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Gran’s eyes shot daggers at Odelia’s fianc?. “Of course I don’t miss Tex. It’s just that at my age any change of routine is a lot harder to bear. You’ll see when you’re as old as me.”

“You’re not that old, Gran,” said Odelia, earning herself a smile from her grandmother.

“Thanks, honey,” said Gran, affectionately patting her granddaughter on the cheek. She brought her piece of toast, now liberally smeared with strawberry jam, to her lips and took a big bite. There was nothing wrong with Gran’s appetite.

“I miss Mom and Dad,” said Odelia. “Though I’m happy they finally got the chance to fulfill an old dream.”

Her mother and father had left the week before for a three-week trip around Europe. London, Paris, Rome, Venice, Amsterdam… They were doing it all and doing it in style. Odelia had been getting tons of pictures, and her mother’s Facebook feed was full of snapshots of the two of them in front of Buckingham Palace, the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum… And in every picture they looked a little tanner and more relaxed.

“I wouldn’t mind going on a trip around Europe myself,” said Gran now. “Though it wouldn’t be much fun on my own. I’d have to find a friend to tag along.”

She darted a meaningful glance at Odelia, but the latter held up her hand.“I can’t get away right now. I have a big story to tackle for Dan, and he’d kill me if I took off.” Not to mention that her piggy bank couldn’t afford the financial onslaught of three weeks in Europe.

“How about Scarlett?” asked Chase. “I thought you and her were BFFs now?”

Gran’s face sagged. “It’s one thing to finally be reconciled again, but another to be joined at the hip for almost a month while you hopscotch around an entire continent.”

“I’m glad you two are getting along so well again,” said Odelia. “And maybe you could start by going on a weekend trip together? See how it goes?”

Gran didn’t look convinced. “Mh,” she responded unenthusiastically. “She friended me on Facebook the other day, and has been sending me a never-ending string of personal messages.”

“That’s very nice of her,” said Odelia encouragingly. “It shows she really wants this friendship to work.”

“All pictures of half-naked men,” Gran clarified. “I’m starting to think the woman is some kind of nymphomaniac. I mean, I like the male form just as much as the next gal, but there are limits to the number of oiled-up pecs and glistening six-packs you can see.”

“She probably thought you’d like it.”

“Yeah, well, I don’t, and when I see her I’ll tell her in no uncertain terms what I think of all of this spam.” And with these words, she got down from her stool, dumped her plate in the sink and stalked off, presumably to start her move into the spare room.

“She’s in a mood,” Chase remarked.

“I think she misses Mom and Dad a lot more than she’s letting on,” said Odelia. “I miss them, and I don’t even live with them.”

“Looks like we’re turning our office-slash-gym into a spare bedroom again, huh?”

“Yeah, looks like it,” said Odelia, and placed a hand on her understanding boyfriend’s arm. “Sorry about that.”

“No, it’s fine,” said Chase. “I like your grandmother. She can be a handful, but she has a good heart, and I’m more than happy to accommodate her for two—“

“Three.”

Chase grimaced.“Three weeks.”

Odelia smiled. The last time Gran had moved in things had gotten a little tense. She hoped that this time the old lady would behave.

Her phone produced its telltale series of beeps, announcing a message from Mom, and she swiped to open the message. She smiled when she found herself glancing at her parents standing in front of what looked like a Roman centurion, goofy smiles on their faces, as Dad pretended to be engaged in a display of sword fight with the Roman.

Chase, glancing over her shoulder, said,“I can understand your gran. I wouldn’t mind taking a little vacation myself. Things have been pretty hectic at the office lately, and I’m due a vacation.”

“Yeah, me, too,” Odelia intimated. “Not Europe, though. We don’t have the time or the budget.”

“How about a weekend trip to the Keys? I think we could afford that, right?”

“Let’s talk about it once Mom and Dad are back,” Odelia suggested. A weekend trip was fine, but what she really longed for, she now realized, was the kind of vacation that involved a lot of lazing around on a tropical beach somewhere, the blue azure water lapping at her feet, waiters at her every beck and call, umbrella drink in hand and a good book. But since that wasn’t in the cards, she simply sighed and put down her phone.

Just then, the doorbell chimed, and she got up, wondering who it could be. She wasn’t expecting any visitors. She opened the door to find her uncle standing on the mat, accompanied by a woman she’d never seen before.

Uncle Alec smiled widely, and said,“Would you like to go to Thailand for three weeks?”

Chapter 5