AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Wyatt’s gaze was on her, and he wasn’t jumping in to answer, so she said, “I’m happy to help with whatever is agreed upon.” There. That was neutral, right?
“I can help too,” Carly said. “Our school librarian had us learn about censuses before.”
Everyone looked over at Carly, and Mr. Davis said, “That’s an excellent idea.”
“Gramps...” Wyatt said in a soft, questioning tone.
“Carly, why don’t you go ask one of the aides if we could get some drinks at our table?” Anita suggested.
She popped to her feet. “Okay.”
With her daughter gone for a few minutes, Anita turned to the men. “Carly and I can give you some privacy. I’m truly happy to help with anything, but I don’t want to be in the middle.”
“You’re not in the middle,” Wyatt said at the same time that Mr. Davis said, “You can be in the middle if it means finding Susan.”
Wyatt’s expression went still, and Anita wished she could backtrack. Maybe by not coming to the center tonight with him. Mr. Davis wasn’t her grandfather, and she knew Wyatt was trying to be supportive despite his complicated feelings. But tracking down the truth about Susan was a lot different than tracking her down in person.
“Gramps, I need to talk to Anita for a second,” Wyatt said just as Carly came back, balancing four cups of water.
“Thanks, Carly,” she said, smiling. “Wait here with Mr. Davis. Wyatt and I will be right back.”
Mr. Davis didn’t seem to mind, and he and Carly fell into conversation about her school. Anita followed Wyatt out to the lobby.
He moved to one of the large windows that framed the orange sky from the setting sun. A line had appeared between his brows. Shoving his hands into his pockets, he said, “I didn’t expect Gramps to want to track her down. I don’t know if that’s the best idea...”
Anita had been surprised as well, but maybe not as surprised as him. “Maybe a phone call with her will answer any of his questions, and maybe it will bring them both some peace.”
Wyatt looked down at the ground. “Maybe.” He sighed, then met her gaze. “Was he in love with Susan? I mean, he hasn’t denied it—and they were dating—but was he in love with her the whole time he was married to my grandmother? Or is he just distracting himself from truly grieving over my grandmother?”
“I think he was devoted to your grandma,” Anita said quietly. She wasn’t sure where the assurance was coming from, but she didn’t see Mr. Davis as someone who didn’t care about his wife. He served in the war. He had to be a realist. A man who could care deeply too. “Maybe now that he’s a widower, he’s curious about people in his past.”
“You’re right,” Wyatt conceded. “But curiosity is one thing. Following through—and reaching out—is another thing.”
Anita nodded and fell silent. The orange of the sunset began to fade to a burnished red. “Maybe this can be taken one step at a time. You don’t even know if she can be tracked down. Phone books, censuses, calling a city records office...all of it might be a dead end.”
Wyatt rubbed the back of his neck. “I worry that he hasn’t dealt with his grief over Grandma. That he’ll spend his energy on this Susan woman, only to be crushed again. For whatever reason.”
“We can’t predict any of that.” Anita took a couple steps closer to the window, and Wyatt joined her. Together they watched as the brilliant colors of the sunset faded.
“We should get back,” he said after a moment. “Before my grandpa talks your daughter into some sort of escapade.”
Anita smiled and looked over at him. “They’re often in cahoots about something.”
“She’s been good for him,” Wyatt said, sincerity in his tone as his gaze held hers. “The past couple of weeks, he’s been more cheerful, more alive. As if he’s looking forward to each day.”
Anita swallowed back the emotion. “He’s been good for her too. It was a stressful weekend when we came for that first visit. I was sure I’d be taking home a grumpy teenager to deal with on my own. But only a short time with your grandfather, and Carly gained a new perspective on some things.”
Wyatt’s gaze hadn’t left her face, and she loved that he was really listening to her. He’d loosened his tie at his throat, and scrubbed his hand through his hair more than once, giving it a rumpled look. Put-together Wyatt was a nice visual, but Wyatt a bit on the edge was also appealing.
She pushed those thoughts away. “What do you want to do? I don’t want to step on anyone’s toes.”
“Gramps is set on this,” he said. “That look in his eye has never changed. Even as a kid, I knew it meant he wouldn’t be changing his mind.” He set his hands on his hips. “I just wish I knew if this is going to be a fruitless search.”
“None of us can know what’s on the other end of this search,” she said. “Maybe whatever this is will bring him some peace about his past.”
Wyatt frowned at that. “What do you mean?”
“He seems to be sharing nostalgic memories, but I think some of them have a double meaning. I think he’s looking for closure on something that happened between him and Susan.”
