Page 94 of Back To Our Beginning

“I knew.”

I shook my head. Nobody ever questioned Little Grandma.

“Ruby was supposed to meet me now⁠—”

Little Grandma patted my hand. “I know, honey, that dratted supplier was late to our place here, and Java Jolt was his next stop. Lettie!” she called out to her granddaughter.

“We have a four-top ready for you by the window,” Lettie called back from across the restaurant. That didn’t bother any of the residents of Jasper Creek who were finishing up their lunches.

I matched Little Grandma’s steps as we walked to the table near the window. She sat down slowly, and Lettie came over putting a cup of tea in front of her before asking me what I would like to drink.

“Lemonade please.”

“Coming right up.”

“I am so glad we get this time to talk, Maddie,” Little Grandma said, starting off the conversation.

“I am, too. I always love our talks.” And I did. We had our granny, but she lived a couple of hours outside of Jasper Creek. Little Grandma was always a constant in our lives when we were growing up. For me especially. I was often lost in my books, and I seemed to take things harder than a lot of the older kids in my family. The yelling, the screaming, the abuse. I never showed it on the outside, but Little Grandma knew. She found me in the library, and would take me into the stacks and sit there with me and put her arm around me. Giving me quiet solace.

“I hear tell that you were unimaginably brave during your captivity.”

I laughed. “Someone has been feeding you tall tales. I was scared to death. A little bit pissed-off, but most of the time, petrified.”

“You were somehow able to text all of your sisters, weren’t you?”

“I guess.”

Lettie plopped a lemonade in front of me, along with a BLT. She put a perfectly baked biscuit with butter and marmalade in front of Little Grandma.

“Mom put extra mayo and bacon on your sandwich, Maddie, just the way you like it.”

“That was fast.”

“She gave you Harvey’s. He’s going to have to wait a little bit longer,” Lettie whispered. The three of us giggled.

“Poor Harvey. Is there a cinnamon roll left over from breakfast?” Little Grandma asked.

“I’m sure there’s a couple, but I was hoping to give them to Maddie so she could take them home to Beau.”

“Oh. That’s a grand idea,” Little Grandma complimented her granddaughter. “Give Harvey a free side of macaroni salad. He’ll like that.”

“Will do,” Lettie smiled and walked away.

Little Grandma took a sip of her tea while I took a bite of my sandwich. Why did everything taste better here than when I made it at home? While I chewed, Little Grandma started talking.

“You know, Maddie Girl, being humble is a good thing, but you don’t always need to hide your light under a bushel. You are a remarkable young woman. Beau is right to be ass over teakettle in love with you.”

I felt myself blushing. “Did you just say ass?” I teased.

“Don’t try to waylay me, Missy. You get my point, now, don’t you?”

My shoulders slumped. “Yes, ma’am.”

“Now tell me, do you need to talk to a professional about what happened to you?”

That was another thing I loved about this woman. She might be over one-hundred years old, but she was definitely up with the times.

“I’m one-hundred percent fine. The doctor gave me a clean bill of health. I feel great.”