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“Oh,” Henry said, looking suddenly shocked.
“Sorry. That was probably a poor choice of words there. It was his heart that gave out. He’d been fighting for a while. He knew it was coming. Still though, he fought.”
“I’m sure he did. I can’t imagine him being laid up in a bed, waiting around.”
“Nope. That’s why he lived here with me. He refused to go anywhere else.”
“What happened to his house and the land?”
“Sold it. He did it on his own. I was so mad at him for that.”
“Damn,” Henry said. “I would have bought it in a heartbeat.”
“He made his decision and that was it. I was really mad at him for a while. Me being just as stubborn as him. I finally broke down and talked to him. Then we smoothed it over. He didn’t want to leave behind a legacy. Or a house for someone to take care of or sell. He wanted to leave behind money for his great-grandson. Money to help me. Damn him for always finding a way to be right too.”
“He was always good at that part,” Henry said.
Silence fell between us.
I gasped. “Oh, I’m such an awful host. Worried that my son didn’t thank you and I haven’t even offered you something to drink. Sorry about that.”
I quickly turned and Henry touched my right arm. “Sage. I’m not just some guest, okay? It’s okay.”
“So you don’t want a drink?”
“I’d love a drink.”
“Can I show you something first?”
“Of course you can. It’s your house.”
I walked from the kitchen to the dining room.
“This is my favorite part of the house,” I said as I opened the double doors that led outside to a deck.
“Of course it is,” Henry said. “You always had a thing for a scenic view.”
“Just look at it,” I said.
It was my favorite view.
Honestly, it was the reason I bought the house.
My backyard ended where the tree line began.
Just staring out to the trees and then the mountains off in the distance… it made me feel cozy. Like I was hidden away in a cabin in the woods somewhere.
“This is really nice out here, Sage.”
“That’s not what I wanted to show you. Come here. Closer. I said I won’t bite.”
Henry laughed and moved closer to me with playful caution.
“I need you to look straight ahead over the tops of the trees,” I said to him. “Tell me what you see.”
Henry looked for a few seconds and shook his head.
I studied him from the side.
