Chapter 431
Lindy Etheridge turned to Effie Bagnold and said, “Effie, you don’t need to remind me. I remember you love seafood, so I’ve already asked someone to pick up the freshest catch for you.”
Effie smiled warmly at her. “Thanks, Mom.”
That single word-Mom-struck Grace McCloud like a heavy blow, landing squarely in her chest.
On the surface, Grace’s expression remained calm, but inside, she was in turmoil. She hadn’t realized Effie and Lindy had grown so close-closer than she ever expected. Everything was happening too fast, faster than she could possibly keep up.
“Grace.”
Lindy called her name, pulling her abruptly from her thoughts. Grace blinked and looked at Lindy. “Yes, godmother?”
Lindy asked, “Didn’t Clay come back with you this time?”
At the mention of Clay, Grace’s face tightened just a bit. “No, he couldn’t. He’s still tied up with work, so he couldn’t get away so soon.”
Lindy nodded sympathetically. “You must be exhausted, always going back and forth on your own. It’s not right.”
Then she glanced over at her husband. “Lyman, doesn’t your firm have any projects Clay could work on? If he came back, Grace’s family could finally be together again.”
As Lindy spoke of the family being reunited, she cast another look in Grace’s direction.
Grace forced a smile, trying to seem at ease.
Just then, Effie felt something damp beneath her hand. She turned to see Andie, whose pants were soaked-he’d wet himself.
Automatically, Effie glanced at Grace, curious to see how she’d handle the situation.
Catching Effie’s gaze, Grace followed it to Andie and saw the wet patch on his trousers. Her face changed in an instant.
She rushed over and barked, “Andie! What on earth is wrong with you? You’re too old for this-why didn’t you say something if you needed to go?”
Her voice was harsh and her face twisted in anger-she looked almost unhinged. She stopped herself before saying anything worse, but Andie was already terrified. He burst into tears, sobbing loudly.
The room fell silent, everyone stunned by the outburst.
Grace reached for Andie, trying to help him change his pants.
But Andie clung to Lindy, clutching her blouse so tightly he nearly stretched it out
of shape. He was willing to let anyone comfort him-anyone except Grace.
Effie couldn’t help but wonder. There was definitely something wrong with that relationship.
“Grace, calm down. You’re scaring him,” Lindy said gently.
But Grace didn’t seem to hear her, still intent on pulling Andie away.
Lindy was out of options; if this tug-of-war kept up, she’d be suffocated herself. Helplessly, she looked to her husband. “Lyman, a little help, please!”
Hearing his name, Grace’s eyes snapped into focus for a split second, but the moment passed just as quickly.
Lyman hesitated. He hated seeing his mother in such distress, but he wasn’t sure how to intervene. In the past, he would have pulled Grace away without a second thought. But things were different now-he was married, and he had someone he loved. He didn’t want Effie to
misunderstand or feel
uncomfortable.
Effie seemed to guess what he was thinking. She said quietly, “Let me handle it.”
Lyman glanced at her, uneasy-not because he doubted Effie could deal with Grace, but because he worried about Grace’s unpredictable anger. He didn’t want Effie to get hurt.