When Paige came stepping out of the restroom, Rachel put her phone away and smiled down to her daughter. All good to go?

Yeah. Mom, you didnt have to come in.

Oh, yes I did, she said, and in the back of her head, she saw that dead squirrel vividly.

***

Miraculously, Rachel was able to complete the drive to Aiken, South Carolina, without stopping for more bathroom breaks. Grandma Tate greeted them warmly, waiting for them on her front porch. Rachel noticed that when Paige hugged her grandmother, she did so very cautiously. She still didnt understand quite what was wrong with Grandma Tatejust that she was sick and it was a serious sort of sick that might not always look too bad.

I dont know what your parents have told you, Grandma Tate told Paige, but things arent that bad yet. Now how about giving me a proper hug?

As Rachel watched them embrace, she was reminded of how Paige had found out about Grandma Tates diagnosis in the first place. It had been Peter, telling her in an almost causal way while she, Rachel, had been out of town on a case. It was a wretched feeling, but in that moment, she hated him a bit and was glad hed stepped out.

Grandma Tate led them inside and right away, Rachel knew how the visit was going to go. Grandma Tate was going to do everything she could to make sure it was a fun tripto make sure no sad or awkward conversations popped up. Shed already taken out some of Paiges favorite board games, stacked on the coffee table and waiting to be opened. Shed also taken out an old cookbook and insisted that Paige help her learn to finally make a cheesecake that doesnt fall apart.

Rachel smiled through it all, all the way up to that afternoon when they ended up in the back yard, playing a very sloppy and unorthodox game of croquet. She understood the need for distraction and deflection. After all, Grandma Tate and Paige still didnt know about her diagnosis. On top of that, she had no intention of telling her grandmother that it appeared her marriage might also be over. As for the unfortunate event of the dead squirrel in Paiges room, there was no way in hell she was talking about that. Shed even had a discussion with Paige on the way down about how they shouldnt tell Grandma Tate about it because it would only make her worry; and worrying was not something she should be doing in her current state.