Grandma Jo made a noise under her breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. “She’s leaving for England tomorrow. And I have the party . . .”

“England?” A stab of concern sliced through me. “Arthur, too?”

“I don’t know.” Her eyes met mine. “I’m sorry, Finley, but she didn’t say where he was going, only that they were both leaving Oklahoma first thing in the morning.”

I found Ayisha helping Reggie move some tables around the perimeter of the lobby. As soon as Reggie returned to the kitchen, I made a beeline for Ayisha.

“Hey! I need you to do me a favor.”

The look she shot me stopped me in my tracks. “Oh? Now it’s I need to do you a favor?”

I held up a single finger. “Let me rephrase that.”

“Good idea.”

“Ayisha.” I put my hands together. “Would you possibly consider texting Arthur a photo?” Ayisha leaned back, decidedly wary, and I caught on. “Not that kind of photo. A pic of daal.”

“Doll?”

“It’s an Indian dish. See?”

I showed her my phone with the pic I’d snapped earlier. “Oh, that dish Mrs. B’s making.”

“Exactly. I think Arthur and his aunt should know about it, and especially that Grandma Jo had it made for them, in case they changed their minds and stopped by for the party.”

Ayisha raised an eyebrow. “There’s a blizzard outside. I don’t think they’re coming back for a party.”

A sense of defeat washed over me. Of course she was right. Why would they possibly leave the safe, warm confines of whatever hotel it was they were staying at to brave the elements to come to a party at an inn they left only the day before? The notion had been half-baked at best, but when confronted by common sense, it became nonsense. And depressing.

She cocked her head to one side. “Did Ms. Brown break up with Arthur’s aunt?”

My mouth dropped. “Am I the only one who didn’t know about my grandmother?”

“You didn’t know?” Her brown eyes danced with amusement.

“Oh, come on!” I threw my hands up in the air dramatically, which caused Ayisha to laugh.

She shoved my shoulder. “This is too easy. I didn’t know either until I caught her and the aunt a few nights ago out in the courtyard. Don’t worry, it was strictly PG-13.”

“Can we concentrate on something less mentally unnerving?”

“Why can’t you text Arthur the food pic?”

“I promised I wouldn’t text him, and yes, this is a total work-around, which I was trying to avoid, but honestly? Grandma Jo is so sad.”

That resonated for Ayisha. She bit her lower lip. “Yeah, I could tell something was off. She forgot lipstick.”

“Right?”

Ayisha held up her phone. “Text me the foodie pic.”

“You don’t think it’s a stupid idea?”