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Shivers ran down her spine at the look in his eyes. She'd tried to turn the tables on him, but he'd flipped them right back at her.
Before she had a chance to answer, the front door opened and closed, then a tall, gray-haired man walked into the living room. He had a ruddy complexion and blue eyes, that weren't as light or as bright as his wife's but were penetrating and intelligent.
"Drew, what are you doing here?" he asked.
"Grandpa," Drew said, getting to his feet. "Aiden couldn't make it, so he sent me. This is my friend, Ria, my grandfather, Patrick Callaway."
"It's nice to meet you," Ria said, inwardly adding yet another person who now knew her name was Ria.
"You, too," Patrick said. "Why don't we go into the kitchen, Drew? Maybe your friend could chat with Ellie?"
"It's fine," she said, in answer to Drew's unspoken question.
As Drew and his grandfather left, she smiled at Eleanor. "You made Drew very uncomfortable."
"I know," Eleanor said with a smile. "He's always so private, I have to tease him now and then, or I'll never get any information."
"Was he always that way?" she asked. "Even when he was a child?"
"Oh, yes. Drew keeps everything inside. I've tried to tell him that's not healthy, but he always says that’s just the way it is. I know he went through some hard times in the Navy. I could see the shadows in his eyes, the grief in his expression when he thought no one was watching. There was a heaviness about him when he first came home, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders." She paused. "But today he seems lighter, more relaxed. Maybe that's because of you, dear."
"I doubt that. We're really not together."
"Why not? You like him. He likes you."
"It's complicated."
"The best things always are," Eleanor said. "And it's fine to make Drew work for it. Then you'll know if he's serious. The Callaway men have too much charm for their own good. Sometimes they get caught up in their hype, if you know what I mean. When Patrick first asked me out, I said no. And I kept saying no for the next month. Finally, I agreed to have coffee with him." She smiled. "You would have thought he'd won the lottery. Do you know what I told him on our first date?"
"I can't imagine."
"I said I'm not playing hard to get, Patrick, I am hard to get. And if you want me, you're going to have to work for it."
"I'll bet he took that as a challenge."
Eleanor's eyes twinkled. "He absolutely did. He went out of his way to prove that he was the one and only man for me."
Ria smiled. "I think Drew has a lot of his grandfather in him."
"He definitely has his stubbornness. But Drew is more of a thinker, and he guards his heart like it's made of pure gold."
"Why do you think that is?"
"I've never been sure. Maybe losing his mom when he was a small child made him a little wary of love. Or maybe it was a broken heart somewhere along the way. Like I said, Drew doesn’t confide in me. But there's something about Drew that sneaks up on you. If you're not careful, you'll wake up one day and realize you're in love with him."
Her nerves tingled at Eleanor's words. "I better be careful then."
Eleanor laughed. "I like you, Ria."
"I like you, too," she said.
"You know I may not remember you five minutes from now."
"I know. But I'll remember you."
"That's what keeps me going," she said. "Knowing that my family will remember the woman I used to be."
"I think the woman you are now is pretty great, too," Ria said.
Eleanor met her gaze. "You'd make a fine Callaway."
"I told you—"
"I know what you said, but my grandson is very good at getting what he wants."
Where was her grandson? Ria wondered. Drew's five minutes had now turned into half an hour.
* * *
"Are you sure you want to sell the boat?" Drew asked his grandfather as they sat at the kitchen table together.
"Positive." Patrick took out his reading glasses. He looked at the checks and then nodded. "You boys are going to have a great time with that boat. I know I did."
