Restless Hope

Chapter 35 - Part 1

Isaac

I knock on Beth's door. She answers it. Her eyes widen as she sees me. She's already dressed for bed, wearing a pink silk robe that she wraps tightly around her body, but not before I see a flash of black lace.

"Is everything all right, Isaac?" she asks, her eyebrows rising in surprise. I'm the last person she's probably expecting to see.

"Um..." I am trying to shake off the distraction of black lace. "Actually, no. Gran isn't feeling well. She's asking for you. Would you mind coming?"

"Of course," Beth says. "Let me change and I'll be right over."

"You don't have to change unless you want to. Gran won't care what you're wearing, and it shouldn't take long."

"Well, at least let me get some slippers on," Beth says.

"That would probably be a good idea."

We walk over to Malcolm Estate together. As we near the house, I know what's on Beth's mind. She's remembering Sophie and me kissing. I can tell by the way she fidgets with her robe and by the pained expression on her face. It doesn't take a body reading course to figure that out! If I could redo that moment when Sophie launched herself at me, I would. I would a hundred times.

Beth follows me up the stairs, into the house and living room. I've set Gran up on the couch and tried to make her comfortable. Beth goes straight to her and kneels on the floor, taking Gran's hands in hers and rubbing them gently.

"I can't remember," she says. "I have my pills, but I can't remember."

"Let's see," Beth says pleasantly. "I'm fairly certain I know what you need. You haven't taken anything tonight?"

Gran shakes her head.

"Isaac, can you get me a drink of water?"

"Of course," I say.

When I return with the water, Beth has Gran's pills in a neat row on the side table. She helps her swallow them.

"There, how's my Gran? Feeling any better?" Beth asks.

"A little."

Gran coughs a bit, then clears her throat.

"Flowers are pretty," she murmurs, pointing to a beautiful bouquet in a crystal vase on the coffee table.

"Yes they are," Beth says.

"Isaac brought them in from the garden. He's a good boy, don't you think?"

Beth darts a quick look in my direction.

"Yes, he is," she says.

"I want to see the pictures," Gran says.

Beth looks at me for confirmation.

"She's asking you to show her the scrapbook," I say, feeling a little sheepish. "She likes to look at it."

Beth pauses for a moment, then picks up the scrapbook she made me from off the coffee table and opens it up.

"Is there a particular picture you want to see?" she asks as she flips through the pages.

Gran nods.

"Just tell me when to stop," Beth says.

She flips through about five more pages before Gran grabs her arm.

I know without looking which picture it is—the one in the car, top down, wind in our hair, laughing. It's her favorite picture of us. Mine too.

"See?" she says, smiling sweetly at her. "You do make him laugh."