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“Everyone calls me Gramps,” the older man said, grinning. He let Mack take his side of the table and sat down across from Roe. “How are you, Roe? Cain told me you’ve been through a lot.”
Roe pressed his lips together and struggled to not start crying. The man reminded him of his omega grandfather, Ben. He had a very steady and gentle presence that made Roe want to tell him all his troubles.
“I’m fine,” he managed to say in a small voice.
Gramps gave him a long look. “Fine?”
Roe’s bottom lip trembled, and he widened his eyes, struggling to keep his composure. “Really. Just fine.”
The man’s knowing blue eyes were too much.
“Okay, I’m not fine.” Roe groaned and covered his face. “This has been a nightmare.”
The seat sunk beside him, and Gramps wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “I would think so. That ex of yours is a right piece of work.”
“It’s mostly his new husband, I think.” Roe wiped his eyes and smiled wanly. “At least, Gabrielseemsto be the one doing everything, but James supports him.”
“Cain and his people will take care of it.” Gramps patted his knee. “If any of them show up here in town, I know the best places to bury the bodies.”
The words should have alarmed Roe, but he was sure Gramps was joking. Well, he was at least 40 percent sure he was joking.
“Don’t talk about burying bodies when I can hear you, Gerald!” Mack shouted from the sunroom.
Gramps snorted. “I watched that man fall on his face running up a slide when he was a boy. Six times in a row. I’m not worried about him.”
Roe chuckled. It was hard to imagine the steady and competent man doing something so silly. It was also fascinating. “Tell me more.”
“Well, there was the time he got chased through town by a chicken. That was only a few months ago, though.”
Roe laughed so hard he almost fell off the couch.
“To be fair, that chicken was a mean one, but it sure was a lot smaller than him,” Gramps said with a chuckle. “Then, there was the time Violet Timberline thought he was a peeping tom. It was his first year as a police officer. She called in saying there was a shady character hanging around her house, and he answered the call. When she saw him skulking around, she sprayed him with the hose until he looked like a drowned cat. The poor woman really needed new glasses, but she refused to go to the new eye doctor in town until she knew him better.”
Roe rolled with laughter, wiggling in his seat.
“Damn it, Gerald.” Mack stood in front of them, scowling with his arms crossed.
Gramps gave him an innocent look. “What’s the problem, Sheriff?”
Mack growled and threw himself into the chair nearby. “You Wilsons are gonna be the death of me. Between the pranks your grandkids play on one another and the general silliness of the whole family, I should put you all in jail.”
“Bah,” Gramps scoffed. “All you’d have to do then is write traffic tickets. We make life more interesting.”
After Harper and Gramps left,Roe found himself secluded in his cute new, sunny studio. The work table and chair were absolutely stunning. Harper had made them himself, and Roe fully planned to beg the craftsman to work with him on the custom wooden frames he enjoyed making. Roe wasn’t nearly as talented with wood as Harper was, and ideas swirled in his head of ways to integrate Harper’s work with his own.
While Roe had the skills to be a traditional oil and canvas artist, he preferred mixed media art, which allowed him to use anything from paper or sculptures to beads and rocks. He almost felt sorry for Harper, but the young man was too talented to ignore.
Roe grabbed his sketchbook and pencils before awkwardly lowering himself onto the overstuffed chair and ottoman Mack had arranged for him in the corner of the studio. He lost himself in drawing, imagining beautiful pieces built of wood and metal surrounding painted canvases textured with leaves and pressed flowers. Wood was earthy and natural, just begging to be paired with sage or wine-red paint.
At some point, a cup of tea and a sandwich appeared on the small table beside him. A post-it told him the kids were home and watching a movie upstairs. Roe smiled and ate as he fleshed out the design that appealed to him the most—an oak shadow box carved to appear as if it was peeled open to reveal a textured painting of sage, cream, and pale blue. Small wooden acorns, gold filigree leaves, a soft purple tulip. Mischievous eyes on a sweet face with a crooked grin. A little faun, curled into his hiding spot.
Hours later, Roe finally looked up, his muscles stiff and aching from remaining locked in place. Another cup of tea sat on the side table, and the lunch dishes were gone. Mack. The man was too damn sweet to be single, that was for sure. James had mocked Roe constantly about getting lost in histrivialwork. Mack had been more supportive in one day than James had been throughout their entire marriage.
He slowly got to his feet, wincing as his bruises reminded him that he had almost died three days ago. Wally sat in a chair right outside the studio reading a book. Roe patted his shoulder as he walked by.
The tea cup was warm in his hand as he wandered through the quiet house. His phone said it was just after seven. Fergie slept on his dog bed with Carrot cuddled against his side. Mmrr was sprawled inside the large open guinea pig cage licking Pepper. The guinea pig’s wet hair stuck up, but she didn’t seem concerned about the cat. Mmrr had never been one to hunt rodents. Instead, she mostly enjoyed lounging, so Roe decided to take his cue from Pepper.
A soft giggle came from the kitchen.
