“Seriously?” Salem asked. “Grampy is coming to Huckleberry Hill?”
“Yes,” I said. “Grampy is coming to Huckleberry Hill. And about thirty-six hours ago, all he knew was that I was in thehospital and I had a fiancé. And that I wasn’t the one to tell him.”
The two of them exchanged a look. And then Hadley said to me, “Come stir the tomato sauce for me.”
“Why?” I asked, setting down my ginger beer.
Hadley removed her apron and put it over my neck. It fell to my knees.
“I’m going to go find Muddy,” she said.
“And do what? Warn her?” I demanded.
“Warn her,” Hadley said. “And give her a heads up that your grandfather is a contender.”
“Never trust the tweed,” Salem murmured.
“Preach,” I said, turning to the stove and stirring the sauce.
Hadley left the kitchen, leaving me and Salem alone.
“We’ll run interference,” she said. “And even so, once he calms down and sees how Brooks is with you, he’ll be okay.”
“You think?”
She snorted. “No.”
My texts to my grandfather went unanswered. I hoped that meant he was on a plane and not too angry to even speak to me over text. Then again, this wasn’t atalk over textkind of situation. This was aI need to see you face to face so I can give you the verbal lecture of a lifetimekind of situation.
“Do you not like the lasagna?” Muddy asked when she saw that I’d barely touched my plate.
“Oh, no it’s delicious,” I said to her.
The dinner table was usually lively with conversation. But not tonight. Everyone was subdued.
Every now and again, someone would look toward thefront door, as if expecting my grandfather to barge in unannounced.
He’d at least knock though.
A dog head settled onto my lap. Salem’s dog, Fig, was an unashamed beggar, but I appreciated the love, none the less. Hadley’s goat, Tempest, was also vying for a snack. She kept bumping my knee with her head. Apparently, I looked like the soft touch.
We were in the middle of dessert when there was a knock on the front door.
No one moved.
Jane finally rose from her chair. “I’ll get it.”
The table was quiet as Jane went to answer the door. She opened it and there was a quick exchange, followed by Jane returning to the kitchen with my grandfather right behind her. His gray trousers weren’t even wrinkled, despite the many hours of travel. Though he was tall—just above six feet—his back hadn’t begun to stoop despite his age.
Without thought, I got up and went to him. I searched his creased face which was completely devoid of emotion at the moment. Taking a deep breath, I hugged him, wrapping my arms around his body. After a brief moment, he embraced me back. I felt his kiss on the top of my head.
He smelled like peppermint.
Tears filled my eyes.
I pulled back to look at him.
Thick, black-rimmed glasses framed his brown eyes which peered at me with tenderness. “What a way for you to get me to come back from England. All you had to do was ask.”
