Found

THREE

THREE

For no other reason than it made good sense, Poppy did go to her bedroom to get dressed before heading to Grammie’s suite. She tried to hold onto her anger but was fighting a losing battle. Under normal circumstances, it was difficult to be mad at her eccentric grandmother. With the woman recently surviving a heart attack, being mad at her was even harder than usual.

Poppy knocked on Grammie’s bedroom door, expecting to hear a shout granting entry from inside. Instead, the door burst open, startling her.

Grammie came striding out, almost bowling her granddaughter over. “Let’s go for a walk,” Marigold declared, seizing Poppy’s arm to direct them along the hallway.

“Grammie,” Poppy said, going with her, though it wasn’t like she had a choice. “You’re meddling.”

Her grandmother didn’t sound angry. In fact, the air of delight was obvious in her tone. “And you lied to me,” the woman said, guiding them down the stairs. “You said there was no stud.”

“Grammie,” Poppy said again. “Turner isn’t a stud.”

Marigold laughed. “I’ve seen the man, Tater-Tot and he is definitely a bona fide stud.”

“He’s attractive, I know but—”

“Attractive? He’s hot, Poppy, dear,” Grammie said, squeezing them closer together as they went out onto the terrace. “And he has rough hands.”

“I don’t even want to know how you know that.”

“You know how I feel about rough hands. He works for a living.”

Leaving the stone terrace, they carried on strolling on the grass. “Yes, he does, and that’s exactly the problem. He doesn’t have the time to waste playing games here. He could lose everything if he doesn’t get home soon.”

“I didn’t teach you very well if you think there’s anything physical that can’t be replaced. Turner understands that people can’t be replaced or substituted. He loves you.” Hearing that didn’t help Poppy’s resolve. “I don’t know why you have a problem with that or why you’d send him away. He wants to be with you, Poppy, and he’s a good man.”

“He’s an excellent man,” Poppy said. “The best and most honorable man I’ve ever met. That’s why he has to go back. He has a family who rely on him. He has five sisters and lost his father—”

“When he was eighteen, I know,” Grammie said. “He told me all about his mother and his sisters. I have to say, I identify with Valerie. She and I both loved our husbands totally and completely, and we lost them too soon. Ed did a far better job with Turner than my father did with yours.”

“So you’re friends now?” Poppy asked, thinking back to how she’d found out about his family and it wasn’t in an open and honest discussion the night they met. “You and Turner are friends?”

“Yes, we’re family,” Grammie said. “He’s going to marry my favorite granddaughter. Father my great grandbabies.”

Mortified, Poppy hadn’t thought she’d ever be one of those people who believed Marigold had gone too far. “You said that to him? Grammie! Oh my God!”

“He said it to me,” Grammie said, innocent yet impressed. “He’s a determined man.”

“It will ruin his life,” Poppy said, trying to restrain her emotions. “Coming here, giving up everything, leaving his sisters… He’ll resent me for it and he’ll be right. He’s dedicated his life to caring for his family and his friends… I can’t be the reason he leaves them.”

“And you don’t think he’ll grow to resent them for keeping him from you? You’re his future, Poppy. The future that he wants. Whatever becomes of your lives, the family will be happy as long as you can be together.” The air around Marigold became more somber. “Don’t make the mistake of thinking that you have forever. He’s approaching the age Will and Ed were when we lost them. How would you feel if you wasted this time you have with your love?”

“Turner is not going to die.”

“Val and I would’ve said the same thing about our husbands,” Grammie said. “You haven’t learned how precious a gift love is.”

“I have,” Poppy said, focusing on the grass. “I’ve learned how it consumes a person… and how it alters everything you know about the world.”

“Does it?”

“Yes,” Poppy said, knowing that her grandmother was aware of exactly what she meant. “I know what you’re trying to do and I appreciate it. I know your heart is in the right place, but please, please understand that I know Turner better than you do. I know his family. They need him.”

“It’s your job as his partner in life to do what’s best for him, not anyone else, him… at least until you have children of your own.”

The more they talked, the more frustrated Poppy became. Even the clean sea air and the glorious sunshine couldn’t dampen her dismay.

“We’re not going to have children, we can’t have children.”

Grammie stopped to turn her around so they faced each other. “Is something wrong? Did you go to a doctor?”

“I don’t mean like that,” Poppy said. “I mean, he has enough obligation in his life, enough mouths to feed… producing more would be irresponsible.”

“You’re not going to convince me money is a problem,” Grammie said, stroking her hair. “Tot, I’d sign everything over to you in a heartbeat.”

“That’s not what he’d want… that’s not what I want. Turner’s children shouldn’t be raised like this, like we were. He’d be the kind of father to get down in the muck with his babies. Teaching them how to build things, how to put things together. You should see how he is with his nephew, Noah. It would melt your heart.”

Grammie’s smile warmed as it formed. “Listening to you talk of them does that.” Putting an arm around her waist, Grammie started walking again. “You have the means to build any life you want. You shouldn’t take this opportunity for granted. He’s here, for you.”

“But he shouldn’t be here, he doesn’t belong here.”

“And you can’t go home with him because of Holden’s ridiculous games. Phooey… I wonder how Turner feels about Holden.”

“Don’t pull on that thread, please,” Poppy said. “Turner already made it clear that he’d get between me and Holden if he showed up.”

“You talked to him about that?”

“I talked to him about everything.”

“Except how you felt,” Grammie said, squeezing her. “I think both of you tried to protect yourselves, maybe tried to wish it away, but both of you should know better. Real love doesn’t care if it’s inconvenient, it strengthens with every second that passes. You can’t ignore it or fight it.”

“Maybe not, but we can act in spite of it. Trust me, if this was an ideal world, we’d be able to do everything we want without worrying about the consequences. But real life isn’t like that.”

They descended some shallow stairs and passed part of the walled garden.

“Going out there into the real world was supposed to show you what freedom was like. It wasn’t supposed to teach you that rules and constraints were better. What happened to you, Tater-Tot? You were never cynical.”

Shaking her head, Poppy watched their step. “This isn’t pessimism…” She took a breath. “Grandpa lasted about ten years here before he died. If you could do it over again, knowing he’d live longer with his freedom, wouldn’t you do it?”

“Will didn’t die because of where we lived.” Grammie paused. “Though I’d say, in retrospect, we were happier before we came back here.”

“Exactly!” Poppy exclaimed, jumping on the admission. “Because this wasn’t the kind of life Grandpa wanted. He loved you and knew that he couldn’t give you and Dad this kind of opulent life, but in his heart, he was never a drawing room and twenty-one hundred acres kind of guy.”

“You’re pushing Turner away so he doesn’t have to attend one of your mother’s absurd parties?”

“No,” she said on a sigh.

Because the Maddox family needed their leader and it wasn’t in Turner to abandon his blood.

“Aitken!”

Grammie’s exclamation startled Poppy into looking around. She wasn’t wholly surprised that her grandmother had steered them towards the construction site.

The basic structure of the guest house was in place. The roof wasn’t done and there weren’t any windows, doors, or even stairs from what Poppy could see. The site was stacked with different materials and equipment.

Grammie adjusted their trajectory to meet the man she’d called out to. As he approached, a smile curled his lips; there was something shrewd about his somewhat weather-beaten appearance.

“Come to check on us, Mari?”

Her Grammie was informal with everyone on the estate and even accepted a kiss on the cheek from the taller, well-built man.

“I’ve come to check how your new man is fitting in, Aitken,” Marigold said. “Did I find you a good one?”

Opening her mouth in a silent exhale, Poppy did side-eye her grandmother, but she didn’t notice.

“He’s a gem. Works harder than most of the guys on site. With him around, we might get out early.”

Grammie made a sound of joy. “Wonderful!”

“I’d love to know where you dug him up.”

“Oh, you won’t find another man like him,” Marigold said. “My granddaughter assures me of that.”

Aitken’s attention switched to the younger Granger. “You know Turner, huh? Guess that explains the visit.”

“Poppy has a special interest in this project. Poppy, this is Aitken. Aitken, Poppy.”

“Nice to meet ya,” Aitken said, casting a discerning eye over her. “What’s the interest? You moving in here after it’s built?”

“That’s a great idea,” Grammie exclaimed, her eyes wide with expectation when they landed on her granddaughter.

“I don’t think so,” Poppy said, holding onto her frustration. “Shouldn’t we get back to the house for lunch and let these guys get on with their work?”

“I requested they serve lunch down here today,” Grammie said, backing up to the bench by another set of stairs that led back to the walled garden. “I like to eat in the sun.”

Except if that was all she wanted, they could’ve eaten on the external terrace at the house.

“Do you have plans for later in the day, Aitken?” Grammie asked, seating herself. “How much longer until you knock off?”

The foreman sauntered over to the elder Granger. “We can stay the day if you need us, Mari.”

“No! Not at all, it’s Saturday. I was always impressed that you did work on a Saturday.”

“Just bits and pieces we didn’t get to in the week. We’ll be back Monday for a full shift,” Aitken said, folding his arms. “Some of the guys plan to take the new guy into town, show him around. There are a couple of places up for lease he wants to look at.”

That raised Poppy’s chin. “Lease?” she asked, looking beyond Aitken. “He can’t be… Is he around?”

“Turner? Yeah.” Aitken faced the site to holler. “Maddox! Get your a*s out here!”

That call reminded Poppy of work with Charley; the pink-haired beauty got chewed out for chatting on a regular basis. She missed the sisters. All of them. Zoey’s prom would’ve taken place the previous Saturday. Poppy didn’t even know if the girls had told their families about their relationship or how it went down if they did.

Charley. Faye… the munchkins.

Her thoughts had revolved so much around Turner that there hadn’t been room to open them up for everyone. No, that was the simple way to look at it. The truth was, Poppy hadn’t let herself think about the Maddox family. If she did, grief would overtake her.

“There a party going on?”

Turner’s voice tugged her from her funk. He was coming up beside them, tee-shirt, workpants, heavy boots. Why was her mind suddenly drawn to thoughts of sawdust and walking into apartment thirteen in the Venture for the first time?

“…glorious and clear today,” Grammie was saying. “Supposed to be a little cooler tomorrow and Monday.” Turner joined them. “Ah, my boy, how are you today? Come and give Grammie a kiss.”

Stepping past her, Turner bowed to do just that. “You look beautiful today, Grammie.”

“Of course I do, you’re a charmer.”

“Don’t encourage him,” Poppy said, grabbing his hand. “Would you both excuse us please?”