Clean

Bree wandered through the grocery aisles picking up a few things here and there. She’d been really distracted lately, kind of scattered and she didn’t really know why. Her grandmother was doing better, all things considered but her time was coming, they could both sense it. When it inevitably happened it was going to hit her hard and as much as she was trying to prepare herself, had spent the last year trying to prepare herself, she wasn’t ready. She’d always been independent, even as a child, especially after her parents had died but there was always the small reassurance that if something happened to her there was at least one person out there that really cared. Her grandmother was her last tie to family and when she was gone, well it was going to suck. Bree turned the corner so distracted in her thoughts that she bumped right into someone else’s cart. The jarring crash of metal on metal pulled her right out of her head and into the moment.

“Oh god I’m so sorry.” She apologized. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine Brianna but that was close.”

She looked over at her neighbor and thankfully Mrs. Benn was smiling and not mad that she’d nearly barreled her over.

“Are you sure?”

“I raised two boys honey, you’d have to do better then that to get me.”

And they’d been pretty spirited boys, she remembered.

“That’s true, how are they by the way? And their sister?”

“Everyone is good.” She explained. “The boys are home now, Jordie is wandering around here somewhere.”

“Must be nice to have them back home.”

She knew it was, she’d been talking about it since they had left. For someone who was used to a full house having two of your kids thousands of miles away couldn’t be easy.

“You can’t imagine.” She confirmed. “How are you doing?”

“I’m good.” Bree explained. “Trying to keep busy.”

It was really the only thing she could do to not go crazy. When she stopped moving, she started thinking and that was a dangerous path she couldn’t afford to go down.

“I went over to see you a few days ago but no one answered.”

“I was probably over at the hospital.” She started. “My grandmothers doing better, she’s had a lot of visitors lately.”

“Oh good, I’ll be sure to stop by tomorrow.”

“She’d love that.”

If she was feeling good her grandmother was more then willing to have someone to talk to and being confined to that hospital bed was the worst thing for her. She’d always been so lively, so social; it was the absolute hardest thing to watch her grandmother just slip away.

“I have no idea what this is but I want it.”

Bree watched as Jordie paused by the cart, threw in whatever was in his hands then looked at her.

“Hey.”

“Hey!” her smile was a mile wide as she greeted him reaching in for a hug before pulling back. The last time she’d seen him had been nearly a year ago, when she was on her way into the city and he was on his way out.

“How are you doing?”

“I’m good, busy…”

She’d spent the last few months running around, getting things in order.

“Yeah, I’m sorry to hear about your grandmother.”

“Thanks.”

That had been the last year of her life, people talking to her like her grandmother was already gone and though they meant well it left a led weight in the center of her belly.

“How about you hot shot?” Bree asked. “How’s the NHL treating you?”

“I can’t complain.”

“I bet.”

It was still unreal to believe how far he’d come, to think that someone she knew was actually doing something they loved and at the highest level of competition, it was unbelievably impressive.

“I guess mom invited you to the barbecue?”

“Barbecue? No…”

“I hadn’t gotten there yet!” his mom scolded with a roll of her eyes.

Bree looked into their cart, could see the abundance of outdoor food, it looked like a pretty big barbecue if this was all for that.

“Now that the boys are back we’re having a little barbecue Saturday,” she began to explain. “It’s nothing fancy but I was hoping maybe you’d come by.”

“Jamie would love it if you were there.”

Bree laughed giving him a shove. It was nice to know something’s never changed and Jordie had been riding Jamie about her since they were kids.

“You’re still holding onto that huh?”

“I’m not the one holding on.”

“I’m sure your big wig brother has done just fine for himself.”

She didn’t know much of what they were up to in Dallas, she was a casual sports watcher at best, but she’d seen Jamie during the Olympics, which was really telling in itself. While Jordie had teased her insistently about the crush he imagined Jamie had on her she couldn’t imagine that would have carried on all these years later.

“You never forget the one that got away.”

Bree laughed, positively from the gut as his mother reached out and gave him a slap in the shoulder.

“Stop embarrassing your brother.” She started. “He’s not even here to defend himself.”

“I hardly see how that’s my fault.”

She watched them argue back and forth before his mother finally gave up and turned back to her.

“Well I’d really like for you to come.”

She had no intention of saying no, she had no plans and to be honest the last year had been really lonely for her especially now that her grandmother was in the hospital fulltime.

“I’d love to.” She accepted. “Anything I can bring?”

“No, just be at the house around 4.”

“I’ll be there.”

They said their goodbyes and continued their separate ways down the aisle. When she watched them both turn the corner Bree doubled back towards the back of the store, there was no way she was showing up empty handed.

Notes

Thanks to all you lovely people who've had anything to say about this so far! <3