THE PERFECT TEN (Boxed Set)

empty for years.”
    “What are you talking about?” Kasey asked.
    “When you move back. I suppose you will want to bring his car with you. You can store it in the back garage.”
    “Who said anything about moving back here?”
    Grem gripped the arms of the wheelchair with both hands. “You agreed it was time to move on, didn’t you?”
    Kasey looked out the window. It was now or never. “Actually, I did come over to let you know...I’m moving.”
    “There you go then. I knew you’d come to your senses.”
    Kasey braced herself. Where to begin? “Did you know that Nick bought a house out near Emporia?”
    Grem shook her head. “How would I know that, dear? It’s not like Nick and I were close.” She rubbed her elbow. “Emporia? Why, for goodness sake, would he buy something way out there? No one lives out there.”
    “That’s not true, Grem.”
    Jeremy shrugged and walked out of the room toward the kitchen.
    “It’s a long story, but when I got back in town there was a letter and a couple of phone messages. That’s how I found out that Nick had been working with this guy on our dream home in the country as a surprise for our anniversary this year.”
    “A secret?” Grem looked pleased, as if anything that marred Nick’s character was a point in her favor.
    “Not a secret. A surprise. A romantic surprise.”
    “Whatever.” The old lady clucked as if she wasn’t buying it.
    “I went there this morning,” Kasey said.
    Jeremy came back into the sun room, ice clinking in his glass. “Alone?”
    “Yes. Alone. I drive all over the country alone. Why would that surprise you?”
    “Yeah. Well, I know that. I mean, well, I’d have gone with you,” he half-mumbled.
    Grem’s right eyebrow shot up like a question mark. “Why didn’t you tell us before?”
    “I didn’t even really know what I was going to see.” Kasey refused to let either of them dampen her renewed spirit. “It’s absolutely perfect,” she gushed. “Our dream house.”
    “That’s very nice.” Grem patted Kasey’s hand. “You should make good money when you sell it. You can never have too much put aside for a rainy day.” She leaned forward in her wheelchair and spoke to Jeremy. “Will you help Kasey get her things to move back into the carriage house? This is good timing; the cleaning lady was here just yesterday.”
    Jeremy faced the old woman. “Sure.”
    “I am not moving back here,” Kasey said.
    “Into the carriage house. Of course. I know.”
    “No. I am not moving here at all. I’m moving to the house that Nick built for me.”
    Grem frowned. “You can’t. It’s too far away. I’ll never see you.”
    “You’re moving there?” Jeremy asked.
    Kasey shot him a you’re-not-helping look. “It’s less than eighty miles away. Jeremy can drive you out, and I’ll come visit. We don’t get together that often now, and I’m less than twenty miles away. What’s the difference?”
    “The difference is, you never should’ve left to begin with.”
    Kasey’s mood dipped. “Please don’t.”
    “That man ruined your happiness.”
    “Stop it. That man was my happiness.” Kasey put her hands up in front of her, trying to resist the urge to say anything hurtful, even if her grandmother deserved it. “I’m leaving. I wanted you to be the first to know. I hope once you think about it, you’ll be happy for me.”
    “Jeremy.” Grem’s voice rose. “Tell her she can’t do this.”
    “I’m leaving. I’m not having this argument.” Kasey stormed out the front door and got into the Thunderbird. She threw the car into gear and floored it, spinning the wheels as she headed for the gate.
    In the rearview mirror, she saw Jeremy standing with his hands on his hips in the open doorway of the house.
     

 
    Chapter Seventeen
     
    Kasey wasn’t about to let anyone else ruin her excitement today. She’d pick up boxes on her way home so she could start packing.
    Of course, that turned out to be easier said than done. What happened to the days when you could stop in at the grocery or liquor store and pick up as many boxes as you wanted?
    With folks so environmentally conscious, you can’t even get a good box for free anymore.
    Determined to have her way, she stopped at Target and bought six large plastic containers with lids—probably a better plan anyway since she could use them for storage later.
    She went home with her blue bins and considered what she needed to pack. She’d never been a lister or