“She did, but Honey wanted you to have something of hers,” Isla explained.
Keerly studied me a moment then she noticed the hat box. Her eyes lit up. “Oh! It’s Honey’s scarves and jewelry!” she exclaimed and turned to run down the stairs.
“Careful! Hold onto the rail!” Isla told her, walking over to meet her daughter as she reached the bottom.
Keerly ran right past her mother and came to me with her hands held up anxious for the box. I placed it in her little hands and she sat it down immediately and took the top off. “It’s all of them, Momma!” she said and began to pull out the scarves and drape them over herself.
Isla looked up at me. “Honey babysat for us when my husband and I had a business dinner or just needed a night out. She always brought this box and she would dress herself and Keerly up in the scarves and jewelry. She made dresses with the scarves and-”
“The purse! She gave me the purse!” Keerly said with pure joy, jumping up with the beaded purse and clutching it to her chest as if it were the most precious thing on earth.
“She sure did,” Isla replied and patted Keerly on the head affectionately.
Isla looked back at me. “Thank you for doing this. She’s missed Honey and well, this is just really special.”
“I’m glad Gran sent me,” I told her honestly. Seeing how my Gran had impacted yet another life felt good.
“Come have some lemonade,” Isla said again. When I hesitated, she said, “Or at least take some to go.”
Keerly looked up at me then, her face suddenly very serious. “When is Honey coming back from staying with Jesus?”
Isla bent down then and took her hand. “Sweetheart, remember I told you she can’t come back.”
Keerly’s little shoulders fell and with them, the lump in my throat rose. I understood all too well what it felt like to miss my gran. “I wish she had stayed here,” Keerly said.
Isla hugged her and looked up at me apologetically. “I know,” she soothed.
“When I start missing her, I talk to her. I think that even though I can’t see her that she can hear me,” I said then.
Keerly studied me a moment. “Does it make you not sad anymore?” she asked.
“Not completely. It’s okay to be sad and miss her. But she would want to know you’re happy and enjoying the things she left you. So, I try to think about the good times I had with her and smile.”
The little girl sighed and then put a scarf covered in pink hydrangeas up to her chin and inhaled. “These smell like her,” she said, then smiled up at me. “She made good cookies.”
I nodded. “Yes, she did. The very best cookies.”
“She smelled like cookies,” Keerly added.
I laughed. “She did!”
Isla stood back up and I could see the unshed tears in her eyes. “Thank you,” she said.
“Gran would love to see how happy these things made her. I’m glad she sent me, so I could witness it.”
Isla nodded and sniffled. I could tell she was struggling with not crying. It was time I left.
“It was so nice to meet you both. I need to get going. I have some other things to get done,” I told her and she nodded again, reaching up to wipe at a tear that had escaped.
I looked back down at Keerly. “Bye bye, Keerly. I am so glad my gran’s scarves are safely with you now.”
The little girl nodded then waved her small hand at me.
When I was back in the car, I let out a deep sigh of relief. There was no big revelation. Nothing new for me to figure out. It had been a simple task that Gran had wanted done. Nothing more. Thank Goodness.
Twenty-One
When I pulled into the driveway, the grass was freshly cut and a sweaty, dirty Saul was sitting on the top of the front porch steps. I climbed out of the car and made my way up to him. “You cut the rest of the grass,” I stated the obvious.
He smirked. “Looks that way.”
“You didn’t have to do that,” I told him.
He cocked one eyebrow. “Because you were going to?”
I bit my bottom lip to keep from smiling. How was he even more attractive all dirty and sweaty? I had never been a fan of guys in tanks, but when one had arms like Saul, they worked. Seriously worked.
Thank you,” I said.
He grinned. “You’re welcome.”
“Do you want to come inside and get cooled off?” I asked.
He raised his eyebrows. “Why don’t you come to my place? I have a pool,” he reminded me. “We can watch the sunset.”
The idea of wearing a bathing suit in front of him with all my pale skin on display made me panic for a moment. He was waiting for me to respond and I had no excuse to keep from going. I wanted to spend time with him, get to know him. If I had to put on a bathing suit then so be it. I could do this.