Henley,
I hope that by now you know all I wanted you to know. Things you should have known all along, and people you should have had in your life. I made a mistake keeping them from you. I did what I thought I had to do. Your mother had already proven to me that she would take you away. I couldn’t lose you again.
Now I am gone and all those fears are gone with me. But I didn’t leave you alone did I? Hillya is a good woman and I am thankful she’s there for you. I couldn’t have chosen a better grandmother for you other than me of course. She deserves some joy. She has lived many years with none. You, my girl, are a complete joy and I know she will find a reason to enjoy life again with you in it.
As for your brother, that is a regret that may stay with me even in the grave. That boy had a hard go of it for a long time. You are a gift to him more than he is to you. He has no father or mother, but he has a sister and I reckon that makes things better.
In this box are two more envelopes. One is the deed to this house. I imagine your mother wasn’t happy to hear from my lawyer that my will would be revealed at a certain time. Now is that time. My lawyer, Roger, will be contacting you soon. Betty will have called him by now. He’s her oldest son.
The deed to the house has been left to you along with my stocks and savings. It is up to you to sell the house or live in it. I know you have a home back in Chattanooga. I also know that you have been lost for quite some time. Trying to find your fit in this world. If you’ve found your way in The Shores then stay. If my small town isn’t the one for you then sell my house, take the money, and go find your town.
In the other envelope is a letter to your mother and a key to my safety deposit box. What is in it is what I left for her. When you are ready, give it to her and she can do with it what she may.
You have now met the people I cared for in that town the most. Lily, Wanda, Keerly and Betty all were special to me. Don’t forget them. Take time, if you can, to visit them. Lily is so broken I worry she’ll always be. A friend is all she needs. Wanda loves homemade lemon cookies and to talk about the past. Keerly is special and in time I believe that you will understand why, and Betty has been my closest friend since I was a young woman.
As you go on with the rest of your journey that we call life, know you were loved by your gran and cherished. I adored you from the moment you took your first breath. I was so proud of you. I want you to have a full life. One with love, happiness, and family. But I also want you to always be there to help others. See them when they are down and do your best to pick them up.
Serving others is the best medicine this life can give you.
One last thing, if you do fall in love with him please go slowly. Be careful. Trust your gut and know not all things are easy. Damaged things can become beautiful if they’re placed in the right hands. Loving someone isn’t always what we need but what they need.
Love you always,
Gran
I wiped at my tears and put the letter down on the counter.
Thirty-Six
I wasn’t ready to tell my mother about Gran’s letter. I wasn’t ready to tell Saul either. I needed time to think. True to Gran’s list, this wasn’t a twist I saw coming. Leaving here had been my plan because I hadn’t known there would be another option. Mom had told me when I was done with this summer, she would be putting the house up for sale. She had also threatened poor Roger with getting a lawyer of her own and getting Gran’s will.
That would have been a waste of money for her since the house wasn’t something she could fight for. My mom wasn’t going to be happy about the fact it was left to me along with the money Gran had saved and invested. That was a confrontation I didn’t want to deal with right now. I had my life to work out first.
I put the letter back in the box and tucked the box in the closet. This was all something I would deal with, just not today. Possibly not this week.
When I walked back into the living room, the door opened and Saul walked inside.
“Door wasn’t locked,” he pointed out with a scowl.
“It’s day time,” I replied.
“You’re here alone.”
I shrugged. “So?”
Saul went over to the sofa and sat down. “Come here, Henley.”
He liked to make demands and oddly enough I liked to obey them. I had never liked being told what to do. Even as a child I would act out when I felt I was being forced. With Saul, it was different.
He took my hand and pulled me down onto his lap. “How did the cookbook delivery go?” he asked.
“I have no other siblings if that’s what you’re asking.”
He grinned and laid his head back on the sofa to look at me. “That’s a positive.”
“How is Lily?” I asked him.
“She didn’t get drunk or high today and there was no cursing when I took her to the AA meeting.”
“That’s good,” I replied.
“Definitely could have been worse,” he agreed. “What’s your favorite movie?” The change in subject threw me as did the number of words he had spoken. So many words was very unlike Saul.
“That’s a hard question. I have a few that are all tied for first place,” I told him.
“And they are?”
“Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Bucket List, and Fried Green Tomatoes.”
He let out a burst of laughter. “That’s a fucking weird top three.”
I slapped his arm. “No, it’s not!”
He cocked one eyebrow. “Buffy the Vampire Slayer?”
I shrugged. “It’s a classic.”
“Fried Green Tomatoes? How old are you again?”
I laughed this time. “Fine. I’m weird.”
He slid a hand around my waist. “I’m almost scared to ask your favorite song. Is there a top three for that too?”
“Nope!” I replied.
“What is it?”
“There’s a top five,” I told him.
He laughed out loud again and all was right with the world. Saul laughing and smiling was becoming less rare.
“What are they then?” he asked.
I shook my head no. “Not after you laughed at me.”
His hand slid up my shirt and began to caress my back. “Come on. I want to know.”
“‘My Church’ by Maren Morris, ‘He Stopped Loving Her Today’ by George Jones, ‘Irreplaceable’ by Beyonce, ‘If I Knew’ by Bruno Mars, ‘Rockstar’ by Nickelback.”