Under Grandma's Roof

Maranda quickly stood up and hugged her tight. “How have you been? Where are you living now?”

Evie smiled and sat across from her. “I just moved to Miami. I opened another restaurant down there—you should come visit. Miami’s beautiful, and there’s always something to do.”

Maranda’s face lit up.

“That sounds amazing. I’d love to!”

John interrupted, his voice calm but controlling.

“Unfortunately, she can’t come anytime soon. We just bought a house, and there’s a lot to get done. Plus, we’re trying to convince Grandma to move in with us.”

Evie frowned slightly and looked at Maranda. “Can we talk in private?”

Without waiting for an answer, Evie got up and walked to the kitchen, where Kerry was sitting on a stool, taking a quick break from cooking.

Maranda followed her in.

Evie lowered her voice. “What’s going on with you and that guy?”

Maranda sighed. 

“We got married six months ago. He’s just… intense sometimes.”

Kerry listened quietly, pretending to stir the bowl in front of her.

Evie leaned in. “Were y’all arguing?”

“Yeah,” Maranda said, her voice barely above a whisper. “He keeps demanding that we go upstairs. He wants a baby immediately.”

Evie blinked in disbelief. “Your kids are almost grown, Maranda. Why would you want to start over? I thought you were getting your tubes tied and all of that.”

Maranda looked down. “He asked me to untie them when we got married… so I did. But I’m kind of regretting it.”

Before Evie could respond, Grandma walked into the kitchen, wiping her hands on her apron.

“Everything smells good, Kerry.”

“Thank you, Grandma,” Kerry said with a small smile.

Grandma looked between Evie and Maranda, who were still standing close, their voices soft and secretive.

“I love the way you two have stayed close all your lives,” Grandma said warmly. “Y’all act like—and look like—sisters.”

The room fell into a quiet moment, the kind that carried both love and something unspoken.