“Gracie, I’ve told you—”
“Just look at it, Grandma!”
She looked so serious that I decided to indulge her. I stepped away from the stove, where I’d been making pancakes for everyone, and sat down at the table.
I opened the box.
The kitchen suddenly felt too small.
My hands shook as I lifted out a stack of cash. Then I saw what lay beneath the cash, right at the bottom, and my heart nearly stopped.
For ten years, I’d been living a lie.
I opened the box.
I shook my head. This didn’t make sense.
I still clearly remembered the last time I’d seen my son, Daniel, and his wife, Laura. They’d dropped all seven children off at my place for a visit during the summer vacation.
I had laughed and said, “This feels like I’ve been invaded.”
Daniel had grinned, kissed my cheek, and said, “You love it. Just don’t send them back too spoiled.”