One Day Soon (One Day Soon, #1)(64)

“Of course I do, silly,” she chastised, smiling brightly. “You’re the boy that lives down the road. You help Charles with the yard work. Are you here to pick up the money he owes you?” His grandmother patted her pockets and frowned. “It seems he forgot to leave it. If you come by tomorrow, I can pay you then.”

“That’s okay. Your husband already paid me,” Yoss replied, his voice breaking slightly. “I just wanted to come for a visit, if that’s okay. Maybe help you with your puzzle.” His hands trembled slightly as he reached out to pick up a piece of the jigsaw closest to him.

His grandmother’s smile widened. “That would be lovely. I’m just waiting for Elizabeth to come home from her friend’s house.” She turned to me. “Elizabeth is my daughter. She’s nine. This is the first time I let her walk to her friend’s house on her own. She’s growing up so fast.”

I felt my heart sink. For Yoss. For this woman who was slowly losing her mind.

“Yes, kids do grow up fast,” I agreed, not knowing what else to say.

“Do you worry your mother like my Elizabeth worries me? Always wanting to go out and play by yourself?” she asked, her eyes clear and vivid. The exact same shade of green as her grandson’s. It was almost disconcerting to see much-loved eyes on a stranger’s face.

“I don’t think my mother worries about me like that,” I told her truthfully.

Yoss was being uncharacteristically quiet. He was still holding the puzzle piece, watching his grandmother closely.

The older woman reached out and patted my arm, startling me. “I sincerely doubt that. You seem like a lovely young woman. I’m sure she worries about you all the time. Though I think your mother should be relieved you’re choosing to spend your time with such a nice boy.” She returned her smile to her grandson, never knowing how she broke his heart.

“Thank you, Mrs. Butler,” Yoss said, sounding as though he were choking on his words.

I sat up a little straighter and swept a handful of puzzle pieces towards me. “It doesn’t look like you’ve been able to get very far with this. Is it a hard puzzle?” I asked, filling the taut silence almost desperately.

Yoss’s grandmother fit two pieces together and moved them to the center of the table. “I’ve been working on this for over an hour and haven’t seemed to get anywhere with it. Elizabeth is the one who is good at puzzles. Maybe I should just wait until she gets home.”

“We’ll help you. I love puzzles,” I said, maybe a little too loudly.

“That would be nice, Imogen. Thank you,” Mrs. Butler enthused, pushing more pieces towards me. She looked at Yoss, who was biting down on his bottom lip. “Are you going to help, Yoss?”

His eyes flickered up in surprise. She had used his name. A brief moment of clarity. I reached over and grabbed his hand, squeezing it.

“Of course,” he remarked, his smile effortless. His eyes brighter.

We sat together for a time, putting the puzzle together. We didn’t talk much. Yoss’s grandmother easily became lost in the task at hand, focusing intently.

After an hour, a man wearing crisp white scrubs came over, a polite smile on his face. “It’s time for Gladys to go to physical therapy.”

“Of course,” Yoss said quickly, dropping the puzzle pieces he had been holding and getting to his feet.

The aide looked down at what we had accomplished. “It looks like you got really far with this one, Gladys,” he said.

Yoss’s grandmother beamed with pride. “My grandson and his girlfriend helped me. I think we did a great job.”

My heart swelled so much that it hurt. Yoss gave me a look of pure relief.

Gladys got to her feet, the aide supporting her elbow. She came around the table and put her arms around Yoss. She only came up to his chin and he held her carefully. “Come back to see me soon, Yoss. And bring Imogen with you.” His grandmother grinned at me. “He’s never brought anyone to see me before. You must be really special to my boy.”

“She is, Gran,” Yoss agreed.

Her eyes clouded and she pulled back from Yoss. “Are we going to the circus? I thought Charles was supposed to drive us.”

The aide took Yoss’s grandmother by the elbow and gently led her away. Yoss wrapped his arm around my shoulders and kissed the top of my head.

“It was nice being able to hang out with her,” I said as we left.

Yoss sighed. “I just wish you could see more of the woman she used to be. But at least we got to be with her for a little while.”

Holly, the redheaded nurse looked up as we came into the reception area. “How was our girl?” she asked.

“She knew who I was for a few minutes,” he said.

Holly’s smile was sympathetic. “That’s good, Yoss.”

“It is. Okay, Holly, I’ll see you soon.” He held the door open for me and we stepped outside.

“I only want to bring her the good stuff,” Yoss said, as if he needed to explain something to me. Something important. Dark clouds billowed along the horizon.

It swallowed everything.

The wind picked up, blowing Yoss’s hair into his face. “You get that, right? All of this shit out here can’t follow me in there.” He looked back at Windy Acres, a wistful expression on his face. “But you…” His eyes softened. “You are the best of everything, Imi.”