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“What are you doing here?” Tenley cried out as soon as they broke the hug.
“Surprising you, of course!” her grandma replied, the white curls on her head springing with joy.
“Irene, is that you?” Tenley’s mother called out, and soft footsteps padded across the floor.
“Did Mom know you were coming?” Tenley asked, keeping her arms around the woman’s waist.
She waved her hand, dismissing Tenley’s question as her mom joined us. “Sorry for the surprise visit, but I promise I’m only here to help, Rosemary. And catch up with my granddaughter!” Irene’s gaze snapped back to Tenley. “We have four years of catching up to do, so spill!”
I watched in a daze as this petite woman dragged Tenley back into the living room, completely ignoring me, and began asking her all different questions. As startled as Tenley was, she hesitantly responded. Though, the hesitancy quickly turned into her exuberantly telling her grandma about everything that had happened since she went off to veterinarian school. Tenley’s attention was no longer on me, as she got lost in the thrill of storytelling.
Rosemary took a deep breath, still standing beside me, watching the procession unfold, and I glanced her way.
“We’re not making it to dinner, are we?” I quietly asked, and her mom shook her head.
“That woman’s as stubborn as a mule, and it won’t matter how much Tenley protests, she is not getting away from Irene anytime soon,” Rosemary replied, running a hand over her Christmas sweater. “That same stubbornness runs in Irene’s side of the family, much like her son,” she grumbled and walked back into the living room, sitting down in her recliner with a small huff.
Not quite ready to follow, I returned my attention to Tenley who was excitedly sharing a story with her grandma as a grunt sounded behind me. Glancing over my shoulder, I saw a rather large man, bald and plump picking up two suitcases to carry inside the house.
“You him?” The man raised a wiry gray brow as he stepped through the door. Placing the suitcases down, he ran his free hand across the speckled stubble on his chin.
“Sorry?” I replied, and he shut the door behind him.
His eyes raked over me, locking onto the scar on my face. I clenched my jaw, carefully calculating what he might be thinking. Waiting for the barrage of questions that always followed.
Slowly, the man nodded. “Yeah, you’re him.” He extended a hand and gave me a nod. Not a word about the disfigurements on my face, not another question or word. Once again, I removed my hat and cautiously shook his hand, also quiet, as I watched him stare at me.
“I’m Frank, Tenley’s Grandpa,” he broke the silence, introducing himself.
“Weston Duke,” I replied, and he pulled his hand back, chuckling. The wrinkles on his face deepened with his smile.
“A word of caution, do not let Irene know that I knew about you before she did. Charlie told only me about Tenley’s new boyfriend, since he wanted his daughter to tell my wife herself.” His gaze slipped to the small woman laughing loudly with Tenley.
As frustrated as I was that our date was interrupted, it seemed Tenley was excited to be with her grandparents. If she was happy, then I was happy.
“I won’t say a word,” I replied, watching her. She pushed her long hair behind her ear, the curls flowing over her shoulder and down her back. So long that the tips brushed the couch cushions. If she truly knew how smitten I was with her, she honestly might get a little scared and decide to run for the hills.
Her figure shook with laughter, a bright smile highlighted by the most perfect, soft rosy cheeks. She was gentle and sassy, all at once, and her confidence had been growing lately.
I couldn’t stop the smile as she pulled her legs up under her bum, sitting like she once had when stitching up my arm.
A bump against my shoulder startled me, Frank standing practically as tall as me was off-putting a little bit. But Tenley had mentioned that her dad was a mountain of a man back in the day, and I could see where he got it from.
“Careful there, son,” Frank began, and I furrowed my brows. “If she figures out what that look on your face means, you’ll never be able to say no to her.”
My eyes slid back to Tenley. That didn’t sound too bad.
And I was pretty sure we were already to that point, even if she hadn’t noticed yet.
I exhaled deeply and kicked my boots off once again, sitting them neatly next to Tenley’s and her grandma’s pair of sneakers. Frank removed his slippers and left the suitcases in the entrance. I walked a little ways into the living area but paused.
Her grandpa sat down on the couch on Tenley’s opposite side, while I leaned up against the wall, hanging back. This didn’t bother me.
Not going on our first date didn’t bother me at all.
Okay, maybe it did bother me a little bit. I liked seeing her happy, which made me happy. But it had been over eighteen years since I’d had an actual date. Took me long enough to kiss a woman again. As a result, I really wanted to go to dinner. Plus, I’d made reservations at Jack’s, which especially this time of year, were so hard to come by, even in this tiny town.
“Well, I’m hungry!” Tenley’s grandma said, slapping her knee.
