Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret - Liz Kessler [23]
The woman — Nan — clapped a hand over her mouth and reached out to take Granddad’s arm with her other hand. “Is this really happening?” she asked him. “Are we really going to see our daughter again?”
He put his hand over hers. A lump in his throat was bobbing up and down, and it looked as though he was trying to speak. In the end he just squeezed her hand and nodded.
“Hang on a sec.” Millie rummaged in her bag. “Where is it? I bought it especially for the occasion. I’m sure it’s here some — ah!” She pulled a small camera out of her bag. “Right, close together everyone. Say cheese!”
Aaron and I stood awkwardly in front of my grandparents and tried to smile while Millie clicked away.
“Lovely!” she said with a smile. “Right, come on, let’s go and tell Mary P. you’re here!”
Closing the door behind them, the old couple followed Millie out of the cottage and up toward the pier. I walked along with Aaron. We were still holding hands. The tingling feeling still hadn’t gone away — and my heart rate still hadn’t slowed down. It felt weird to be holding his hand, but at the same time it felt like the most natural thing in the world.
We walked up the jetty and over toward our boat. Millie turned to my grandparents. My grandparents! It felt so strange to think that. “Ready?” she asked.
They nodded eagerly. “Definitely!” the man replied.
“Right, come on then.” Millie let herself in through the door, calling out to Mom as she did so. “Yoo-hoo! Mary P. — you’ll never guess who I’ve brought to see you!”
As my grandparents followed her inside, Aaron stopped. “I think you should go in on your own. It’s family stuff.” Then in a shy mumble, he added, “I’ll catch you later, though, won’t I?”
“Definitely!” I said.
He let go of my hand and smiled. My palm was still warm from the feel of his hand on mine. “See you later,” I said. And then he turned and left, and I went in for the happy reunion.
Only it wasn’t exactly what you could call happy.
My grandparents were doing the staring blankly thing again.
“What’s up?” I asked.
Millie stood in the middle of the room, gesticulating wildly. Mom stood behind her, arms folded, face like a shut door. “We’ve just been talking, over at your cottage! How can you not remember?” Millie was shouting.
“The cottage that we’re staying in for the weekend vacation that we won?” the woman asked.
“You didn’t win a competition!” Millie sighed. “That was a setup! A pretense. I’ve just explained all that!”
“You mean we shouldn’t be there?” the man asked. “Do we have to leave?”
I stood in front of the couple. “Nan? Granddad?” I said.
I might as well have been a Martian that had just landed on Earth for all the recognition in their eyes.
“Who are you?” the woman said eventually.
I bit back a tear that had started to creep up my throat. “It’s Emily,” I said. “Your granddaughter. I came over here with you.”
The couple looked at each other, totally baffled. What was going on?
“Just leave.” Mom’s voice was stern and cold. “You’ve had your fun, making a fool out of me. Now go.” Her arms were still tightly folded over each other. Her face was closed just as tightly.
Millie ushered the couple to the door. “I don’t understand,” she said. “I don’t get it.” She followed them outside and directed them back to their cottage. Then she came back in and shut the door behind her.
Mom slumped down at the table. “Oh, Millie,” she said. “What on earth did you do?”
“I — I thought it would be a wonderful surprise. A happy reunion. I thought it might jump-start the peacemaking process that’s supposed to be going on.”
“How could they be so cruel?” Mom whimpered. “Not to acknowledge me at all. To pretend they didn’t even know me. I never thought they could stoop so low. My own parents.”
I went over and put an arm around Mom. I wanted to say something to comfort her, but I couldn’t think of anything. What could I possibly say that could make up for what had just happened?
What had just happened?
They’d seemed so happy to see me, so excited to come and meet up with Mom — and then they’d looked