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Though Sara had brightened the place with colorful pillows and a few nice paintings of flowers, it still spoke of loneliness, as if the woman didn’t have a real home without her boy nearby.
She watched Dex look around too and wondered if he saw the same as she did… a woman with no one. She hoped Sara would find another family who’d need her as much as Max and Doreen had. After all, when one looked at the bond between the middle-aged sweetheart and Dillon, no one could say she’d failed at being a good nanny… the best, if Dillon’s affections were any indication.
Soon, Jasmin was helping Dex into the elevator and to the car parked in the lot next door. “I meant to ask before. What did Margot say when you called her?”
“Not a lot. In fact, she said she might be out when we got there, but she’d leave his things by the front door.”
“Seriously? He had so little,” she questioned, not able to hide her shock. “I would have thought by the way you talked of your family, that Dillon would have had scads of belongings, certainly more than one could leave by the door.”
“Oh, he does. But Margot refused to – using finger quotes, and a whiny, croaky voice, he added –tomess up my house.We weren’t allowed to bring Dillon a lot of his things, just clothes and essentials. I stored the rest at my place.”
“You know what? I really hope she isn’t there or I’ll be tempted to give that silly old woman a piece of my mind, treating her owngrandson so horribly. Serves her right if she dies alone with no one to care. She’s choosing that end by behaving so awful.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself. I guess something in her life must have soured her.”
Feeling bad over her outburst, Jasmin asked, “Is she sick? Maybe dementia or depression. I’ve heard that can turn folks weird.”
“Maybe. But we’ll never know, will we? Unless she reaches out, and from what I’ve seen, I doubt it’ll happen.”
“Did Doreen ever say anything about her mom, about why she was like she is?”
“Only that she didn’t used to be so cranky when her father was alive. Guess time and old age has done a number on her.”
“Hmm… I’d love to know about Margot’s earlier background… aboutherparents and their treatment of her when she was young.”
“So you’re a believer that what comes around goes around.”
“Aren’t you? I mean, look at all the stories you hear about people who were abused becoming the next generation to behave the same way.”
“I agree. But I also believe that folks have a choice. That it’s their responsibility to choose their own path forward. They can do as they’ve been shown, or they can opt to do better… be better.”
“You got me. Can’t argue with the truth.” Her deep sigh helped clear away the sadness from inside. Then she remembered some good news. “Speaking of better, my folks have invited you and Dillon to spend the next few nights at the house with us. Seems the Grove has gone through a long period with no electricity. They’re worried about what you might find at your place.”
Dex’s soft swearword confirmed it was shocking news. “Man oh man, I just can’t catch a break. I bet the food I brought in is spoiled.” Then he banged his fist on his forehead in a childishway. “Blasted hell. I left the turkey to thaw on the counter, thinking I’d only be gone a day. It’ll be ruined.”
“Not necessarily. Not if the house stayed cold.”
Dex’s groan made her hide a grin. “It snowed a lot, but the temperature didn’t fall that much.”
“That’s true. Sorry.”
He shrugged her way and added, “Don’t know how to cook it anyway, figured Google would be my sous chef.”
“You’re unbelievable, you know that? “Jasmin laughed, thinking of what a turkey dinner entailed, and the man who couldn’t even cook bacon. “What were you thinking?”
“I wanted to give Dillon a taste of home, like he had with Max and Doreen. Don’t know where my brain was. I can’t cook, nor do I know the first thing about taking care of a kid. Figured I’d wing it.” He grinned sheepishly. “We’d be happy to accept the invitation.”
“Dad said he’ll give you a hand to get your house ready too.”
“And I’ll gladly take him up on his offer.”
“Good, I’ll text Mom. Relax, you’ve made her happy. She’ll be thrilled to have visitors at this time of the year.
He suddenly pointed. “There’s Margot’s house. Not a Christmas decoration to be seen. And yep, she’s left the boxes out front. I’m surprised she didn’t worry about them getting stolen.”
“She wouldn’t. I just saw the curtains move. She’s watching. Are you going to talk with her?”
“Nope. She made it clear, and I got the message. Pick up the stuff and leave. And it’s exactly what we’ll do.”
