Compromise Me (Book Two of the Kirkland Family)

Compromise Me: Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Ronald Kirkland passed away the next afternoon.  Josie's grandmother had been right.  He was just waiting for everyone to make peace with it.  

Uncle Luke, Aunt Lauren and Josie's three cousins arrived from Spain during the early morning hours, was able to spend some time with Grandpa.

And then, during a silent prayer in the waiting room, all the family gathered around, Mary Alice appeared and announced the news.

She didn't cry.

Josie did.  Everyone else did.  But Mary Alice Kirkland went back to her husband with an earthly tune humming from her, dry eyes and a serene smile.

The next couple of days were difficult.  Justin and Luke managed the burial details, while Hannah and Lauren tended to Mary Alice.  Josie charged herself with keeping the kids occupied.  She hadn't seen Uncle Luke's girls, Bianca, Juliet and Samantha, in a long time, not since Samantha was born eight years ago, but they had grown up into beautiful young ladies, the two oldest girls being seventeen and eighteen.  Violet and Rose became exceptionally moody, bickering all the time, it seemed, when they thought no one could hear them.  But Josie knew it was just their grief talking.  They were only children.  And Jak lost his smile completely.  But he'd stopped lazing around so much and took control of a lot of things that surprised Josie.  Sunday night, he helped Josie fix dinner for the other kids and washed the dishes afterward without being asked.

Grandpa's demise changed the family.  And Josie began to understand so much more why Travis was so scared of changes in his life.

When Josie called Livie to tell her the news and that she would be staying in Conway for the remainder of the week, she also decided, on her own, that she had to permanently move out of her parents' house.  The girls were too old to be sharing a room, especially since Violet seemed fascinated with Grandma's wordless, persistent tune, and Rose had become sulky now that her sister no longer paid much attention to her.  Josie figured that Jak could move into her room with the private bathroom and one of the girls could change over to Jak's old room and share the upstairs bathroom.

Packing her stuff also gave Josie something to do to keep the grief from claiming her.  She discussed the issue with Hannah and her dad the last time she visited, and they both agreed to it, but now Josie figured was as good a time to move out as any.  They didn't like that Josie would not have her own room when she came home again, but they also agreed that this was the time to do it.  So much had changed already.  Why not just change it all while the rest was occurring?

And it kept her mind off Travis.  He finally stopped trying to call her by Sunday afternoon, and when she did get around to returning his calls, he didn't answer.  Josie figured he was busy with Tristan, still attempting to adjust the child to the fact that he didn't get a new daddy and mommy at the wedding.  But Josie missed them.  She replayed Travis' messages over and over, to hear his voice, yet they only made her sadder.

Arielle called her that night.  "Oh, Josie!  I'm soooo sorry!" Arielle sobbed into the phone.  "I called to check on Tristan, and Travis told me the news, and I'm so, so sorry!  Are you okay?  Do you need me to come back?  I'll come back.  I will."

Josie excused herself from her cousins and siblings gathered around a Monopoly board and went outside to the backyard.  "I'm fine, Ari," Josie said, a lift to her heart at hearing her friend's voice.  "And don't you dare cut your honeymoon short on my account.  I'll be okay until you get back, I promise."

"Are you sure?  Cuz, you know, Niagara Falls is just a giant waterfall, and we can make one of those by ourselves.  I'm already crying for you.  People are looking at me funny."