He helped Carolyn to the table and pulled a chair up under her, then turned the bag over, spilling all the supplies he’d bought earlier that day across the table. “Any guesses yet?”
“Oh…” Her eyes lifted to Josh’s. “A suncatcher?”
“Bingo.”
Her fingers shifted through the large black butterfly foam shape and the rainbow of tissue paper. “Josh… You’re such a sweet boy.” She smiled at him sadly. “I know you must miss your team, your work as a SEAL, but Grace and I missed you so much when you were gone.”
He pulled a chair up to the table and clasped his hand over hers again. “I appreciated every letter, every package you sent. You know that, don’t you?”
“Of course. Thank you, sweetheart.”
“One of my favorites was the one you sent right before my accident. Which is why I chose this project for tonight.”
“I’m sorry, son.” She looked a little worried. “I don’t remember what package you’re talking about.”
“How could you?” he said, making light of her memory lapse. “You sent so many, there’s no way you could keep track. It was a box of different suncatchers you’d made with your second graders, who donated them to our team.”
She raised her brows, and Josh could see her searching her memory with no luck. As he set up the craft, spreading out newspaper and lining up all the supplies, he said, “Each kid made a different design. So I hung the turtle in Dunlap’s room, because he’s always late.”
That made Carolyn laugh, and the distress in her eyes eased.
“And I gave the elephant to Ghost, because he’s got that damned photographic memory. The rooster went to Decker, because he’s just a…”
Ooops.
“Prick?” she supplied with a sly little grin.
Humor tickled his insides, and he burst out laughing. Carolyn joined in. Josh hadn’t felt this good in so long. “And I gave the octopus to Joey, because he’s such a—”
“Pussy,” she finished.
“And the peacock to—”
“Had to have been Bobby,” she said. “He liked to strut his stuff for the ladies.”
“How’d you know that? He was always on his best behavior unless he was alone with the guys.”
“Not always.” She smiled down at the colorful paper. “I heard about his antics at the diner where Grace used to work.”
Josh chuckled, remembering how Bobby’s crude pickup line had backfired on him. “She told you about the pickle?”
Carolyn’s brow creased, and she gave Josh a curious grin. “Remind me.”
“So, Bobby ordered a burger. Grace told him the restaurant makes the best pickles in the county and asked if he’d like one on the side. Bobby comes back with ‘I’ve already got a great pickle, honey, but I’d be willing to share it with you.’
“Without a second’s pause, Grace wrinkles her nose but keeps her voice sugary sweet and says, ‘No, thanks. All those pickles get canned around here.’ ”
Carolyn’s laugh was rich and flowing, and the sound seemed to sparkle through Josh’s chest. “That’s my girl.”
Josh squeezed Carolyn’s hand. “I’ve missed you.”
“I’ve missed you too, but Grace has missed you most.”
Guilt bubbled up again, and after everything he’d discovered over the last two days, he wondered if it would ever clear. He’d been wrong to leave her last year. Wrong to stay away. When it came to Grace, he’d been just as selfish as Beck. Doing it for the right reasons didn’t make the hurt feel any different.
“She hasn’t been the same since you left,” Carolyn continued. “Oh, she’s good at pretending. Everything’s fine, Mom. I love my job, Mom. I don’t need a man in my life, Mom. But I know my girl. Just because my memory slips now and then doesn’t mean I can’t still read her—or you—when all my marbles are clanking around this old jar.”
She knocked her fist against her skull, making Josh smile.