“Hi, Grandma,” Olivia gently said as she came around into view.
Ruby looked up with a welcoming smile. “Olivia, sweetheart. What a pleasant surprise.” Her eyes crinkled at the corners.
Olivia sat on the sofa adjacent to her. “Yes, sorry for just dropping in, but I needed to visit today.”
Ruby used her pencil to mark her page in the book. She gave her granddaughter her full attention. She wore the soft pink sweater from a shop in Venice Beach that Olivia had also stuffed into her birthday gift basket. “Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?”
Seeing that she had taken great pains to keep her grandmother in the dark about her money problems, Olivia had thought carefully about how to tell her about the TV show and why she had to say yes to it.
“Remember when I was here on Sunday, and I told you Chuck and I broke up?”
“Oh yes. I was so sorry to hear that. Have you two made up yet?” Hope danced in her voice with as much spirit as the shine in her eyes.
“No, we haven’t,” Olivia said, and knew it would disappoint her grandmother. “But we did get invited to be part of this TV game show.”
“Oh! How exciting. What are you going to do?”
Olivia braced herself to navigate explaining the strange premise. “Well, that’s what I’m here to tell you. To be on the show, we have to go away for a month, so I won’t be able to visit you each weekend—but I’ll still call! And you can call me for anything, like always.”
Ruby blinked at her. “Where are they sending you?”
“Not far, Grandma. And I can come see you if anything urgent happens. Dr. Park knows she can call me for anything important.”
Ruby reached across the table and lovingly cupped Olivia’s cheek with her soft hand. “I’ll be fine, my dear. You and Chuck go off and do what you need to do to repair your relationship, hmm?” She gave her a little pat.
“Oh no. Grandma, that’s not what we’re—”
Ruby pushed herself up out of her chair with a soft grunt. “You know, the first time I met that boy, I knew there was something special about him, and something special between the two of you. I could see it on both your faces.”
The comment landed oddly on Olivia. There might have been some truth to it, but the time for granting it any importance had passed.
Ruby motioned for Olivia to stand with a wave of her hands. Olivia obeyed, and she folded her into a hug. “Listen, you go take care of your business, and I’ll be here. Don’t worry about me.”
“Okay, Grandma,” Olivia said once she had her breath back from being squeezed.
Ruby cupped her cheek again. “I’d rather see you work things out with Chuck than waste your time with this old lady.”
A cynical laugh burst from Olivia’s lips. “The first of those things is impossible and the second isn’t even true. You aren’t old.”
Ruby echoed a laugh. “You never were a good liar, my dear. Don’t try to flatter yourself out of your guilt for abandoning me for a month,” she said with a wink.
“Grandma, you just said not to worry about you—”
“I’m kidding! Now, go on,” Ruby said. “I’m sure you’ve got a busy day you need to get back to.” She kissed Olivia’s cheek and motioned her toward the door. “Send Chuck my love.”
Olivia waited until she’d turned away to roll her eyes.
•••
At long last, Olivia finishedall her chores and ended up out to dinner with Mansi. They landed at a trendy bistro on the Westside with an outdoor patio strung up with twinkling lights and an abundance of ferns. It felt like an enchanted jungle.
“So, how does it feel? Your last night of freedom,” Mansi asked as she sipped a glass of red wine the same color as her lipstick. Olivia had always been envious of the bold colors she could pull off. Where Olivia opted for pale pinks, peaches, and roses, Mansi stocked up on colors called Crimson Lust and Deep Merlot and those with vague though somehow still apt labels like Goddess.
Olivia sipped her own wine and felt it go down like a smooth tonic. One of her favorite parts of dining with Mansi was her impeccable taste. “Like I’m being sent upstate to a penitentiary tomorrow.”
“Yes, but instead of being locked up with all women, it will be only one hot guy you can’t stand.”
“Not helping, Mansi.”