“Are those all yours out there? I thought Dottie went on a shopping spree,” Tris said with a chuckle.
“Nope. They’re all mine. I swear I didn’t intend to bring so many with me, but I didn’t think this woman would be able to take care of them while I was gone.” I hooked my thumb at Karen, flashing her a nervous grin.
She placed a hand on her hip and eyed me. “Hey. They would have been fine.” She pulled out her phone and tapped around on the screen before shoving it in my face. “I set a reminder for myself to water them. I can be responsible.”
“Says the woman who’s killed at least fourteen goldfish since I’ve known her.” I narrowed my eyes at her.
“Well, they need to make noise or something. I forget they’re there.”
Tris burst into a fit of laughter, and Karen and I followed suit.
“What’s so funny?” Gran asked as she slowly made her way down the hall dressed in her black and white polka-dot bathing suit and an oversized sun hat.
“Definitely not you in that suit. You look hot,” Karen said.
Gran waved her words away as she headed to the recliner. When she sat, relief etched into her features.
“You do,” I insisted. “I love those ruffles.”
“Get your suits on,” Gran said, ignoring my comment. “Let’s get moving.”
“We’re waiting on Penny to come back. She wanted to join.” I glanced at Tris. “You should come too. And Vada, we should invite her too. It can be a girls’ day.”
“Are you sure?” Tris asked, her gaze drifting to Gran.
Gran nodded. “The more, the merrier.”
“Wait. Where are you guys doing? The pool?” Tris asked.
Karen and I both glanced at Gran. Wondering if she was going to fess up to what she had planned for today.
“Tubing.” She winked.
“Really?” I asked, excited to get the chance to experience this with her finally.
She coughed into her hand. “Really.”
“Are you sure you feel up to it?”
“Absolutely. I think it’s high time we check tubing together off our lists, don’t you?” Gran asked.
A wide smile stretched onto my face. “Heck yeah, I do!”
Chapter Twelve
The morning went too fast. We all had a blast floating down the lazy creek, but after a while, I noticed Gran looked tired and began to worry this excursion might be too much for her. Even though I knew she’d never admit it.
“That was so relaxing,” Karen insisted as she slid her inner tube along the ground from the creek. “If I lived here, I’d do this every weekend.”
“It was fun,” Vada agreed.
“Are you all right?” I asked Gran. She was leaning against the bridge, looking out of breath.
“Just tired is all.”
“Let me help you with your tube,” Tris offered, taking it from her before Gran could fight her on it. “Why don’t you go sit down and rest?”
“Ouch!” Karen shouted, rubbing the bottom of her barefoot. She’d lost a flip-flop to the creek shortly after we got in the water. “I wish I’d listened to you about taking my sandals off, Sam.”
“I tried to tell you,” I said in a sing-song voice.
“Is anyone else hungry?” Vada asked as she hauled her inner tube over the last little stretch of grass and tucked it in its position beside Karen’s on the rack. “I was thinking of heading to the store for some hot dogs or burgers. Maybe the guys can take a lunch break so we can all eat together.”
She was such a great addition to the clan. It was clear after just a short time of hanging around her today she was all about family and the unification that came with being part of the clan. She soaked it up, and I loved that about her.
“That’s a great idea,” Tris insisted. “I’ll let the guys know the plan. I was supposed to eat lunch with Liam anyway since it’s my day off.”
“I can ride to the store with you,” Penny said to Vada. “I’ll help you pick everything up.”
Vada twisted out the water from her long blond braid. “Sounds good.”
“Nash would probably love to grill burgers for us.” I grabbed my cell from inside the ziplock baggie I’d tossed it in for protection and sent him a text. His reply was quick.
Absolutely. A nice big burger sounds good.
“He’s all for grilling some burgers for us,” I informed everyone.
“Cool. We’ll be back soon then,” Penny insisted before she and Vada left to get cleaned up.
“I think I’ll head home to clean up too and let Liam know the plan. See you ladies soon,” Tris said, following after them.
“Do you care if I shower when we get back to the cabin?” Karen asked. “I’d like to and then eat with you guys before I head out.”
“Sure,” I said, making my way to where Gran still stood, leaning against the bridge. “Here, let me help you to my vehicle.”
Gran took my arm without a fight and I swallowed hard, knowing she must be more exhausted than she was letting on.
Once we made it back to the cabin, I helped Gran inside and then showed Karen where the clean towels were so she could shower.
“Do you want to take a nap?” I asked Gran when I made it back to the living room. She was in her recliner, looking like she was about to fall asleep. “I can wake you when lunch is ready.”
A glimmer of defiance shifted through her eyes. “I’m fine.”
She wasn’t, we both knew it. “If you insist.” I went to the kitchen and got her a glass of water. She took it and drank a few sips, but nothing more. “That was fun. I’m glad we finally got to go tubing together,” I said, trying not to think about how sickly she looked. The heat had zapped her, but so had the cancer.
I took her hand in mine, hoping I was passing more energy to her. She looked like she needed it.
She squeezed my hand. “Me too.
