“And the girl?”
“That too.”
“Work faster,” she said.
She watched him vanish inside Tanner’s house. He’d looked…better. Not exactly chipper, but not quite as unhappy as usual either.
Progress.
She wasn’t sure why she felt so invested in him, but it wasn’t just her feelings for Tanner, she knew that much. Troy had wormed his way into her heart all on his own.
She picked up Chinese take-out and drove back to her grandma’s.
“I want you to know I exercised restraint in today’s social media posts,” Lucille said as they ate.
Mr. Wykowski laughed, but when Lucille looked at him, he turned it into a cough.
“Restraint?” Callie asked her grandma warily.
“Yep. I haven’t posted about you or Tanner in days. I’m leaving things alone.” She beamed. “See? Restraint.” She paused. “And maybe a little self-preservation. I didn’t want you to pull the plug on me.”
“I wouldn’t do that,” Callie said in horror.
“I meant cancel my WiFi.” Lucille opened her fortune cookie. “Hmm. I think I got yours by mistake.”
“Why, what does it say?”
“You will get lucky.” Lucille paused. “In bed.”
“Grandma!” she said over Mr. Wykowski’s hoot of laughter.
“What,” Lucillle said. “I’m old, not dead. Don’t you kids play that game anymore? Add the ‘in bed’ to the end of your fortunes?”
Callie chose not to answer, instead opening her own fortune cookie. She stared at it and shook her head, stuffing it into her bag.
“What does it say?” her grandma wanted to know.
She sighed. “I will get lucky.”
Lucille stared at her and burst out laughing.
“Stupid mass-produced fortunes,” Callie muttered.
“So you do believe in them,” Mr. Wykowski said.
She ignored this.
“And why doesn’t getting lucky suit you again?” her grandma asked. “I never really understood this.”
“Love doesn’t suit me,” Callie corrected. Lust, however, suited her just fine.
“And why doesn’t love suit you?” her grandma demanded.
“Grandma, I see how badly love turns out on a daily basis at work. And then there was my own misguided attempt at getting hitched. Let’s not forget that one.”
“How can we?” Lucille muttered.
“What?” Callie asked.
“Nothing. Love you,” Lucille said.
Callie narrowed her eyes and opened her mouth but Mr. Wykowski spoke first.
“So you got unlucky once,” he said. “So what? I was unlucky a bunch of times.”
“That’s right,” her grandma said. “It only takes the one. The right one.”
Callie gave them both a long look. “Have you guys been talking to Becca?”
“No, why?” Lucille asked. “Does she need advice? She’s got that hottie all wrapped up so I thought she was good. Do I need to step in and smack some sense into Sam? Because I can do that. I’ll have to stand on a footstool to do it but that doesn’t matter. I’m there for her.”
“No, Grandma,” Callie said, unable to hold back her laugh at the picture of the diminutive Lucille trying to take down the tall, built Sam Brody. “She’s good. And Sam’s good.”
“So why can’t you be good?”
“I am good,” Callie said. “There’s nothing wrong with being alone, Grandma.”
“Well, of course not.” Lucille smiled when Mr. Wykowski squeezed her hand and gave her a kiss on her cheek before rising to make coffee.
Lucille leaned into Callie and whispered, “But as I’ve recently discovered, letting someone in brings unexpected benefits. And I’m not just talking about the money that can be saved on batteries.” She waggled her brows suggestively.
“Grandma.”
“Oh, relax,” Lucille said. “I’m talking about the joy of waking up to the person you love and seeing their face right away. Or going through hard times, such as the death of a friend, and having someone be there to hold your hand. Or when you’re sick yourself and need help…I mean, sure, you could handle all that on your own and you always have. Again, I blame your shortsighted, selfish parents. But this is about you, honey, and sometimes, just once in a while, it’s nice not to be all on your own.”
“Says the woman who chose to be alone for five decades,” Callie pointed out.
“Single,” Lucille said. “Not alone.” She wore a secret smile, one that turned not so secret when Mr. Wykowski turned and gave her a wink.