Addison ran her hands over the banisters of Grace’s childhood home, tears threatening to fall. She had hoped to come back under different circumstances, but she couldn’t deny that she was happy to be home. It just felt so weird, so empty, being there after the news.

She had rushed straight home from the birthday party to find Grace frantically packing things and sobbing. The family had already arranged for Grace and Addison to fly home on the next available flight, so Addison threw things together, made a couple of calls to the shop and flew out with Grace. Three days later, they were still trying to piece everything together.

The family doctor had told them that Grace’s father had died of an aneurysm. It was quick, and he was pretty much been gone before he hit the floor of his home office. Addison found comfort in knowing that he didn’t feel any pain, but the fact that something so quick had taken him was hard to digest.

Grace was holding herself together pretty well, but Addison could see her cracking. Grace’s mother was a mess and wouldn’t come out of her room unless she absolutely, positively had to. The wake and funeral weren’t for a few more days, to allow family time to arrive and to finish all final arrangements, and Grace was handling most of it. Being an only child in a small family meant someone had to do it – and Grace had stepped up. Addison was trying to help as much as possible, but she knew that she was really there for moral support than anything else.

“Addy?” Addison was now sitting on the bottom stair of the grand staircase, and Grace was calling for her as she walked across the main foyer. She looked completely worn out but still very well put together, as a Southern charm like her would.

“Right here,” Addison called back before Grace could walk by her. Grace turned, spotted her and gave her a sad smile before walking over to the stairs and joining her. Addison heard Grace sigh heavily as she rested her head on Addison’s shoulder. “You OK?” Addison asked softly, taking her hand.

“I…I don’t know. It’s weird, being here without Daddy. I hate it. I hate all this planning. But, he set everything out, and we’re doing this the way he wanted. I’m really afraid of what will happen to my mom when we leave.”

“We don’t have to leave, you know,” Addison chimed in. “I could open a shop here and move back with you. I know you can find something here, or work in your dad’s business…” Grace’s silence made Addison shut her mouth.

“I don’t want to move. I want to stay in LA – I love it there. This isn’t me, and I think Daddy knew that. That’s why he left the business to a cousin who’s been working with him. Mom and I will be taken care of always, but he knew that me coming back to take over would never happen. He always understood that I wanted something different. God I miss him.” Addison heard Grace sniffle and squeezed her hand tighter.

“I miss him too Grace. He was a great man.” Grace cleared her throat and sat up straight, turning to face Addison.

“I have two things to tell you before I get whisked away again. One, Heather just called – she’s leaving Atlanta and will be here soon. I sent a car to pick her up. Two, Daddy put in his will that he wanted you to say some words at the funeral. I’m doing the eulogy, but you’ll do a sort of post-eulogy. He considered you a daughter, and he wants you to be a part of the services.” All the emotions that Addison had been holding in since the text message came spilling out at that moment, and she broke down on the stairs. Grace’s family had given her so much, and to be asked to speak at such a private event had gotten the best of her. She heard Grace sobbing softly beside her, and the girls wrapped each other in a hug, comforting one another. After a few minutes, Addison gathered herself together and sniffed, pulling away from Grace with one final squeeze.

“I don’t think your dad would appreciate us spilling tears over him,” Addison said sadly with a small smile, wiping the tears away. “And I know you’re busy. I’ll stay on Heather watch, and we’ll come find you when she gets here. OK?” Grace nodded and gave Addison one more long hug before pulling herself off the stairs and walking away. Addison sighed and rubbed her forehead, her heart heavy and emotions shot. She wasn’t sure how she was going to make it through the next few days, but she’d find a way.
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“Hello? Heather? You here?” JC scanned his living room and kitchen, looking for any sign of life. He had seen Heather’s car in the driveway, so to not see or hear her in the house was odd. He scanned the kitchen once more and saw a note on the fridge.

I tried calling and texting, but I think your phone’s dead. Grace’s dad died earlier this week, so I’m flying out for the funeral. Should be back by Sunday. Call me when you can. – H

JC leaned against the island and let the news sink in. He didn’t know Grace’s family as well as Heather did, but he had met them a few times and really liked them. Grace’s dad was a bear of a man, tough on the outside but gentle on the inside. He knew Grace and her dad had been really close, so the loss must’ve been a blow to her. As he set the note on the counter, he heard the phone ring.

“You make it?” JC asked after he picked up, knowing it was Heather.

“Yeah – I’m here with Addison right now.” JC swallowed at the mention of her name. Now that he was back in LA, he’d been considering trying to get a hold of her…now that he knew where she was, that wouldn’t be happening any time soon. “Grace is around here somewhere. She’s a mess.”

“I’m sure she is – please pass on my condolences. I’ll send some flowers out there tomorrow.”

“Thanks Josh – I know they’ll appreciate it. I’m sorry I didn’t say anything before I left…I really did try to get a hold of you.”

“Oh please Heather. You’re a grown woman. I’m sure you left messages on my phone, but it’s buried underneath the rest of my shit in my backpack. Just keep me posted and let me know if they need anything, OK?” JC ended his phone call with his sister and immediately called the local florist he always used when he needed flowers. He ordered a memorial wreath and flowers for Grace, her mom and the funeral, hoping they were decent enough when they arrived; it was the least he could do during a time like this.

He slowly made his way to his room after ordering the flowers, willing his bags to unpack themselves. Instead, he sat on the edge of his bed and thought about things. He wanted to text Addison, make sure everything was OK, but he knew that probably wasn’t a good idea. Not right now, at least. He’d just have to wait to hear from Heather – she was his only assurance that this sudden turn of events was going as OK as it could.
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“Morning sunshine.” Addison groaned as she turned over in bed to find Heather lying beside her.

“What time is it?”

“Just about 10.  I couldn’t sleep any longer.”

“Well, I can – so get under the covers and hush for another hour,” Addison muttered, snuggling deeper into bed with a contented sigh. Grace had insisted that Addison and Heather stay at her place, and she had claimed the same room she had on many a night when they were growing up. She was thrilled to realize that the same overly comfy bed she’d had growing up was still in there, and she wanted to spend as much time with it as possible.

“But I can’t. I’m hungry.”

But Heather was doing a good job of spoiling that reunion.

“God Heather. I hate you right now.” Heather squealed softly and kissed Addison on the forehead, which got a grumble out of her. She unwillingly rolled out of bed and slipped into her robe, leading a waiting Heather downstairs to the kitchen.

“You’re up early!” the familly cook, Edna, greeted with surprise and a smile.

“It’s her fault,” Addison mumbled sleepily, pointing at Heather as she dragged her feet to the nearest stool. “She said she was hungry and woke me up. Please feed her before I kill her.” Edna laughed as she moved towards the fridge.

“Tell me what you want, and I’ll make it.” Edna was a Deep South woman, a fantastic cook who had worked her way towards running the entire household staff. She had been around for as long as Addison could remember, and her cooking just got better and better as the years went on.

Addison rested her head on the cool tile of the island as Heather ordered everything under the sun. Addison had been up until 3am with Grace, helping her sort through her father’s belongings and figure out what could stay and go according to the will. It had been a daunting task – one that Addison had tried to get Grace to wait on until after the funeral – but Grace had insisted on getting it done. It was worrying Addison, the way Grace was acting: she wasn’t eating, wasn’t sleeping and kept running on coffee and demands. Addison wanted to barge into her mother’s room and shake her back to reality so that Grace could get a break, but she knew that wasn’t a great idea. Instead, she continued to make herself available in any way possible.

“Morning all,” Grace greeted in a sing-song voice a few minutes later, dressed elegantly in a black pencil skirt, crisp white shirt and her hair in a bun. Her black heels clicked across the tile of the kitchen to the coffee pot, where Addison watched her pour a big cup of coffee and take a long sip as she sorted through the mail.

“I thought you’d still be asleep,” Addison spoke, her eyes locked on Grace. She looked up at Addison and smiled, shrugging.

“Got a lot to do. Family start arriving today, and the final arrangements are being made. Can’t slack.” The funeral was in three days, and Addison wondered how long she could keep up this façade that everything was OK. Before she could try to light into Grace, a soft knock came at the back door where deliveries were typically made. Grace crossed the kitchen quickly to answer, and Addison looked up with interest as two florists walked in with four beautiful arrangements.

“Who are those from?!” Heather exclaimed, hurrying over quickly to sniff at the mixed arrangement that Grace had taken, surprised, from one of the florists. She pointed in the direction where the other flowers could be taken and opened the card that came with her flowers. Tears stared to fall as she handed the card to Heather and sniffed the flowers, smiling sadly. Heather read the card silently, grinned and slid the card over to Addison.

I’m so sorry for your loss Grace. Please know that I’m here if you ever need anything – and please don’t hesitate to call. Have a safe trip back to LA. – Josh

Addison gasped softly as she re-read the heartfelt card from one of the people Grace didn’t like the most. She excused herself quickly and hurried upstairs to grab her phone, knowing she needed to make this phone call. A text wouldn’t do, and who knew if Grace would actually make the call herself. She tapped her foot nervously as the phone rang once, twice.

“Ads?” Addison smiled at the mention of her nickname from a familiar voice.

“Hey Josh. I um…” She cleared her throat nervously, not quite sure what to say now. “I wanted to let you know that Grace just got the flowers. She loved them enough that she actually cried.” She heard JC chuckle softly on the other end.

“What? She cried? And you didn’t get any evidence of it? Lame.” Addison giggled as she sat on her bed, thrilled to be hearing his voice after so long. She heard him clear his throat before continuing. “How…how are you? I didn’t want to bother you guys, so I didn’t text or anything…”

“It’s fine. Heather told me you were out of town anyway for work. Things are OK. Grace is this sort of zombie daughter who’s taking care of everything, and I know it’s wearing her out. I’m waiting for her to break down, but I’m sure it won’t be until after the funeral. Wake’s Friday, and funeral’s Saturday. I’ll be home Monday.”

“That’s good. I was worried about you. Well, you guys.” Addison couldn’t help the grin that slid over her face at the mention that JC had been thinking about her.

“What you did was so sweet. Thank you. I just wanted to let you know that they came and are beautiful – I don’t know if Grace will make this call herself.”

“Well, thanks for that. I was hoping they’d make it in time for the funeral.” The line stayed silent for nearly a minute, setting Addison’s nerves on edge. Before it got too awkward, she decided it best to end the call.

“Well, I guess I’ll – ”

“I’m sorry,” JC cut in quickly. “I’m sorry for making things hard for you. I just…” Addison rubbed her eyes and sighed as he trailed off. “I guess this whole situation has been more complicated than I thought it would be.”

“Not complicated Josh. Just…interesting. I promise, we’ll deal with this when I get home. I do want us to be friends without all the awkwardness.”

“I do, too. Look – I don’t want to take up anymore of your time, so you go back. Thanks for letting me know about the flowers. I’ll talk to you later.” Addison heard the line click dead and dropped her phone on her bed, huffing as she fell back onto the mattress. When would things not be so different between them? Would it ever not feel awkward? Could they even try to build a friendship with all the baggage that came along with their history?