Page 68 of The Roommate Problem
Chapter Twenty
August stood outside his grandmother’s door, trying to get his anger and fear under control. The woman had just had surgery. Surgery! As much as it hurt that she didn’t feel the need to inform him of such a huge life event, he knew going in there temper blazing wouldn’t be good for her. And as furious as he was, he would never do anything to cause harm to his grandmother. He loved her. Which made this whole thing hurt even worse.
He took a few calming breaths, clenching and unclenching his hands, working hard to release the tension in his muscles. Once he’d succeeded in pushing the emotions deep inside, locking them in a box, he raised a hand to knock softly on the door. Within a minute, the door slowly swung open. A woman with salt and pepper natural curls framing her face like a crown answered the door with a kind smile. She looked to be around Gran’s age, maybe a few years younger. Had to be the woman Mo mentioned, Gran’s friend Patricia.
“Why, you must be Agatha’s grandson August,” the woman said, looking him up and down. “The hair is a dead giveaway.”
Up until a decade or so ago, his grandmother’s hair had been as red as his. She dyed it for a few years after finding grays, but a while back, she stated the upkeep was too much and declared she was going to be a silver-haired goddess. She was, and August didn’t know what he’d have done if anything during surgery had gone wrong.
Why didn’t you tell me, Gran?
He shoved the question away. Now wasn’t the time. He was just here to make sure she was okay. He tried to muster up a smile for the woman taking care of his grandmother. A job that should have been tasked to him. “Yes, I’m August. You must be Patricia.”
“I am.” Patricia nodded. “I didn’t know you’d be stopping by today.”
He shifted on his feet. “I would have been here earlier. I would have been at the hospital if I…”
“Ah, yes.” She shook her head with a slight frown. “I told Agatha she should have discussed this with you. I don’t know why the stubborn woman wouldn’t even tell her own grandson about something this important.”
There, see! At least someone agreed with him that Gran should have informed him of her surgery.
“I understand that she didn’t want to worry you, but that’s what family does, right? Worry.” Patricia shrugged, stepping back to motion him inside. “There’s no point in keeping secrets. They all get uncovered in time.”
The woman was speaking the truth. Gran might have saved him worry before the fact, but now he was dealing with a whole host of emotions due to her deceptions. He would rather have had the worry.
“She’s in her room resting,” Patricia said, nodding to the closed door just off the living room area. He started to take a step forward, but she held up one finger, halting his movements. “I can trust you won’t upset her? I know your grandmother should have told you about today, and I’m not sure how you found out, but what she needs right now is rest and well wishes. Not to be confronted. Even if the fool woman does deserve it.”
A genuine smile tilted his lips. He liked Gran’s friend. She cared. But she also clearly didn’t take anyone’s crap. He could see why Gran trusted her enough to care for her after surgery. But that thought only twisted the knife deeper. She didn’t trust me enough.
“I promise I only want to make sure she’s okay. With my own eyes.”
Patricia nodded, allowing him to continue. He paused at the bedroom door, wondering if he should knock or just go in. He was saved from making a decision when his grandmother’s voice called from the other side of the closed door.
“Stop hemming and hawing, August, and get your butt in here.”
He chuckled softly, relief washing over him to hear his grandmother’s voice, a little weaker than normal, but still full of clout. Turning the knob, he entered the dimly lit bedroom. The overhead light was off, and the shades were drawn, but the bedside lamp was on, illuminating his grandmother, lying in bed, covers up to her chest and an e-reader at her side.
“Well, you might as well come in and let me have it.” She nudged the electronic device with a finger. “I’m too tired to read more than a few words anyway. Funny how a person can be asleep for hours and still wake up tired.”
“You weren’t asleep, Gran. You were under anesthesia. Having surgery.” A surgery you didn’t tell me about. But he didn’t say that part because it was obvious, and as wounded as he was, he didn’t want to upset his grandmother right now.
“I know what I was doing.” She raised a silver brow. “The question is, how do you know?”
He shook his head. “That’s not important right now. I just stopped by to make sure you were okay. See if you needed anything.”
She smiled, lifting her arms ever so slightly and motioning with her hands. “I’m fine, Auggie. But I could use a hug.”
He made his way to his grandmother’s bedside, sitting on the edge. Leaning down, he gently embraced her, not sure where her incision was or how much pain she was in. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her pain.
“You can squeeze me tighter than that, child.” She let out a snort of laughter. “I’m still hopped up on the good drugs. I’m not in any pain.”
That was good to hear, but he was still going to err on the side of caution.
“Now,” she said when he pulled back. “Since the only other people who knew about this were Patricia, who doesn’t have a way to contact you, and Mo, I’m going to guess Mo told you the truth?”
He wished. Unfortunately, Moira had essentially stuck to his grandmother’s promise of secrecy.
“Not exactly.” He shook his head. “But we don’t need to talk about this right now. You need your rest and—”
