The Charm Bracelet(84)

She’s waited her whole life for this moment, Arden thought, and smiled.

She stopped, watching her mother and daughter, and then amended that thought: Lauren has waited her whole life for this moment, too.

Lauren stopped in the middle of the platform, removed the crown, and bent over and placed it on her grandmother’s head, securing it to her wig. Lolly touched it, ran her hands over the points and rhinestones, as if it were magical, and then hugged her granddaughter tightly.

Both returned to the coronation area, where the contestants mobbed them. Arden grabbed Jake’s hand and began dragging him down the bleachers.

“Congratulations!” Arden screamed when she reached her daughter and mother. “What a surprise! How did you two manage to pull this off?”

“Teamwork,” they both said in unison, laughing.

“And Spanx,” Lauren added.

Arden smiled and took the hands of her mother and daughter in hers.

“Seriously,” she asked, giving their arms a gentle shake. “How did this happen?”

“I was painting this morning—I was painting us, all of us—and I could see everything so clearly for once,” Lauren said. “Everything seemed—oh, I don’t know—possible and exciting. I thought of all the stories Grandma has been telling us. I thought of all she had done for us, and I thought, there has to be something I can do for her. And there was.”

Lauren dropped her mother’s hand, repositioning the tulips to her other arm, and handed her grandmother the gift box she had been given after her win.

“I think this is for you, Grandma,” Lauren said.

Lolly opened the little box with shaking hands. Inside sat a silver charm of a tiara. “Oh, I can’t, Lauren,” Lolly protested.

“I insist, Grandma,” Lauren said, handing her mother the tulips and carefully adding the charm to her grandmother’s bracelet, which she took off her own wrist and placed back on Lolly’s slender wrist.

Lolly held up the bracelet to her face. “Every woman deserves to feel like a queen, even for a day,” she said quietly. “You know, this is the one charm I always wanted. It’s the one I never thought I’d get, and one day it will be yours, my dear.”

She hesitated.

“It’s the one I’ll never forget.”

Lolly gave her bracelet a robust shake and then pulled her granddaughter close.

“I love you, more than anything,” she whispered.

“Me, too, Grandma.”

“I’ve had the best time this past week,” Lolly smiled, surveying her girls’ faces. “It’s nice to have my family back for a little while.”

“I’ve had the best time, too, Mom,” Arden said. “It’s nice to have my mother back. I’m just so sorry … for … well … everything.”

“Can’t change the past,” Lolly said. “But you can change the future.”

“Speaking of which,” Lauren said, “can I talk to you for a minute, Mom?”

Jake picked up on Lauren’s need for some privacy. “You look like a real beauty queen with that crown, Lolly. Mind showing me how you do that pageant wave so well?”

Lolly smiled broadly. “Of course,” she said, walking toward the river with Jake, the two looking like a modern version of Abbott and Costello. “First, you have to cup your hand … like this.”

Lauren laughed, as she led her mother over to the corner of the park, where they took a seat on a bench underneath the massive weeping willow.

For a few moments, the two watched boats—big and small—float by on the river, some heading out to the big lake for sunset, some heading back to the dock. Finally, Lauren broke the silence.

“I’m staying with Grandma, Mom.”

Arden shook her head, not comprehending what her daughter had just said. “What?” She shook her head again. “What did you just say?”

“I’ve decided to stay with Grandma. And I’ve been looking into attending Interlochen for the summer. It’s a great art school, Mom. It’s only a few miles away. I can help Grandma. I’ll work with her at Dolly’s. And she’s offered to help with tuition. It will help ease your financial burden, too.”

Arden’s heart raced. “Is this your grandmother’s idea?”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Arden wished they had been attached to a rubber band, and she could just easily retract them, but it was too late.

“No, Mom, this was actually Lexie’s idea at first,” Lauren said, her eyes wide. “What this has all been about is healing. Grandma’s ‘influence’ has been good for us all. Aren’t you happier now than you were a few weeks ago?”

“Yes,” Arden said without hesitation.

“So am I. So is Grandma. She needs me, Mom. And I think I need her even more.”

“What about your internship this summer, Lauren? What about your future?”

“I never applied for one, Mom,” Lauren said sheepishly. “I just can’t imagine…”

Lauren began to cry softly. “I’ve just been so unhappy, Mom. And I’m happy with Grandma. I’m inspired here. An artist doesn’t need an internship. An artist needs inspiration and a safe place to create. I have found that here. My future is here for a little while. Let me find myself this summer. I need you to be okay with that.”