Nick grinned. “He’s driving the same truck, too. Thing’s gotta be thirty-something years old. Looks like it’s in great condition, though.”
A garden thrived near the house. It was about the size of a regulation basketball court, enclosed within a waist-high fence.
A squat, mahogany-skinned man shuffled through the middle of the garden. He wore denim overalls and a khaki bucket cap hat. He was intent on his work, head bowed, a shovel balanced like a rifle over his shoulder.
“Grandpa’s in the garden.” Nick pointed. Giddiness flitted through him; he felt like a kid again, a reaction he hadn’t expected. “Let’s park and go see him.”
8
Amiya parked underneath the carport beside Grandpa Lee’s old pickup, and they hopped out of the SUV. Nick reached for Amiya’s hand as they walked across the front yard toward the garden. A cloud passed across her eyes. He figured she wasn’t going to forgive him so easily for his Mrs. Alexander comment.
“Can we try to enjoy this visit?” he asked.
With obvious reluctance, she allowed him to take her hand. He lifted her fingers to his lips, kissed them.
“Don’t forget, you’re in the penalty box,” she said.
“I’ll make it up to you before the day’s over.”
They walked past Grandpa Lee’s house. Up close, Nick saw that it was in almost perfect condition, as if it had been restored by a crack team of contractors. A bench-style swing rocked on the veranda, hanging from a pair of glistening silver chains. The front door, painted a deep shade of red, seemed to shimmer. Sunshine sparkled on the windows, and potted plants lined the porch railing.
From what Nick remembered, Grandpa Lee had always done his own maintenance and repairs, on both his vehicle and hisproperty. He didn’t share his grandfather’s talents; changing a light bulb was the limit of his handyman skills.
They approached the garden. White butterflies fluttered around his grandfather, like a halo of fairies. Grandpa Lee suddenly swung away from his labors and spotted them. He pushed up his glasses on his nose. His lips broke into a broad grin.
He looks damned good, Nick thought,to be ninety years old.Grandpa Lee’s thick beard was snow-white, but vitality glistened in his eyes.
“There he is!” Grandpa Lee said. He stepped toward them through a row of string beans, slightly favoring his left leg, and came through the garden’s open gate.
“Hey, Grandpa Lee,” Nick said. “It’s so good to see you again.”
He extended his arm to shake his grandfather’s hand, but Grandpa Lee shoved his hand aside and pulled him into a bear hug. His grandfather smelled faintly of perspiration, but mostly of rich, raw earth, as if he had recently been formed from red Georgia clay.
Nick was probably three inches taller than his grandfather, placing his elder at about five-feet-seven, but Grandpa Lee had the wide-shouldered build of a powerlifter, and the embrace of one, too. He squeezed Nick so fiercely that Nick struggled to breathe.
“You’ve been on my heart lately, son,” Grandpa Lee said in his ear. “It’s a blessing that you came down today.”
“It’s been too long,” Nick said, and meant it.
“Who’s this here?” Grandpa Lee let him go and smiled at Amiya. “Is this fine lady here your wife? I never got an invitation to a wedding, son.”
“This is my girlfriend, Amiya,” Nick said. He slid his gaze toward Amiya. “I’m still working on the wife part.”
Amiya ignored Nick, smiled at his grandfather. “I’m pleased to meet you, sir.”
“You better work harder, son!” Grandpa Lee laughed. He peeled off his work gloves, gently took one of Amiya’s hands, and bowed. “Welcome to Westbrook, young lady. The pleasure’s all mine.”
“Westbrook?” Amiya asked, her gaze flitting from Grandpa Lee to Nick.
“I had forgotten all about that name,” Nick said. “Westbrook—it’s just what Grandpa calls the property here.”
“It’s not just what I call it,” Grandpa Lee said. “It’s the proper name of the land, passed down through generations of our family.”
Here we go, Nick thought, and shot Amiya a look.
“It’s lovely here.” She clasped her hands together and turned that killer smile of hers on Grandpa Lee. “Would you mind taking us on a tour?”
9
