Page 104 of Eleanor & Grey
She nodded and leaned against the bathroom doorframe, looking toward me. “Are you OK? You look upset.” She stood up a bit. “Are you upset about the party? I just thought...”
“No, not at all. This was amazing, Eleanor. You’ve been nothing but amazing to my family, to me, and words cannot express how thankful I am for that.”
“Then what is it? What’s wrong?”
“I, um... Karla’s never going to forgive me, and honestly, she shouldn’t,” I confessed. “I abandoned her and her sister when they needed me the most, and nothing I can do can remedy that fact. I walked away and left her drowning.”
“She’s just hurting, Greyson, with good reason, but she loves you.”
“I don’t even know if she does anymore.”
“She does,” she disagreed.
“How can you even be sure of that?”
“That many years of love don’t disappear because of one tragic year. You just have to give her time to come around again, and for now, you have to do one thing.”
“What’s that?”
“Keep showing up, no matter what. She’s going to push, she’s going to scream, and she’s going to make you want to go, but you can’t walk away again, Grey. You have to keep showing up for her, even on the hard days,” she said. “Especially on the hard days. Which is why I got us tickets to go to a baseball game in two weeks. I already talked to Allison, and she’s going to clear your schedule for the evening game. I also invited my cousin, Shay—I hope that’s OK. Plus, I talked Karla into goingby saying it was for Lorelai’s birthday. It just takes a few steps at a time to walk toward change.”
“Thank you, Eleanor,” I said.
“For what?”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Being my reason to smile today.”
41Eleanor
After the party ended, I stayed a bit longer to help clean up the mess. When everything was put away and the dishwasher was running, I collected my things to head home.
As I walked to the front door, I paused as Landon spoke my way.
“Hey, Eleanor? Can I just have a word really fast?” he asked me.
I turned toward him and smiled. Landon looked so grown up compared to the boy he was all those years ago. Shay would’ve hated how handsome he had become.
“Yeah, sure. What’s going on?”
He slid his hands into his pockets. “I just wanted to say thank you for everything you’ve been doing for these girls, and for Greyson. I don’t know how you’re doing it, but thank you. Today was the first day I felt like my best friend was really here. He’s been a ghost for the past year, and it has been the hardest thing to watch. So yeah, just keep it up, OK? Whatever it is you’re doing, just keep doing that.”
I grinned. “I don’t know if I’m much help, but I don’t plan on going anywhere.”
“Trust me, you’re the biggest help. Also, I, uh, I owe you an apology for the asshole kid I was in the past—calling you Brace Face and stuff. That was fucked up.”
I laughed. “I mean, yes, it was, but I guess since you brought a pony today, we can forgive and forget.”
“For sure, and I mean, it looks like it worked out for you, ya know, those braces.” He gestured toward my mouth. “It looks good. So yeah. Good for you.”
Oh, Landon. For a superstar, you sure are awkward.
“Thanks.”
“OK, well I’ll let you go. Make sure to tell your cousin Shay that I said hi.”
I would definitely be telling Shay that as soon as possible.
“I will do. Safe travels, Landon.”
