This was my second time visiting the coastal town.
The last time, my mother had been holding my hand as we stood together in this city that looked like it was lifted from an ink painting,
Time moves so fast. In the blink of an eye, ten years had passed.
“Aurora Aurora!”
An old woman’s kind and joyful voice pulled me from my thoughts.
Gently shaking my head to dispel the dark memories, I raised my arm and gave a big wave.
“Grandma Miller… Professor Miller!”
When I got closer, she patted my arm reproachfully.
“None of that Professor‘ nonsense, you call me Grandma! I’ve missed you to death, come here and give me a hug.”
I gently rested my head on her shoulder, inhaling the comforting scent of lavender from her clothes, and felt my eyes well up.
Grandma Miller was my mother’s mentor.
She never married and had no children of her own.
She had always treated my mother like her own daughter.
When my mom was alive, we were very close.
But after she passed, Grandma Miller disliked my father’s cut–throat business attitude, and we gradually drifted apart.
But she was always good to me, calling every few weeks just to check in.
And she never missed sending a gift for a holiday.
Last month, when I called to tell her I was getting married, she was so happy she couldn’t sleep for two days.
If it weren’t for her age and frail health, she would have flown to Chicago in a heartbeat.
Then again, it was probably a good thing she didn’t.
glossed over what really happened at the wedding, just telling her the Bernard family didn’t seem to value me much, that I’d called it off and wanted to come study design with her.
But she was so sharp, she could tell from the slight tremor in my voice that something terrible had happened.
Her heart ached for me so much she started crying right there on the phone, and she’d insisted on coming to pick me up herself first thing this morning.
‘Grandma, I’m so sorry I got your hopes up for nothing. The wedding didn’t happen.”
‘Good! Our Aurora is a beautiful flower. No need to plant her in a pile of cow dung.”
‘Cough, cough!”
I nearly choked, amazed by her still–feisty spirit.
“Come on, let’s go! Grandma’s going to give you a proper welcome, wash away all that bad luck. From now on, our Aurora is going to be happy, every single day!”
I smiled and nodded, pulling out my phone to let Eleanor know I’d arrived safely.
But the moment I turned it on, a flood of notifications exploded across the screen.
My phone vibrated nonstop for a full two minutes.
A quick glance showed that 90% of them were from Gideon and Felix.
I didn’t even bother to read them. I just blocked both of their numbers, and Stella’s for good measure.
I sent a quick text to Eleanor, then turned the screen off again.
I supported the chattering old lady as we made our way out of the bustling airport.
The moment I stepped into the sunlight, the tightness that had been gripping my chest finally began to ease.
A month later, at the studio.
I was finally forced to admit there’s always someone better.
I had always thought I was talented enough in design, having won plenty of awards back in college.
But after meeting the geniuses on Grandma’s team, I felt like I was being completely humbled.
I turned down the “official designer” position Grandma offered me, deciding to start from the bottom as an intern.
I spent my days shadowing these masters, learning their advanced design philosophies, so busy I was practically run off my feet.
But just when I thought these peaceful days would last forever, I got a tearful call from Eleanor.
“Aurora, Gideon and Felix have been hounding me, asking where you are, but I never told them, I swear.”
“But yesterday, my dad secretly read our texts and told them where you are! It’s all my fault. I never thought Gideon would be so low as to use my dad against
me!”
“Did I just cause you a lot of trouble? Aurora?”
Sara Lili is a daring romance writer who turns icy landscapes into scenes of fiery passion. She loves crafting hot love stories while embracing the chill of Iceland’s breathtaking cold.