He chuckles. “That’s a full-time job.”
“Are they driving you crazy yet?” My parents have been out of town for months, traveling and visiting friends.
One of his eyebrows raises. “What do you think?”
I grin. “I think that’s why you’re sitting here with me.”
“And you wouldn’t be wrong.” He nods toward my bottle. “How about getting me one of those?”
“Sure thing.” I stand and head inside to the kitchen. Grabbing a beer from the fridge, I pop off the cap. I dump some pretzels in a bowl, then return to the deck.
Gramps takes the bottle from me and takes a deep pull. He lets out a satisfied sigh. “Damn, that’s good.”
I smile, placing the bowl on the small table between our chairs. “You need a mini fridge for your room so you can keep a secret stash of beer and snacks.”
“I like how you think, kid. That’s why you’ve always been my favorite.”
“I bet you say that to my brothers too.”
He laughs and doesn’t try to deny it. He doesn’t need to. I’ve always known our relationship is special. We’ve spent a lot of time together, and even more so since Gram passed away a few years ago.
“I don’t suppose we’ll have many more mild days like this one,” he says, tipping his face toward the sun and closing his eyes.
“Not likely. Although, I’m sure more than half the country would think fifty-five degrees is freezing.”
He takes another sip of beer. “Mainers are tough. We’re made of hearty stock.”
I tip my head toward him. “That’s for sure.”
“Are you working today?” he asks.
“Nope. Not unless there’s a problem and I need to run in.” Owning my own business has always been a dream of mine, but the biggest downfall is being on call 24/7. Still, I wouldn’t trade it. I like not answering to anyone but myself, and doing things my way. The responsibility can be daunting at times, but I’ve always liked a challenge.
“Why?” I ask. “Are you looking for something to do?”
“I’m avoiding your parents. Your mom’s constant hovering is getting on my nerves.”
“I get it. But that’s Mom. She cares about you, and wants to make sure you have everything you need.”
“Pfft. Except space.”
I snicker. Gramps’ mind is still sharp as a tack. “Well, you’re welcome to hang out here with me. I’ve got a few odd jobs I was thinking of knocking out if you want to be my assistant.”
“I guess I could do that,” he says, acting like he’s doing me a favor. “What kind of jobs are we talking about?”
“Nothing too intense. Fixing that loose bottom step, blowing some leaves, and cleaning out the gutters.”
“Oh no,” he says, raising a hand. “You lost me at gutters. I’m retired from ladders, thank you very much. Last time I went up one, your mother nearly had a heart attack.”
“Fair enough,” I say with a smile. “I’ll handle the high stuff. You can supervise and pretend you’re the foreman.”
“Sounds easy enough. I’ve been pretending to be in charge my whole life.”
I laugh, and we lapse into a comfortable silence, sipping our beers and listening to the sounds of the ocean waves crashing against the shore. A feeling of peace settles in, and I think about how fortunate I am to be sitting here with my grandfather. I wish this moment could go on indefinitely.
I hear the sliding door at Travis’ house open, and Reed strolls out wearing a hoodie, basketball shorts, and his usual smug look. He heads our way. So much for enjoying the peace.
“Here comes trouble,” Gramps mumbles, echoing my thoughts.
