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“I’ve never said otherwise,” he said. “It was finding the right person.”
“I think you’ve found her.”
“It’s been about five months or so,” he said. “Not sure it’s time to say that.”
“Come on now, Cal,” his grandfather said. “You’ve dated over the years. I think the longest relationship I can remember was a year. I can’t even remember her name at this point because she wasn’t around much. You were young yet. In college.”
“Maria,” he said. “Yeah, it was nothing serious.”
“That’s right. I feel as if it’s been nothing serious with a lot of women and then all of a sudden that isn’t the case. I’ve known you to take women out to dinner, get them nice gifts for holidays but nothing over the top. No fancy vacations or anything. Yet you’ve bought two pieces of jewelry for Mia.”
“Buying someone jewelry means nothing,” he said.
“My point is, you’ve done things differently with Mia. Almost from the start.”
“I have,” he said. No use denying it. “I love her. We love each other. I judged her early on and shouldn’t have.”
“And who told you that?” his grandfather asked, puffing his chest out.
“You did,” he said.
“That’s right, I did. And it looks as if you’ve got something on your mind. What is it?”
“Nothing,” he said. “Just killing time before I meet with Neil.”
“How are things going with the brewery?” his grandfather asked.
“Great. Production is up and running. We’ve got product shipping out to distributors and more on the way. It’s set up to sell in local pubs and restaurants right now too.”
It’d been a lot of legwork on his part but so worth it in the end.
“Did you ever check that house Mike told you about?”
“No,” he said. He had driven by. He was out in that area. It wasn’t a horrible location and he could easily rent it out, but it’d need work.
“Why not?” his grandfather asked. “You’re always one for helping someone out if you can.”
Mike hadn’t brought it up again and he’d expected that he would. He supposed he was glad about that so he didn’t have to make up some excuse as to why he wasn’t looking into it more when he normally would.
There was part of him that was burned right now with what Tyler did.
He did a lot for the kid and what he got in return wasn’t just petty but it was evil. There was no call for it either.
“Just a lot going on,” he said. “I don’t know. I think maybe people expect it from me at times.”
“What?” his grandfather asked. “That you’re more Santa than Scrooge?”
He snorted when his grandfather said that.
He supposed the fact he got through Christmas this year happier than he’d been in the past said he might have put some of his hatred for the holiday behind him.
“Maybe,” he said. “Though no one has ever said that to me before.”
No one other than Mia.
His grandfather just laughed. “Maybe not to your face but definitely behind your back.”
“Huh?”
