moved to the cabinet and grabbed two glasses. The glass in her right hand clinked theWorld’s Best Grandmamug, and the world went to slow motion. Isla dropped the glass in her hand, and it shattered on the counter. She didn’t care about that glass. She thrust her arm forward, but she wasn’t fast enough. The mug hit the counter with a resounding crack that reverberated through her heart.
She gasped as the mug came to a rolling stop. The handle broke in three, a chip in the top, and a jagged battle scar ran right down the center ofGrandma.
Nolan jumped up from the table. But she just stood there, mouth open, eyes fixated on the shattered remains. “Oh God,” she finally managed. A sob broke through her words, and a tear slipped down her cheek.
Her lip quivered, and she took a deep breath, trying to keep the rest of the waterworks at bay. Out of all the things in the house that she could have broken, why did it have to be the mug?
She looked up as if Grandma was there to give her an answer. She wasn’t. But she didn’t need to be. In a strange way, Isla felt like the mug breaking was Grandma giving her the push she needed.
“I can fix it.” Nolan gathered the mug and handle in his hand. “Nothing a little Krazy Glue can’t fix.”
“No.” Isla rested her hand on his and blinked up. Another stray tear fell down her cheek. “It’s time.” She took the pieces from his hand and walked over to the garbage pail. She closed her eyes, burning the image of the mug to her memory, and when she opened her eyes, she dropped the mug into the trash.
“Are you sure?” Nolan asked. “It’s totally fixable.”
“You’re going to think I sound crazy.”
“When do I ever think you’re crazy?”
She smiled. No matter how many outlandish things came out of her mouth, he always listened. “I feel like my grandma broke the mug.”
His eyebrows pinched together. “I watched you hit it.”
“I know that, but I’ve had an entire week to start getting rid of stuff; it’s why I haven’t been at work. My parents thought I’d be able to make a huge dent in a week, but I go back to work tomorrow, and other than fixing a pipe I had no choice to fix, I’ve done nothing. I feel like this was my grandma nudging me and letting me know it’s time to unpack fifty years of her life and sort through the memories. I’m ready.”
“That’s not crazy. I can totally picture your grandma finding a way to kick your butt into motion.”
Isla laughed, and the tears that had fallen already dried up.
“Why don’t I clean up this mess while you get another glass and pour us that iced tea you promised? Then we can start by tackling this cabinet.”
“Really? You want to help me?”
“It’s the least I can do after this morning.”
“I told you it wasn’t entirely your fault.”
“I know, but Tom threatened to fight me again if I’m not nice to you so…” He shrugged, and a giggle slipped from her mouth.
“I love him so much.”
“Well, he hates me.”
“He’ll come around.” The look on Nolan’s face said he didn’t believe her. “Just don’t give him a reason to want to fight you.”
He brushed the rest of the glass into the garbage and met her eyes. “I won’t.”
