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Chapter 14
Troy stepped through the front door of Main Street Eats, the diner that sat prominently on one end of the short downtown block of Valentine Bay. He scanned the dining room and didn’t see his grandmother.
He breathed a little sigh of relief. She didn’t take too kindly to people being late. And it wouldn’t have mattered that he was there ten minutes ahead of schedule. In her mind, if she arrived before someone else, regardless of the time, they were late.
He smiled a little to himself. Of course, she didn’t apply the same standard in reverse. If she arrived after the other party, she just viewed that as the way things ought to be.
He didn’t know why she’d called this meeting today, but he had an idea. There had only been one development in his life recently– he’d met Alison. He knew Grandmother Valentine well enough to know that she was going to have something to say about that.
“Hello, Troy, honey! Come on in. Anywhere you want to sit is fine.” Grace, one of the owners of Main Street Eats, greeted him from behind the counter and he gave her a wave of acknowledgement.
“Thanks, Grace,” he replied. “I’ll be over in the corner booth. I’m expecting my grandmother any minute now, so point her my way, will you?”
Her eyebrows shot up. “Ooo, la la. The grand dame of Valentine Bay. To what do we owe the honor?”
He chuckled. “You’ll know as soon as I do.”
He settled into the booth and pulled out a menu, although that was completely unnecessary. He could’ve recited the entire thing from memory. He’d been coming to Main Street Eats since before he could remember. He’d known the owners, married couple Grace and Serge, just as long. This place was part of the DNA of Valentine Bay.
The bell over the front door chimed and he heard his grandmother’s imperious voice. “Hello, Grace. Has my grandson made his appearance yet?”
He had to grin. Talk about things that are part of the DNA of Valentine Bay…
Being a member of the founding family, no matter how many generations removed, had both its benefits and its responsibilities. Both of those things were encapsulated in the person of Grandmother Valentine, the matriarch of the family and the oldest surviving descendant of the town founders.
Troy stood and gestured to get her attention as Grace said, “Sure enough. He’s over in the corner booth. He didn’t beat you by much, though.”
With that little dig, Grace met his eyes and winked. Troy had to smile. Grace knew his grandmother’s philosophy on tracking tardiness. She’d done it on purpose.
He watched as Grandmother Valentine made her slow and stately way across the room. He would’ve gone to her and escorted her to the table, but she was accompanied by the latest in her revolving door of handsome, strapping young health care workers. It was one of her indulgences, and although Troy knew it probably should’ve made him cringe, he actually thought it was kind of cute. I mean, hell– if a person couldn’t do whatever the hell they wanted when they made it to her age, when could they?
He stood when she arrived at the table and greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “Hello, there, Grandmother. How are you?”
“Excellent in both health and spirit, thank you for asking,” she replied, then turned to her home health aide. “Thank you, Brock. You can go. Keep your phone on, please. I’ll call when I’m ready.”
The man nodded and left the diner. Troy grinned at his grandmother. “His name’s really Brock?”
“Honestly, I’ve stopped trying to remember their names. They come and go and it’s a waste of mental energy. I knew a young man named Brock when I was a girl, so I’ve taken to calling them all Brock. None of them have complained, but they are quite well-paid, I wouldn’t expect them to.”
“I have a lot of follow-up questions about that explanation.”
“They’ll have to wait for another time. I’m on a schedule. Speaking of which, is it correct that you were nearly late today?”
“I was ten minutes early, if that’s how we’re defining ‘nearly late.’”
She waved her hand. “No matter.”
“Good.”
“So, to the reason I called this meeting. I understand that you’ve been seeing a young lady recently.”
“True.”
“Excellent. I understand she’s a performer.”
“She is. Her name is Alison Bartholomew.”
“I’m aware.”
