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"I'll leave the garage door open," his grandfather said. "Maybe best not to come inside again. Ellie has had all the excitement she needs for a day."
"No problem."
He left the house, feeling incredibly sad but also angry at the illness that had literally stolen his grandmother away from him. When her brain was right, she was the person he'd loved all his life, but when the chemistry changed, she was a stranger. He supposed that was probably the way she felt, too. She just couldn't tell the difference, but he could.
How his grandfather handled it day in and day out, he didn't know, but he obviously needed more help. And he needed to talk to his father about it, too. Jack might not want to see his mother in a home, but he also wouldn't have wanted to see the kitchen the way Drew had found it.
And what about his grandmother's increasingly frequent bouts of disorientation? Her memories of terrible events that seemed to have no basis in reality—or did they?
She'd gotten agitated when she'd seen the story on the Winthrop building, and the fire that had burned down the original building had taken the lives of two firefighters. So the building had meant something to her. But what was the promise she'd made and to who? Was his grandmother lying? Were her words caused by the delusions of her illness? Or had she been involved in something shady a very long time ago?
Damn! Now he was the crazy one. His grandparents were the most honorable people he knew. He needed to stop trying to find some truth, some reality, in his grandmother's words. He had to find a way to love her the way she was now and let go of the person she used to be.
But that was all for another time. Today, he would fix their car, and be glad there was at least one problem in his life that he could resolve.
Chapter Eighteen
Ria got home from her last sailing lesson just after five o'clock on Sunday. Judging by the loud music coming from the bedroom, it was obvious that Megan was awake.
She knocked on the door, then pushed it open. Megan sat on the middle of the bed, computer in front of her, music so loud she was surprised the neighbors hadn't complained.
"Can you turn it down?" Ria asked.
"What?" Megan yelled.
She waved her hand toward the speakers.
Megan reached over and switched off the music. "Sorry. How was sailing?"
"It was fine," she said, sitting down on a corner of the bed, not willing to admit that thoughts of Drew had distracted her all day. She hadn't been able to enjoy the water the way she normally did, because her mind kept darting from joyous memories of being in Drew's arms to worrying thoughts about Drew's conversation with his friend. She wanted to believe that Tim's innocent questions wouldn't trigger interest by the wrong people on the island, but how could she be sure? She had no idea who Tim had spoken to.
"Tory," Megan said. "Is something wrong?"
"No, just a little tired," she said, not wanting to put her negative thoughts on to Megan. "How was your day?"
"I slept for most of it. Now I'm working on my essay. It's due tomorrow."
"This is the one about the Coast Guard?"
"About Drew," Megan said. "And I want to hear all about your date last night. I can't believe he took you up in a helicopter."
"He wanted to show me his world," Ria replied. "The lights were just coming on in the city, and it was amazing. The view was incredible and Drew decided to add a little excitement by flying us under the Golden Gate Bridge."
"Was it scary?"
"It was exhilarating," Ria said, remembering the breathless feeling she'd experienced when they'd taken off. "I loved it. I can see why Drew likes to fly."
"And then you went out on his boat," Megan added. "Which is obviously your idea of the perfect date."
She smiled. "You know me too well."
"I think Drew does, too. Was it romantic?"
"To use one of your favorite words; it was awesome. Drew put together a really nice picnic, crab salad, fresh fruit, baked bread, wine. It was a beautiful night, lots of stars." Her voice drifted away, her heart aching at the memory of the night they'd shared, and the realization that it might have been their last night together.
"Did you kiss him?"
