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"We should go," Paul whispered

"I’ll do the dishes," Ruth insisted

"Nonsense You should leave now," Helen said "You have better things to do than talk to an old lady"

"But ant to talk to you," Ruth told her

"You will" Helen looked even ht now"

"You’ll finish the story?"

"Yes," the old wo"

While her grandmother went to her room to rest, Ruth and Paul cleaned up the kitchen At first they worked in silence, as if they didn’t know quite what to say to each other Ruth put the food ahile Paul rinsed the dishes and set them inside the dishwasher

"You didn’t know any of this before today?" he asked, propping hile detail"

"Your father never ain how much her father actually knew about his mother’s war adventures "I’m sure you were the one who prompted her"

"Me?" Paul asked with a frown "How?"

"More than anything, I think you reminded her of Jean-Claude" Ruth tilted her head to one side "It’s as if this woer" Ruth finished by wiping down the counters She knew they’d need to leave soon if they were going to catch the ferry

"Maybe you’d better check on her before we go," Paul suggested

She agreed and hurried out of the kitchen Her grandmother’s eyes opened briefly when Ruth entered the cool, silent roohan at the foot of the bed, Ruth covered her grandmother with it and kissed the papery skin of her cheek She’d always loved Helen, but she had an entirely new respect for her now

"I’ll be back soon," Ruth whispered

"Bring your young man"

"I will"

Helen’s response was low, and at first Ruth didn’t understand her and strained to hear Gradually her voice drifted off Ruth waited until Helen was asleep before she slipped out of the rooazine he was reading when Ruth returned to the kitchen

Ruth nodded "She started speaking to me in French I so badly wish I knehat she said"

They left a few hts, Ruth walked down the hill beside Paul, neither of the as they approached the foot ferry that would take them from Cedar Cove across to Breet theone, Ruth decided she had to find out how randed for her cell phone

Paul brought the coffee and set her plastic cup on the table

Ruth glanced up long enough to thank hihot coffee Then, in an obvious effort to give her so out at the water

Her father answered on the third ring "Dad, it’s Ruth," she said in a rush

"Well, Ruthie, this is a pleasant surprise I’ll get your mother"

Her father had never enjoyed telephone conversations and generally handed the phone off to Ruth’s mother

"Wait--I need to talk to you," Ruth said

"What’s up?"

That was her dad, too He didn’t like chitchat and wanted to get to the point as quickly as possible

"I went over to see Grandet up there and see her and you I don’t knohere the ti was our last visit"

How is she? Ruth wasn’t sure what to say Her grandht of her as either "I don’t know, Dad She’s the saht have lost a few pounds" Ruth looked over at Paul and bit her lip "I…brought a friend along with ain?"

"Lynn Bluht her father’s attention "Someone from school?"

"No, we met sort of…by accident His naeant in thefor the past four ht, then What is?"

Ruth dragged in a deep breath "Like I said before, I was visiting Grand," he reiterated

"Yes" Ruth didn’t dare look at Paul a second time Nervously, she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and leaned forward, lowering her voice "Grand World War II Did you know that?"

Her father paused "Yes, I did"

"Were you aware that she was a ain he paused "My father ot any more information"

"Didn’t you ask your mother?"

"I tried, but she refused to talk about it She said sos were better left buried and deflected all my questions Do you mean to say she told you about this?"