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“Are we taking the wheelchair?” Wyatt asked.
“No,” his grandpa said. “This is just for show—giving me the five-star treatment to get into my own car. I told them I’ll do just fine with my regular old walker.”
When Wyatt opened the passenger side door, Mr. Davis said, “Oh no, I’ll sit in the back with Carly.”
“I’m all right in the back,” Anita protested. “We want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
But Mr. Davis waved her off. “I’ve already made up my mind. You’re up front.”
She glanced at Wyatt, and he shrugged. “All right,” she conceded.
Once Mr. Davis was settled into the back seat with a lap blanket that he claimed he didn’t need, Anita climbed into the front seat. She was both excited and nervous about this trip. Excited to find out the full story about Susan and Mr. Davis, but nervous about it bringing up previous sadness and regret.
“How long is this drive?” he said as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Eight or nine hours at least,” Wyatt said. “We have some planned stops on the way.”
“That sounds fine. Did you give Susan and her daughter a time when we’d arrive?”
“Yes, they’re expecting us for a brunch tomorrow,” Wyatt said. “We’ll stop at a grocery store so we can contribute a few items. Lila thought a brunch would be best in case we need to sleep in.”
Anita glanced back at Mr. Davis when Carly asked, “Are you nervous?”
“I’m as nervous as a turkey in November,” he said, but his eyes twinkled. “I’m happy her daughter is allowing the visit. I hate to think about Susan being upset with me.”
Carly reached over and patted his hand. “It’s probably just a misunderstanding.”
“How old are you?” he asked.
She grinned. “Teenagers are more mature these days than back in your time.”
He chuckled. “Maybe, and smarter too. You have all those newfangled gadgets to figure out.”
“Like this?” Carly held up her Walkman. “It’s great when Mom wants to listen to the news, and I want to listen to my music. Do you want to try it?”
And the conversation between the pair of them continued. Anita’s heart soared at their friendship. Since her own parents were long gone, Carly didn’t have grandparents she saw.
Wyatt glanced over at her. “Everything okay?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, I love their banter.”
“Me too.” He smiled and reached for her hand.
Wyatt holding her hand felt strange and wonderful at the same time. Anita could get used to this. Expanding her relationships, living richer moments, going on interesting quests into the past.
“Speaking of news,” Mr. Davis said in a louder voice from the back seat. “How about we put the radio on? I’ve been living in a land of three square meals and board games. I don’t know what’s going on in the outside world.”
So Wyatt put the radio on a news station, and for the next part of their journey, the news updates blared through. At one point, Carly tapped Anita on her shoulder. She looked back to see that Mr. Davis had fallen asleep, his head resting on Carly’s shoulder.
Carly smiled, and Anita reached over to turn down the radio volume. “Your grandpa is asleep,” she told Wyatt.
He looked in the rearview mirror. “I think we’ll continue past this next town, and when he wakes up, we can stop for lunch.”
“Will that take you off your plan too much?”
“We’re making good time,” he said. “Besides, part of the fun is getting to drive this more than about the town.”
Anita ran her hand over the smooth leather upholstery. “No complaints here.”
