Henry turned the envelope over. “But she never mailed it.”
“Packing up the motel was hectic for her. We think she meant to, but the letter got shuffled in with other papers, and she thought she’d put it in the motel mailbox for the postman to collect,” Rose said.
“She mentioned her disappointment that you never said anything about the letter quite a few times,” Pearl added.
“That’s why she never came back here. We always went to visit her,” Leena said.
“And I thought it was because she didn’t want to see me.” Henry looked out at the ocean and felt the years fall away. What a waste. He’d held on to a grudge that wasn’t even real. He’d been a stubborn fool, and that had caused him to miss out. He wasn’t going to waste any more time on nursing old grudges. He didn’t know how many years he had left, but he wanted to make them count.
He smiled at Rose, Pearl, and Leena. “Thank you so much for bringing this to me. I apologize for being so cranky all these years. I’ll do better. I promise.”
“That’s the spirit, Henry!” Pearl hugged him, and it felt awkward, but only for a few seconds.
“We’ve missed you, Henry,” Rose smiled at him then clapped her hands and turned to the others. “Okay, ladies, let’s get a move on. The second round of the contest is about to start, and I want a good seat.”
Henry smiled as he watched the three ladies walk off. They’d been good friends once, long ago, and he wanted to see if he could get back to that. It seemed like they wanted that too.
“Gramps, are you okay?”
“Never better, my boy!” Henry’s smile faded a notch at the look of angst on Nick’s face. “What’s going on?”
“Well, I have something to tell you, and I don’t want you to be mad at me.”
“Mad?” Henry couldn’t imagine why Nick thought he would ever be mad at him. He doted on the boy. Didn’t he? Or had his grumpy demeanor over the past few decades come off as anger? “I could never be mad at you. What is it?”
“It has to do with the bank, Gramps.” Nick hesitated, as if trying to find the right words.
“Okay.” Henry smiled to encourage him.
Nick took a deep breath. “It’s about the loan for the Beachcomber.”
Henry’s cheeks flushed with shame, remembering how he’d told Nick that they couldn’t give Jules the loan. He’d done that out of bitterness because of the way he’d thought things had ended with Rena. He needed to make that right. “I don’t think—”
Nick held up his hand, stopping Henry midsentence. “I know you don’t think it’s a good investment for the bank, but I disagree. And it’s not just about the bank. It’s about the town. Look how the town has come back to life.” Nick gestured toward the street brimming with tourists. “The town needs a motel, and I think Jules and her cousins can revive the Beachcomber, but they’re going to need our help.”
“Yes, you’re right.” Henry wondered if Nick had heard him, because Nick hurried to continue justifying his actions.
“I don’t like to disagree with you or go behind your back, but I felt I had no choice. I had to do what I knew was right in my heart. You taught me that.”
“You went behind my back?” Henry could tell that Nick was expecting him to be mad, but it was the opposite. He was proud. Nick had taken a stand.
“Yes. I went to Gary to see if I could get the loan pushed through.”
“Why?”
“You’d made it clear that you weren’t going to approve it. I want this town to grow, and giving a loan to the Beachcomber so it can attract tourists is part of it.” Nick’s expression softened. “I hope you won’t be mad at me, Gramps. I love you, but on this one, you were just plain wrong.”
Henry and Nick stared at each other for a few seconds. Then Henry burst into laughter and clapped his grandson on the back. “I couldn’t agree more. You did good.”
“Huh?” Nick looked completely confused.
Henry sighed. “I was a fool and let my old feelings get in the way. You did the right thing. How did you do it? It must have been hard with no earnings statements since the motel has been closed.”
Nick’s expression turned sheepish. “I guaranteed the loan from our branch.”
“Oh, good idea.”
“You’re not mad that our branch guaranteed the loan?” Nick seemed doubtful.
