Chapter 690: Gram

I almost ran into Shenka on my way back inside as she emerged from Gram's room, Demetrius behind her.

The sad looks on their faces told me my grandmother wasn't taking Quaid's departure any better than his arrival.

"She'll be fine," Shenka said.

"No," Demetrius's lucid moment had gone, his small body doing a spinning jig, reminding me of Gram at her worst. "She's not. Not, snot, lotta good you'll do in there." He danced away, humming to himself, listing off rhyming words as he went.

I paused, eyes locked on my second, only then remembering our late-night visitor. "Can we talk after?"

She sighed, nodded. "I don't have any secrets from you," she said.

I hugged her before gently moving Shenka aside. "I know," I said. "Thank you for not giving me a hard time this morning."

Her lopsided grin tore down the last of my worry about last night. "And thanks for not chasing me down and accusing me of betraying the family to my own sister."

Eep. Did she guess I'd had those concerns?

I laid