Free Reserved by Tracy Ewens Page B

blue-sky-on-a-Saturday-afternoon eyes. Kenna thought about Adam from time to time, but she missed him every time she saw his parents. Missed him for her own selfish reasons and missed him for them. She could never imagine what it had been like for them to lose a child. At the time, she was too absorbed in her own grief to even notice, but time had a way of sorting through pain, and now she was able to see. She was able to be there for them and share her daughter.
    “Fritters smells yummy.” Paige held her fresh-out-of-the-dryer pig up to Kenna’s nose.
    “He sure does. Okay, I think we’re all set. Anything else you think you’ll need?”
    Paige shook her head, so Kenna put her favorite blanket on top and zipped up her bag.
    The doorbell rang.
    Paige ran to the door, and Kenna heard happy greetings along with oohs and ahhs as Paige got an early start on what’d been happening in her life. Kenna took a deep breath, picked up the polka-dot bag, and went out to greet Adam’s parents.
    “There she is,” his father exclaimed and pulled her in for a hug.
    Kenna hugged him back and then leaned in to kiss Karen on the cheek.
    “You look wonderful.” Karen Conroy was clearly being generous, as always.
    “Thank you. You guys do too,” Kenna said, handing Paige’s bag to Bill.
    “So, anything we need to know about Little Miss here?” Bill ruffled Paige’s hair and she grabbed his hand.
    “Oh, I’m sure she’ll give you an earful, but no medicines; she’s great and very excited to spend time with you guys.”
    “Yes, I am,” Paige exclaimed.
    “What will you do with yourself for four days without her? Sleep probably.” Karen laughed.
    “Mama’s going to start dating.”
    Makenna thought she’d experienced awkwardness with Travis these past few weeks, but this topped it.
    “Oh,” escaped her in-laws’ mouths in unison.
    Makenna crouched down next to Paige. “Honey, where did you hear that?”
    “Mama, sometimes I use my earphones to trick you.” She giggled, and so did Makenna.
    “Okay, good to know.” She stood and tried to soften the concern in Adam’s parents’ eyes, but before she had a chance, Bill put his hand on her shoulder.
    “There’s no need to explain to us.”
    “Of course not. You’re a young, beautiful woman, and it’s been a long time.”
    “Frankly, we were surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”
    “You were?” Kenna was relieved.
    “Honey, we want you to be happy, and he . . . Adam would want that too. You know that, right?” Karen seemed to be forcing herself to say her son’s name as if it was some coping exercise, but Makenna still saw the same raw pain in her eyes. She was pretty sure she always would.
    Kenna swallowed back things she thought had gone away. “I do. Thank you.”
    “We don’t need to get all crybaby,” Paige said. “Let’s go so Mama can meet someone like My Travis.”
    Kenna was sure shock was all over her face.
    “Okay, that’s enough. You can tell Nino and Gigi all about your lunches and your Travis during the car ride.” Kenna rolled her eyes and moved her daughter and her dead husband’s parents out to their waiting car. Her life had never been a sitcom and hadn’t quite reached reality show crazy yet, but sometimes it felt pretty close.

    After Paige was safely tucked away with her grandparents, Makenna went to work. She checked off a little more than half her to-do list, which included meeting with the handyman again to explain why the hand sanitizers needed to be installed right side up. His assistant had installed them upside down and when he first arrived to observe what Kenna thought was a clear mistake, he looked at her and said, “Looks kind of cool like that, no?”
    It often amazed Kenna that something so simple, which seemed obvious to her, was lost on some people. “No, it’s not cool,” she had responded, and they spent a good part of the morning making things right. She’d earned a lunch, so she sat with Sage to