by A W Hartoin
“He loves you. Grandad loves you,” I said.
“I know, and I love him.” She smiled. “But I’m not going to wait for him to make me happy anymore. That’s my job and I’m going to do it. You’ve taught me a lot during this trip.”
Don’t say that.
“I don’t think so,” I said.
“You don’t wait for something to happen. You just go out and do whatever needs doing,” said Grandma with pride. “You really are my favorite.”
“Are you sure about that? Isn’t there a neighbor you like better? One that isn’t weepy, snotty, spoiled, or ya know, me.”
“I’m sure. I wasn’t until this trip. I didn’t know you very well and I regret that. I let The Girls take you over. I thought they needed you, but I missed out.” She stood up and came over to kiss the top of my head.
“I guess I’ll take Porky Boy back with me, unless you’re planning on traveling with a cat,” I said.
“I am not, but it’s all arranged,” said Grandma. “Aaron will take him.”
“Where am I going to be?” I asked.
She drew me to my feet and said, “Ask the one that puts you first.” With that, my grandmother sashayed out into the grand hall of the Orsay to be escorted on the best tour possible.
Chuck went to follow but then turned to find me. He was always turning to find me. I smiled and he came over. “What’s up? You’ve got a look.”
“She’s not going back,” I said.
He nodded. “I had a feeling. Are you upset?”
“I don’t think so. It’s her life and who knows maybe Grandad will wake up.”
“I don’t know about him, but I’m very awake,” said Chuck.
“I know you are,” I said.
“This may not be the right time to say this, but we’re not going back, either.”
“No?”
“Nope. You and me. Christmas in Switzerland,” he said with a grin. “Good present, huh?”
“Nice try,” I said with a little elbow to the ribs.
Chuck got all shifty-eyed. “Whatever do you mean?”
“I appreciate the trip, but it doesn’t negate our bet.”
“Bet. What bet? I recall no bet,” he said.
“Good thing we put it in writing since your memory is clearly failing,” I said.
“I remember the important things.”
“Like how to wield a toilet brush?”
Chuck grabbed me and squeezed until I squeaked. “I come halfway around the world and I get no quarter from you. None at all.”
“A bet’s a bet,” I said. “You’d have made me eat that crab.”
“Never.”
“Oh, yes, you would.”
We bickered our way through the museum until we reached the clock overlooking the Seine and we stopped to gaze past the hands slowly marking time. Chuck and I looked out at the lights. So many lights. So many lives.
“Are you going to tell them about Elias and Giséle?” he asked.
“Not yet. I want DNA confirmation first.”
He wrapped his arms around me and said, “Everything’s going to change.”
I thought about Grandma and The Girls, Elias and Elijah. My father and his father. I wasn’t Mercy Watts. I’d known it for a while, but now it was real.
I turned around and pressed into him, holding on with all my strength to his steady support. I needed it like never before.
“Everything already has.”
The End
Also by AW Hartoin
Historical Thriller
The Paris Package (Stella Bled Book One)
Strangers in Venice (Stella Bled Book Two)
One Child in Berlin (Stella Bled Book Three)
Dark Victory (Stella Bled Book Four)
* * *
Young Adult fantasy
Flare-up (Away From Whipplethorn Short)
A Fairy's Guide To Disaster (Away From Whipplethorn Book One)
Fierce Creatures (Away From Whipplethorn Book Two)
A Monster’s Paradise (Away From Whipplethorn Book Three)
A Wicked Chill (Away From Whipplethorn Book Four)
To the Eternal (Away From Whipplethorn Book Five)
* * *
Mercy Watts Mysteries
Novels
A Good Man Gone (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book One)
Diver Down (A Mercy Watts Mystery Book Two)
Double Black Diamond (Mercy Watts Mysteries BookThree)
Drop Dead Red (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Four)
In the Worst Way (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Five)
The Wife of Riley (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Six)
My Bad Grandad (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Seven)
Brain Trust (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Eight)
Down and Dirty (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Nine)
Small Time Crime (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Ten)
Bottle Blonde (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Eleven)
Mean Evergreen (Mercy Watts Mysteries Book Twelve)
* * *
Short stories
Coke with a Twist
Touch and Go
Nowhere Fast
Dry Spell
A Sin and a Shame
* * *
Paranormal
It Started with a Whisper (Sons of Witches)
About the Author
USA Today bestselling author A.W. Hartoin grew up in rural Missouri, but her grandmother lived in the Central West End area of St. Louis. The CWE fascinated her with its enormous houses, every one unique. She was sure there was a story behind each ornate door. Going to Grandma’s house was a treat and an adventure. As the only grandchild around for many years, A.W. spent her visits exploring the many rooms with their many secrets. That’s how Mercy Watts and the fairies of Whipplethorn came to be.
As an adult, A.W. Hartoin decided she needed a whole lot more life experience if she was going to write good characters so she joined the Air Force. It was the best education she could’ve hoped for. She met her husband and traveled the world, living in Alaska, Italy, and Germany before settling in Colorado for nearly eleven years. Now A.W. has returned to Germany and lives in picturesque Waldenbuch with her family and two spoiled cats, who absolutely believe they should be allowed to escape and roam the village freely.
