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Hope’s hair is up, but curls frame her face, drawing attention to her eyes. Like they weren’t already impossible to miss. The blue turtleneck she wears makes them look even brighter. The same blue as the lake is in Fall—a dark turquoise that hints of nights by the fire with a hot drink.
If she sees me, she doesn’t give any indication. I don’t mind. I like watching her laugh and smile at what must be Uncle Pete’s terrible dad jokes. His chest puffs up when Hope puts her hand on his arm, and I haven’t seen him this happy since Aunt Heidi got sick.
Charly tugs on Hope’s hand, clearly not as entertained by Uncle Pete’s jokes. Then she spots me and calls, “Sebby!” and breaks away from Hope.
She runs for me, and I feel this weird surge of joy at the thought she’s happy to see me. I even wonder if she’s going to give me a hug.
I take my arm from Grandma and bend down. “Hi Charly!”
But she stops when I hold out my arms, scrunching her little eyes and nose into an unhappy face.
“Where Unkuhrad?”
I drop my arms and hope no one saw me get rejected by a three-year-old. “Oh. I had to leave her home.” I smile and try a different tactic. “I didn’t want her to eat all the pie I—I mean, Miss Gia—made.”
“I don’t like pie.” She crosses her arms in a huff. “I want Unkuhrad.”
“And who’s this?” Grandma asks, while I stand, and Hope makes her way over.
“This is Charly and her mom Hope,” I say as Hope puts her arms over Charly’s shoulders. “Hope is Evie’s stepsister.”
“Oh!” Grandma clasps her hands over her chest. “Then I’m about to be your grandma! Step-grandma, but you can just call me Grandma.” She pulls Hope into a hug, then bends close to Charly. “And I’m going to be your great-grandma!”
Charly’s brow creases with confusion, but then Grandma reaches into her purse and pulls out a silver-wrapped piece of gum. “And that means, if it’s okay with your mom, I can give you this.”
With a nod from Hope, she hands the gum to Charly who lights up. With help from Grandma, Charly unwraps the gum and sticks it in her mouth, chewing loudly.
“Who are you?” Charly asks Grandma.
“You just call me Granny.” Grandma holds out her hand, and Charly takes it. “Let’s go take a look at the dessert table, shall we Miss Charly.”
They wander off, leaving me alone with Hope and a weird feeling of jealousy that Grandma won Charly over so quickly. What do her and Uncle Rad have that I don’t? I mean, besides gum and an adorable face?
Before I can ask Hope this question, I notice something on the dessert table.
“You brought the sample wedding cake?”
Not only did she bring it, but it is front and center on a white cake stand.
Hope nods. “The wedding couples need to try it. I don’t have any doubts they’ll like it, but I know Adam will be grumpy about not having a say in the cake if he doesn’t get one. He’s a chef.”
I raise my eyebrows. “This all sounds very suspicious. You’re not planning on telling everyone I made it, are you? Because my grandpa is here, and he won’t take it well.”
I nod toward the kitchen where Grandpa is lecturing Adam. Probably telling him a woman’s place is in the kitchen, not a man’s. I’ve heard him say it before.
Hope cranes her head to see who I’m talking about, then faces me. “He looks… nice.”
My head whips in Grandpa’s direction, and I wonder if she sees the same person I do. “I guess if you consider a buzzcut and former tight-end bellynice.”
But then the front door opens, and Britta and Bear walk in behind Heidi who’s pushing her own wheelchair. On her good days, no one can keep her in the chair because she feels good enough to walk and doesn’t understand it’s for her.
Both Grandpa Sparks and Uncle Pete make a beeline for them, but Grandpa gets there first. He glares Pete away before wrapping Aunt Heidi in a tight hug.
Even though we’re too far away to hear, I know exactly what he’s saying to her.How’s my little girl?
That’s what he’s always called her—my little girl—for as long as I can remember. So, he’s probably called her that since she was born. And he and Uncle Pete have fought to be the man she loves best since she married Pete, according to Mom.
The amazing thing is, when Grandpa steps out of their hug, Aunt Heidi seems to step back into time. There’s no confusion in her eyes like there usually is, and she takes Grandpa’s hand as though she’s exactly what he called her: his little girl.
