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Authors: Jennifer Allee
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around them growing white.
Izzy controlled the urge to sigh. She’d messed up. She should have told her mother about the gift right away. But how would that have gone? Hi, Mom. How are you feeling? Check out the awesome necklace that Gran probably should have left to you but she gave to me instead. Not very tactful, but most likely wouldn’t have garnered a much stronger reaction.
“Mom, I—”
The opening notes of Beethoven’s Fifth sang out as Janice’s cell phone vibrated on the stand beside the bed.
“Before you scold me, don’t,” Janice said. “I asked the nurse and made sure it was OK to have my phone on in here.”
Izzy put her hands up. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” She picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. “It’s Vibrant Vistas.”
Janice groaned. “I don’t have the strength to deal with them right now.” Without lifting her head from the pillow, she rolled it to the side to look at Izzy. “Would you talk to them?”
“Sure.” She’d do just about anything if it meant they could avoid talking about Gran’s latest gift. Izzy jabbed the button on the phone and held it against her ear. “Hello?”
“Janice Fontaine?” The voice on the other end was strained.
“No, this is her daughter, Isabella.”
“Oh, Izzy!” Like flipping a light switch, the woman’s tone became bright and upbeat. “It’s Laura, from Vibrant Vistas.”
“Hi, Laura.” After frequent visits to see Gran, Izzy was on a first-name basis with most of the folk who worked there. “My mom isn’t available right now. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Well, yes. I hate to bring this up, but … we need to clear out your grandmother’s room.”
Izzy looked at her mother, who had suddenly become fascinated by the tiny pieces of meat on her lunch tray. “I thought that was taken care of.”
“Not yet.” Laura paused, then pushed forward, speaking so fast that all her words ran together. “I’m sorry. It’s probably the last thing you want to think about right now, but we need the space.”
“There’s no need to be sorry. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
With Laura happily taken care of, Izzy disconnected the call and set the phone back on the bedside stand. “Mother?”
“Hmm?” She didn’t look up from her tray.
“I thought you got everything out of Gran’s room.”
Janice dropped her fork on the plate and fell back against the mattress, eyes closed. “I tried. But every time I thought about it, it overwhelmed me. I just couldn’t bring myself to go there.”
Izzy clenched her jaw, determined not to lose her cool. If Mom had just let her take care of it in the first place, like she was going to, it would already be done. But Janice had been adamant that she wanted to be the one to collect her mother’s things.
“You don’t understand how hard it is for me,” her mother continued. “She never wanted me around when she was alive, so why would she want me going through her things now that she’s gone?”
“I know you and Gran had a complicated relationship. But no matter what problems you had, she loved you. And I love you. But right now, I have to go.” And clean up the mess you left for me. Izzy kissed her mother on the forehead and headed for the door.
“Izzy.”
She turned around. Mom looked so pitiful, but the look on her face was hopeful, like she had something earth-shattering to say. “What, Mom?”
“Do you know when Brandon’s going to get here?”
Izzy’s shoulders drooped. “No. But I’ll call him on my way out.”
“Well now, this is a surprise.”
The smile on Virgil’s face gave Izzy the emotional boost she’d hoped for.
“I told you I’d come visit.” She held out a white bakery bag. “And I brought you something.”
He opened it, looked inside, then took a good long whiff. “Ah. Fresh brownies. How did you know?”
Izzy shrugged. “I guessed. Gran used to tell me how hard it was to get something sweet here,
Izzy controlled the urge to sigh. She’d messed up. She should have told her mother about the gift right away. But how would that have gone? Hi, Mom. How are you feeling? Check out the awesome necklace that Gran probably should have left to you but she gave to me instead. Not very tactful, but most likely wouldn’t have garnered a much stronger reaction.
“Mom, I—”
The opening notes of Beethoven’s Fifth sang out as Janice’s cell phone vibrated on the stand beside the bed.
“Before you scold me, don’t,” Janice said. “I asked the nurse and made sure it was OK to have my phone on in here.”
Izzy put her hands up. “I wasn’t going to say anything.” She picked up the phone and looked at the caller ID. “It’s Vibrant Vistas.”
Janice groaned. “I don’t have the strength to deal with them right now.” Without lifting her head from the pillow, she rolled it to the side to look at Izzy. “Would you talk to them?”
“Sure.” She’d do just about anything if it meant they could avoid talking about Gran’s latest gift. Izzy jabbed the button on the phone and held it against her ear. “Hello?”
“Janice Fontaine?” The voice on the other end was strained.
“No, this is her daughter, Isabella.”
“Oh, Izzy!” Like flipping a light switch, the woman’s tone became bright and upbeat. “It’s Laura, from Vibrant Vistas.”
“Hi, Laura.” After frequent visits to see Gran, Izzy was on a first-name basis with most of the folk who worked there. “My mom isn’t available right now. Is there something I can help you with?”
“Well, yes. I hate to bring this up, but … we need to clear out your grandmother’s room.”
Izzy looked at her mother, who had suddenly become fascinated by the tiny pieces of meat on her lunch tray. “I thought that was taken care of.”
“Not yet.” Laura paused, then pushed forward, speaking so fast that all her words ran together. “I’m sorry. It’s probably the last thing you want to think about right now, but we need the space.”
“There’s no need to be sorry. I’ll be there in a few hours.”
With Laura happily taken care of, Izzy disconnected the call and set the phone back on the bedside stand. “Mother?”
“Hmm?” She didn’t look up from her tray.
“I thought you got everything out of Gran’s room.”
Janice dropped her fork on the plate and fell back against the mattress, eyes closed. “I tried. But every time I thought about it, it overwhelmed me. I just couldn’t bring myself to go there.”
Izzy clenched her jaw, determined not to lose her cool. If Mom had just let her take care of it in the first place, like she was going to, it would already be done. But Janice had been adamant that she wanted to be the one to collect her mother’s things.
“You don’t understand how hard it is for me,” her mother continued. “She never wanted me around when she was alive, so why would she want me going through her things now that she’s gone?”
“I know you and Gran had a complicated relationship. But no matter what problems you had, she loved you. And I love you. But right now, I have to go.” And clean up the mess you left for me. Izzy kissed her mother on the forehead and headed for the door.
“Izzy.”
She turned around. Mom looked so pitiful, but the look on her face was hopeful, like she had something earth-shattering to say. “What, Mom?”
“Do you know when Brandon’s going to get here?”
Izzy’s shoulders drooped. “No. But I’ll call him on my way out.”
“Well now, this is a surprise.”
The smile on Virgil’s face gave Izzy the emotional boost she’d hoped for.
“I told you I’d come visit.” She held out a white bakery bag. “And I brought you something.”
He opened it, looked inside, then took a good long whiff. “Ah. Fresh brownies. How did you know?”
Izzy shrugged. “I guessed. Gran used to tell me how hard it was to get something sweet here,
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