Page 162 of 10 Rings I Hate About You
“I’ve got your number,” I whispered.
“Why I hope so, or how else would you reach me?” She conveniently pretended to misunderstand.
“Grace is wise to your interfering ways,” I added.
She grinned and leaned into me. “Maybe in regards to others, but she’s struggling to see things clearly for herself.”
I shook my head.
“You did well tonight, grandson.”
“Glamma, you don’t need to placate me.”
“I’m not. Things happen as they are supposed to, and no other way exists. Just let it go and see what the future brings.”
Her words gave me a boost of optimism. So much so that when Mr. Geraldi and Ms. Kline approached me, I was taken off-guard.
“Dr. Kingsley,” Mr. Geraldi began. “You’ve chosen an interesting cast of characters to participate in this yoga class. Maybe you can send me your list of animals, how you decided which ones were appropriate for the class, and how you are attempting to keep them safe.”
My stomach didn’t just drop. It seized. I nodded.
Shit.
“Dr. Kingsley. Thank you for letting me participate. It was … interesting,” Ms. Kline said.
Neither smiled. They just said goodbye and told me I’d hear from them in approximately two weeks.
Theo appeared next to me. “We have two inquiries about Noble. And one about Henderson.”
“That’s great.” The words came out too quickly. I cleared my throat and forced my shoulders to loosen. My hand found the back of my neck for a second before I dropped it, fingers curled at my side.
“And Grace is taking pictures and posting them all over our socials—” He stopped. “Did the committee turn us down?”
“No, no. Why would you think that?”
“Because you suck at lying,” he responded and crossed his arms over his chest.
“They didn’t. They said we’d hear back in two weeks.”
Theo’s earlier excitement waned, but he still gave me a quick hug and thanked me for all of my help regardless of the outcome.
Even with his words, I felt like shit. Like, if we didn’t get the grant, it was all my fault.
Delaney reached my side. Her hand rubbed up and down my arm. “What happened?”
“Nothing. Not yet anyway.” I didn’t want to talk about it. “What did Patty want?” I’d seen her approach Delaney, and their conversation had looked serious.
Delaney took a second to answer, likely determining whether or not she should push me on my response. “She mentioned that after the last class, her back felt better and that she’d slept through the night for the first time since her husband passed. That she'd stopped looking for something that helped. Now she wants one-on-one instruction.”
“Are you going to do it?” I was grateful for the distraction.
“I hadn’t considered offering one-on-one classes, but it might be a great way to bring in more money.”
I didn’t like the worried look that crossed her face and made a mental note to ask about what was going on at Sacred Serenity.
Mom made her way to me with a huge grin on her face. “You did an amazing job.”
“I don’t know if you and I have the same definition of amazing.”
