Still, there was no use hiding.
I found a wool cardigan in the guest room closet to cover my sparkly top and wove my tangled hair into a braid. Only then did I tiptoe down the stairs and slowly make my way into the kitchen, following the scent of freshly brewed coffee and cinnamon.
I stopped in the entry, one foot stacked on top of the other. “Good morning.”
Cormac’s grandfather, Connell, looked up from the plate he was dishing. Still broad and tall. He’d aged since I’d last seen him, but he’d done it well. There was a twinkle in his soft-brown eyes, and his spine was straight as an arrow. His silver hair was neatly combed, and his chambray button-down was tucked into jeans that were probably older than me. His silver belt buckle gleamed at his soft middle, but not shinier than the gold wedding ring on his left hand.
“There she is,” he said gruffly. “Good morning, darlin’.”
Lily pushed up from their round kitchen table and came toward me with outstretched arms. I nearly choked on tears at the sight of her, so beautiful and healthy and alive. She was in her eighties, but it didn’t show. She was so elegant, with skin that looked like it had to feel like velvet, a sleek blond bob that brushed her shoulders, and a pale-gray cashmere lounge set.
“Hello, beautiful,” she said, taking my hands in hers. “Cormac said you might not be feeling your best this morning, but you look absolutely stunning.”
“Good morning, Lily,” I said thickly. “It’s so good to see you.”
And to my utter mortification, my eyes pricked with tears that did not go unnoticed. Lily sighed and pulled me into a tight hug. My cheek pressed against hers, confirming her skin was as soft as I’d imagined.
Did Cormac have any idea how lucky he was to have his grandparents? My last year of high school and first year of college, I’d lost my grandmother and two grandfathers like dominoes, one after the other, and I still missed them like nothing else.
“I’m so glad you’re here, sweetheart,” she murmured before pulling back to look me over. “We’ve missed you on the ranch. Summers haven’t been the same without you running around with our Cormac.”
“I’m sorry for being weird.” I swiped my eyes with the back of my hand. “I’ll blame it on the hangover and being really happy to see the two of you.”
She waved me off. “Nonsense. You have nothing to apologize for. Come. Sit down. Connell made cinnamon rolls. They’re the perfect cure for a hangover. In fact, I’d venture to say they’d cure almost anything.”
His chuckle was a roll of thunder. “I wouldn’t go that far. Coffee, Zara?”
“Please,” I replied. “If it isn’t any trouble.”
“No trouble.” Lily took her seat and directed me to the chair across from hers. “Cormac rarely lets us take care of him these days. He fusses over us like we’rehischildren. It’s a pleasure to be the ones who fuss.”
Connell deposited a steaming mug in front of me and topped off Lily’s before bending to kiss her temple.
After I doctored up my coffee and took a few sips, my mind cleared enough to ask, “Is Cormac sleeping?”
“Oh no,” Lily answered. “Our boy is an early riser. He’s out for a run. He should be back soon, though.”
“A run.” The thought made my brain hurt. “He’s disciplined.”
He’d always been that way. Cormac had taught me how to run when I was twelve. We’d started slow, just to the river and back, and had gradually added distance. His legs were twice the length of mine, but he’d stayed by my side the whole way without complaint. I hadn’t done a lot of running lately. Maybe this was the summer I’d get back to it.
Just…not when I was hungover.
“He is.” Connell placed a gooey cinnamon bun in front of Lily and me before taking the seat at the head of the table. “He has a gym in one of the spare rooms upstairs, but he mostly does his running outside. It’s rare he misses a day.”
Lily crinkled her nose. “Even in the snow. It’s barbaric.”
Connell patted her hand. “That’s your California showing. Cormac is a Wyoming boy, born and bred. He’s heartier stock. Cold weather doesn’t slow him down.”
Breakfast with Connell and Lily was a delight, despite my tilt-a-whirl stomach and the low throb in my head. The coffee and cinnamon bun helped, but it was their company that really eased me through the morning. They told me about their travels, which were far and wide. They held hands and looked at each other like the secret of the universe was within their connection. And when it came time to ask me about my life, they didn’t dancearound my divorce. Lily was frank, and Connell was gentle, but by not avoiding it, it became less of athingand just another event in my past.
It made me think of how my own grandparents would have treated me.
If he were alive, my grandpa would have taken me on hikes in our woods to hunt for morels. He’d have let me be quiet with him or talk about anything I wanted.
My grandma would have sat me on the floor in front of her and brushed my hair until I fell asleep with my cheek on her knee.
Granddad might’ve taken me for a milkshake and a drive. He’d have cussed Jackson out and stood by me while I threw shells into the ocean, giving me space for my anger.