Page 11 of Shattered Sinner
I pulled out my phone and mumbled the words I wanted to say into it. It found the phone number I asked it to call, and I waited for the call to connect.
“Hello? Bianca?”
“Hi, Gran,” I said, using the name that Iris’s grandmother told me to call her when we first met.
“How are you doing?”
“I’m good. Hey, I’m in my car and thought it would be a good time to visit you because I’m not too far from your house,” I said, lying with ease. “Do you mind if I stop by to see you?”
“Of course. Why don’t I whip up some dinner? It would be nice to have you over for dinner.”
I thought it was a bit weird that she didn’t ask if I was with Iris. “Sure, that sounds like a plan. I’m going to make a U-turn and I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon, dear.”
I disconnected the call and pulled over to the side of the road. I quickly found the directions to Gran’s home and waited for my car’s GPS to process the new entry. Once it found the quickest route, I put my car into drive and pulled a U-turn to get on the road to Gran’s.
When I arrived at Gran’s home, I was feeling more anxious than I'd been at Westwick. What was I going to say? How much should I let her in on what I suspected was going on?
I parked my car and looked up at the front door. Gran was already standing at the door with a smile on her face. She was still wearing an apron that I assumed she put on to protect her clothes while cooking.
She gave me a warm hug and squeezed. Everything about her showed how much of a gentle, strong soul she was. Being in her presence reminded me of how long it had been since I’d seen her. When she pulled away, she gave me a genuine smile and said, "It is so nice to see you in person. What brings you here?"
As I stepped into the house, I felt a mixture of emotions, but I tried my best to focus on the woman in front of me. "Something told me to try to come visit you today, and I followed that gut feeling."
It wasn't a lie.
"I'm not going to complain about that. We're having homemade soup and bread. I hope that's okay."
I gave her a grin and said, "That sounds absolutely perfect."
We took a seat at the dining room table as the lovely smell from the soup lingered in the air, and Gran began to talk about Iris. She told me how she missed her granddaughter dearly and that she would be gone for the next few weeks while studying abroad.
"So the reason I wanted to come here was because I wanted to check on you."
"I appreciate it, dear. With Iris not being in the country right now, it's been lonely."
It took everything within me not to drop my spoon on the floor. I needed to choose my words wisely because I didn't want to alarm her in any way. "Have you spoken to her since she's been gone?"
Gran sighed and said, "We've emailed back and forth, but she hasn't called me back. I don't want to encroach on her study abroad trip of a lifetime, but I wish she'd call." Her voice trembled slightly before she continued. "At least she'll be home in a couple of weeks."
I was pretty sure that it wasn’t Iris emailing Gran, and that thought made me feel sick to my stomach as well as want to rage. How could you do this to the woman in front of me who has already lost so much?
A frown covered Gran’s face as her finger absentmindedly traced the rim of her soup bowl, a clear indication that she was thinking. I didn't say a word, choosing to continue to watch her. My heart ached because of the loneliness she must be feeling. I felt it on some level too.
"I miss her dearly, you know," she continued, a soft sigh escaping her lips. "The house felt so empty without her when she went away to college, and now it feels even more empty since I haven't been able to hear her voice."
"I know, Gran," I replied, reaching across the table to cover her hand with mine. "I miss her too."
"I keep telling myself that each day that passes means she's closer to coming back home. Have you heard from her at all?"
I felt bad for what I was about to say, but it wasn't worth dragging Gran into this. "I've gotten a couple of emails too. She asked me to come see you and to give you a hug for her."
I saw the tears well up in her eyes and I felt like trash. I could have gotten my point across without saying that.
She sniffed and wiped her eyes. "Well, that's very sweet of her. I love it when you two come to visit me."
I smiled, glad to have brought some joy into this moment. We continued to enjoy our dinner and talked about everything under the sun.
