Katie just looked at her in total surprise. “If you want to talk to him in secret, just talk to yourself. You know how you can hear your voice inside your own head? That way, it’s just you and him. Understand?” she asked her.
“I do. And I will tonight. Thank you, Katie. I love you so much. I’m glad to have you as my cousin,” the little girl told her as she wrapped her arms around her neck and gave her a big kiss on the cheek.
“Well, you’re welcome, dear. And you know that I love you too. Come on, let’s get back over there before all of the food is gone. Okay? I’m hungry. How about you?” she asked.
“I’m starvin’,” the little girl answered as they started walking back toward the house.
Grady and Paul met them halfway. Katie looked down at her niece. “Honey, you go ahead. I’ll be there in a minute after I talk to your uncle. Okay?” she told her.
“Okay, I’ll save you some chicken,” she answered as she walked away.
Katie waited a few minutes, or so it seemed, until she turned to look at her dad. “Aunt Elizabeth? How bad is it?” she asked.
Grady and Paul exchanged glances at each other. Grady looked right at her. “It’s about as bad as it can get. She has cancer. She’s dying, Katie, and there’s nothing that we can do to stop it,” he told her.
“My God! Katie was right,” she answered.
“Katie? She knows?” Paul asked her.
“Oh, yeah. That cute little thing knows all right. In fact, she told me that her mom would soon be with her dad. What a brave little girl!” Katie told them.
“Well, that makes our job of telling her a lot easier. Doesn’t make it any less painful, just easier, I reckon,” Grady responded.
“Do you know how long the doctors gave her? What, six months, a year, or what?” she asked them.
The two men just stared at her. Neither of them could muster the strength to tell her the truth. But Katie read between the lines. “Less than a month?” she asked again.
“Katie, your aunt wasn’t supposed to be here this long,” Grady told her.
Katie realized what her dad had said. And she suddenly felt light-headed. Grady and Paul steadied her as she regained herself.
“No, this isn’t fair. I just met her. Damn it, there has to be something that we can do. She can’t die. She just can’t,” Katie cried as she fell against her dad’s shoulder.
“Honey, believe me, if there was anything that we could be doing, it would be done. But it’s out of our hands, sweetheart. It’s all up to God now,” he told her.
“Where is she? I need to talk to her right now!” she asked him.
“She’s on your bed. But she’s resting right now,” Grady told her.
“Then I’ll wait for her to wake up. I want her to see my face as soon as she opens her eyes,” she told him as she ran toward the house.
“Oh, boy, this is getting uglier by the minute,” Grady told Paul as they both watched her running toward the house.
Katie slowly opened the door to her room. There she was stretched out across the bed, just as her dad had told her. Katie slowly made her way toward the bed and softly sat down next to her. She carefully brushed her hair from her face. Elizabeth opened her eyes.
“Aunt Elizabeth, it’s me Katie,” she told her.
“Hi, honey. I take it your dad told you about me?” she asked.
“Just now. You can’t die. We need time to—” Katie stopped.
“It’s beyond my control, sweetheart,” Elizabeth told her.
“It just isn’t fair. We haven’t even had a chance at getting to know each other . . . or anything,” Katie told her.
“Well, I’m not dead yet, dear. Here, help me up. I need to go back outside. I can’t let Katie know. Not yet,” Elizabeth told her.
Katie helped her to sit up with her feet on the floor. “Katie already knows. She told me that you were sick, and that you would soon be joining Uncle Jack,” Katie told her.
Elizabeth just looked up at her. “She already knows? Very observant little girl, isn’t she? She takes after you, you know, in a lot more ways than just your name,” she said.
“Yeah, I know. It’s like I’m looking into my past whenever I look at her,” Katie told her.
“Katie, I do have a favor to ask you. Before I get to the point that I can no longer talk,” she said.
“Sure, whatever it is, just go ahead and ask me,” she told her.
“It’s Katie. You’re the only family that she has left. I can’t ask your dad. Hell, he’s older than dirt itself. So I need to ask you to do one thing for me,” she said.
“Katie? What about her?” Katie asked.
“Sweetheart, after I’m gone, I need to know that she’ll be all right. I need to know that she’ll be raised just like you,” she told her.
“Aunt Elizabeth, are you asking me to raise Katie after you’re gone?” Katie asked her.
“Sweetheart, I know it’s a lot to ask you, but I know that you’ll be sure that she gets a proper education and will be taught the same morals as your dad’s taught you,” she replied.
“Aunt Elizabeth, it would be an honor to take care of your daughter. You can rest assured that she will be raised into a very successful and educated young lady just as if you were there doing it yourself,” Katie told her with a smile.
“I have all the faith in the world in you, and Jack had it too. He really loved you, ya know?” she asked.
“I know that, and I loved him too. And I love you too,” Katie told her.
“I know that, sweetheart, and I love you too. I just wish that we could have had more time to get to know each other. But I guess we’ll deal with whatever time we still have left. But now, let’s go outside. There’s still some food left, isn’t there?” she asked.
“Sure, I mean if you’re up to it? Your daughter is holding me a spot,” Katie told her.
Elizabeth just looked at Katie. “My daughter is so lucky to have you as a cousin. Just as I am, to be your aunt,” she said.
“Well, if you ask me, truthfully, I think we’re all blessed to have each other. For ever as long as it may be,” Katie told her.
“Very well put, my dear. You’re Grady’s daughter all right. There’s no mistakin’ that,” Elizabeth told her.
“Well, just as long as I don’t get his whiskers!” Katie told her with a smile.
“Oh, that would be nasty, wouldn’t it?” she answered.
“Well, it’s a thought that I’d rather not think about. But about that food, let’s go get some. I’m starved,” Katie answered with a smile.
“Me too, let’s go,” her aunt told her.
Travel for the two ladies was slow at best, especially the stairs. But they made it down, and Elizabeth still had plenty of energy left.
Now to look at Elizabeth, you probably wouldn’t know that she was as close to death’s door as she was. In fact, to the innocent observer, she was still a very beautiful woman. And like Elizabeth had put it, “The outside was fine, but it was what’s on the inside that was the problem.”
And even in her black outfit, Katie still could see what her uncle must have seen so many years ago. Aunt Elizabeth was still a looker. And both Grady and Paul could see it too as the two women approached them.
Grady looked over at Paul. “Damn, that lady just keeps going, doesn’t she?” he asked him.
“I would have thought that she would be down for the rest of the day or maybe a few hours at best,” Paul confessed.
“Yeah, me too, but there she is again. She’s got the willpower of an ox,” Grady told him.
“Yeah, a very good-looking ox at that,” Paul added.
The two couples approached each other.
“Elizabeth, shouldn’t you be lying down and getting some rest?” Grady asked her.
“Grady, I might be sick, and I might be dead by this time next week. But if you think for one second that I’m going to lie on a bed and wait for my time to come, then I guess you don’t know me
as well as you thought you did,” she told him.
“Wow, I guess not. But you’re still as feisty as ever. I’ll give you that,” he told her.
“Well, thank you very much,” she answered.
“So are we all going to stand here talking, or are we going to go get something to eat? We’re hungry,” Katie asked them.
“Oh, by all means, please go eat. I hate to picture you when you haven’t been fed,” Grady told her.
Katie and Elizabeth started walking toward the tables with Grady and Paul following a short distance behind them. As the women approached the tables, Elizabeth noticed that there were two caterers headed toward them, one from the right and the other from the left. Both of the caterers had their arms full. One of them was carrying some plates while the other had a box of something in his arms.
Elizabeth glanced over at Katie. “Let me see if I can remember how to do this,” she told her.
“Do what?” Katie asked.
“Remember the walk that your dad was talking about?” she asked her.
“Yeah, what you’re going to do it now?” she asked.
“No, I said that I was going to try to do it. But it’s been a long time since the last time my hips did moves like that. They might not work like they used to,” she answered.
Elizabeth concentrated and then focused her hips to do their duty. Grady and Paul weren’t expecting it, not at all, but when her hips did their sexy little jerk, they would have been blind if they didn’t see it.
And the caterers were right where they needed to be too. And as Elizabeth did her sexy little jerk, one of the caterers tripped and dropped the armful of plates. The sound of crashing, breaking plates filled the air. The other caterer was so busy watching Elizabeth shaking her ass that he didn’t see the first guy fall and walked right into him as he bent over to pick up the plates. Both men went crashing to the ground.
Elizabeth never even turned around to see the two men fall. She just kept on walking. A huge smile soon came across her face. “Yep, I’ve still got it all right,” she said as she glanced over at Katie.
Katie was in total shock. Just a few sexy shakes of her hips, and two men had totally lost it. She was impressed. “Oh my god! You’ve got to show me how to do that,” Katie told her.
“Ain’t nothing to show you. Just remember when you’re walking and your hip naturally kicks to the left, just kick it to the right instead. Go ahead, try it,” she told her.
It took Katie but a few tries before she nailed it. And from the looks that several of the men were giving her, she had achieved the goal that she was hoping for. As she approached the table where little Katie was busy eating a chicken leg, Michael walked up behind her.
“What was that?” he asked her.
“What was what?” she asked as if she didn’t know what he was talking about.
“That little hip shake that you were doing. And don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about ’cause I know that you do,” he told her.
“Oh that?” she answered, pretending to be somewhat surprised. “Aunt Elizabeth taught it to me. Did you like it?” she asked.
“Well, I can tell ya that every guy here did, that’s for sure,” he answered.
“Why, Michael, are you jealous?” she asked with a smile.
“No, I’m not jealous—well, maybe a little. But I don’t want my girl walking around shaking her butt like that. That’s all,” he answered.
Katie liked the fact that he was jealous. She liked it a lot. “So what you’re saying is you did like it. Didn’t ya? But you don’t want me doing it for anyone but you. Is that what you’re saying?” she asked him.
Michael had to stop and think about it for a while. “Yeah, that’s exactly what I’m saying,” he finally confessed to her.
“Okay, I like it when my man gets jealous,” she told him.
Grady and Paul walked up to the table. They were laughing their asses off. Michael just looked at the two men. “Did you see what your daughter learned to do? Did ya?” Michael asked Grady.
“I did,” Grady answered. “But did you see all of the guys tripping all over the place. Elizabeth, you’ve still got it, that’s for sure,”
“Grady, that was your daughter doing it too,” Mike insisted.
“You’re right, Michael, of course. Katie, you should be ashamed of yourself,” he answered.
“But, Daddy, I just did what Aunt Elizabeth told me to do,” Katie responded.
“Maybe so. But we can’t have you going around here doing that. The next thing we know, you’ll have little Katie doing it too,” Grady answered with a smile.
“So tell me, Grady. Was it as good as it used to be?” Elizabeth asked him.
“Better. It was totally unexpected for sure,” he answered.
“I know that you darn near had me tripping over my own two feet too,” Paul told her.
About that time, Rick and Melissa walked up to the group. “What’s going on? I heard the sound of something breaking, and I looked over to see my brother here talking to ya. So what happened?” she asked.
“Nothing, but it would seem that Elizabeth here just showed Katie how to do her famous walk. And you can see the results,” Grady told her as he pointed to the group of guys that were trying to pick up the broken plates.
“Oh, really? You’ve got to show it to me too,” Melissa told Elizabeth.
“Sorry, dear, but that’s the last time my hips will ever do that,” she answered her.
“But that’s not fair,” Melissa told her.
“Relax, Mel. I can show ya,” Katie told her.
Melissa just looked at her and smiled.
“Oh, no, you’re not. Seeing my girl doing that was bad enough, but to see my own sister shakin’ her butt like that, the answer is no. As in no way,” Mike said.
“Hang on there, Mike. I wouldn’t mind seeing your sister shake her butt like that. Really,” Rick told him.
Grady just looked at Elizabeth. “Now see what you’ve started?” he told her.
“Hey, if a woman has it, might as well use it? Or shake it, as in this case,” she told them as she sat down next to her daughter.
“Hi, Mom. Are you feelin’ better now?” little Katie asked her.
“Yes, dear, much better. Honey, when you’re finished eating, I think we all need to have a talk. Okay?” she asked her.
“Is it about you being sick?” her daughter asked.
Elizabeth found the question hard to answer. But she did. “Yes, dear, it is?” she finally told her.
“Okay, because I have something to tell you too,” the little girl answered
“I’m sure that you do. But for right now, hand me a piece of that chicken,” she told her daughter. Katie handed her a drumstick.
“So when do you guys plan on filling me in on this famous treasure hunt that you all went on?” she asked them.
“Well, we can tell ya now if you prefer or maybe later,” Grady told her.
“Well, considering I might not have a later, I think you had better tell me now,” she replied.
So for the next few hours between all of them, Elizabeth was told the whole story about their adventure. They omitted the part about Suzie and the cave because little Katie was listenin’. But Elizabeth got the idea as to what was supposed to have happened in that cave.
“Wow, it all sounds very interesting. I sure wish that I could have been in on it with all of you,” she told them.
“Well, without knowing it, I really believe that you and Jack were right there with us. Even if it was just in spirit. You know what I mean?” Grady told her.
“Well, that’s very kind of you, Grady. But maybe Jack, but I really didn’t know that much about it,” Elizabeth told him.
Little Katie looked over at her cousin. “Katie, is that really a true story? I mean with the cave and the wagons and finding a buried treasure. That really happened, I mean?” she asked.
Katie smiled at her little cousin. “Yes swe
etheart, every word of it happened just like we said it did. And that’s how we found out what happened to your dad. Mr. King supplied us with the finishing details, but other than that, it all happened right here,” Katie told her.
“How exciting! A buried treasure and finding my dad too! We should have come here earlier,” she told them.
“But neither of us knew where the other ones were before Mr. King came into the picture,” Katie said to her cousin.
“Okay then, Mr. King should have come here earlier,” she replied.
Everyone laughed.
“I would have been here, sweetheart, if only I had known. But there was no way for me to know before I did. Sorry, Katie,” Mr. King told the little girl.
“It’s all right, Mr. King. We’re here now, and I guess that’s all that matters,” little Katie told him.
“You know what? Whenever I talk to you, I find it harder and harder to remember that you’re only ten years old,” he pointed out.
“That’s all right. Sometimes I find it hard to remember that I’m only ten too,” she replied.
“Katie sweetheart, like I told you before, we all need to have a talk. Do you think you’re ready to know the truth about what’s going to happen to us?” Elizabeth asked her daughter.
“Uh, excuse me, I don’t mean to interrupt you, but I think if you hear what Katie told me earlier, all of this will go a lot easier,” Katie told her aunt.
Elizabeth just looked at her. “Okay, if you think it will be easier, then I’m all for it. So please go ahead,” Elizabeth told her.
Katie turned to her little cousin. “All right, Katie, just tell your mom what you told me earlier. Okay? Can you do that?” she asked her.
“I think so,” she told her.
“Okay, just go nice and slow, just like you told me earlier. Whenever you’re ready, you can start,” Katie told the brave little girl.
Little Katie turned to look at her mom. “I know that you’re sick, Mom. Really sick. I hear you crying late at night,” she told her.
Elizabeth put her hand over her mouth. “You’ve heard me crying? I’m so sorry, Katie. I thought that I was being quiet. Why didn’t you tell me, sweetheart?” she asked her daughter.
“Because I know that sometimes kids hear things that they’re not supposed to hear. And I didn’t want you to be mad at me,” she answered.
Hearts of Grey Page 39
