Never Been Ready (Ready #2)(45)

Logan's fingers wrapped around his wife's, and he held her, knowing that even though she was happy in his arms, the man she'd lost would always be close to her heart.

"You okay?" he asked.

We all watched on, ready to help her through the grief if needed. She nodded as a single tear ran down her cheek. Then, she placed the album down and moved on to another one.

"I'm fine, really." She smiled softly. "Thank you," she said quietly to Logan.

He nodded and placed a gentle kiss on her cheek.

"Let's find some pictures of Garrett, why don't we?" Clare said.

We all agreed and began looking through the piles of albums. I hit pay dirt first when I cracked open an album to be greeted by the familiar face of a younger, more innocent-looking Garrett.

"Hey, there's the Goober I remember!" I looked up to the present-day Garrett and then back down to the high school version preserved on the pages of the album.

We all gathered around as I flipped through photos of Garrett in high school. It was then that I realized how much he really had changed. He'd had a light in his eyes then that didn't reach his eyes now.

"Okay, dinner's almost ready!" Laura called from the kitchen.

I skipped a few pages and made my way to the end of the album. I was eager to see if that genuine Garrett smile was still there. I was trying to pinpoint when it had disappeared. Then, I landed on graduation pictures. There was eighteen-year-old Garrett, posing with his high school girlfriend, their eyes brimming with excitement and youth.

Garrett visibly stiffened next to Clare as his emerald eyes locked on the picture.

"Hey, I remember her," Clare said, "Mia, wasn't it?"

Garrett just nodded. Clare was sitting next to him rather than across from him, so she didn't have the view I did. She couldn't see the look of absolute devastation on his face.

"What happened to her?" Clare asked.

"She left me," was all he said before getting up and exiting the room.

Based on the look on his face just now, I'd bet that shadow of a smile he carried showed up the day she walked out of his life.

Chapter Fourteen

~Declan~

"So, this is your idea of fun?" I asked as we walked hand in hand into the retirement home.

Leah gave me a shy smile before greeting the lady sitting at the front desk. "Hey, Alice. How's it going?" she said.

"Well, good morning, sugar. Is it Wednesday already?"

Looking down at the calendar with many papers and schedules scattered on her desk, the older woman, who reminded me a little of Betty White, nodded.

"Well, I guess it is. Always glad to have you Miss Leah. And who's this handsome gentleman you have with you today? You didn't have to bring me a present, you know?" she said with a wink.

Leah laughed and introduced me to the rather randy secretary. "Alice, this is my boyfriend, Declan. He was curious why I kept disappearing every Wednesday afternoon, and when I told him this is where I went, he had to see for himself." She took a sideways glance toward me and smiled, clearly remembering our conversation from earlier that week.

"You volunteer at an old folks' home?" I'd asked.

"Yep. And they really hate when you call it that."

"But last week, didn't you say you volunteered at an after-school program?"

"Yeah, I do that occasionally, too." She'd just shrugged.

And that was when I'd told her I had to see it to be sure. How could one person do that much? I could count the number of volunteer hours I'd given in my life on one hand. What was her motivation? I had to see her in action, see this other side of the woman who had captured my heart.

And so, a few days later, we were here, about to spend the afternoon with the elderly. I suddenly regretted that decision when we signed in and took a left down the hall into the dining room where I saw the residents for the first time.

What the hell was I supposed to do? What would we talk about? I didn't have anything in common with an eighty-year-old. As if sensing my anxiety, Leah squeezed my hand, gave me a reassuring smile, and pulled me into the dining room.

"Want to grab a piece of pie? They make amazing pie," she said.

"Sure." Pie sounded safe. I'd do anything to delay the awkwardness.

I should have chosen a different activity for the afternoon. My grandparents had died when I was young, and since then, I hadn't had any contact with anyone older than my parents. Would she be disappointed if I sucked at this?

We grabbed our pie, coconut for her and lemon meringue for me, and then we took our seats next to a couple at a round table near the center of the room. Leah had explained this retirement home had all levels of residents. Some were highly functioning and had come here because they simply hadn't wanted to live on their own anymore. Others required constant supervision. Leah's volunteer duties were simple. She was there to be a friend.

The couple we sat next to recognized Leah in an instant, and they greeted us warmly. They appeared to be part of the higher-functioning group Leah had described. They were both well-dressed and presentable. The woman looked like she'd thrown her entire jewelry box on. She was wearing several gold necklaces around her neck, four or five clunky bracelets, and a ring on every perfectly polished finger.

"Hello, darling!" the woman said. "How are you?"