By this time, they’d reached the kitchen and Drew saw he was right. The back door was open, as was the window overlooking the garden. The radio was tuned to one of her favorite talk shows, and there was a comforting smell of fried onions, garlic, and potatoes.
“Nana.” At the sound of his voice, she turned, a smile breaking out across her lined face. He took her in his arms and hugged her. Please God, he thought to himself, don’t let anything happen to her for a long, long time.
“Hello, sweetheart.” She gave him a kiss on his cheek, and the old-fashioned scent of rose water she always wore reassured him for some reason. All was right in the world as long as his grandmother was around.
“And you brought one of my other favorite boys. Come give me a kiss too, Asher.”
“Hello, Esther. You still won’t call me Ash, will you?” Ash dipped his head to kiss her cheek, then picked up her hand and kissed it as well.
“I like the name Asher. It’s a fine, strong name you should be proud of. Did you know it is a Hebrew name meaning happy or blessing? I think you should remember that, dear.” She patted him on his arm, and Drew studied the incongruous couple as he unpacked the bags.
Never in this lifetime would he have predicted a man like Ash Davis would willingly spend time with his elderly grandmother. Then again, he couldn’t imagine why the sight of Ash with his grandmother sent his heart thumping in a peculiar rhythm. “Is anyone else coming, Nana?” He noticed quite a bit of food in the refrigerator when he put his purchases inside.
“Well, the other boys said they might stop by, and Rachel always stops in to check on me, even though she says it’s to say hello.” Hands planted on her hips, she fixed him with a pretend glare, her blue eyes kindled like a gas flame. “You two don’t fool me, you know. I see right through everything.”
“We love you and want to make sure you’re okay.” Drew popped a mozzarella ball into his mouth. “I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He opened the box of crackers and sat at the table. “Do you, Ash?”
His chin propped in his hands, Ash stared out of the window to the backyard garden. “I think it would be nice to have people who care enough about you to want to make sure you’re safe, but I’m not the person to ask.”
Nana threw Drew a sharp look to which he could only shrug his shoulders. With a determined look on her face, she placed herself next to Ash, the top of her head barely reaching the level of his bicep. She waited only a moment before putting her hand on his arm and speaking so softly Drew had to strain his ears to hear.
“Asher, darling. What’s the matter? You look so sad today. Do you want to talk to me about it?” Her hand remained on his arm.
Drew could’ve told her not to waste her time or breath, that a man like Ash would never reveal himself to her. He turned his attention back to the cheese and reached for a bottle of Malbec.
“You know, Esther. I think I’d like that very much.”
Holy shit. So of all the people in his life, his best friend Peter, Peter’s wife, Drew, anyone, Asher Davis had chosen to unburden himself to Drew’s grandmother. Fucking unbelievable.
Chapter Nine
The living room where Esther brought him to sit and talk was a comfortable room. It had that cozy lived-in feeling, and Ash imagined her husband would come in here after a long day of work to put his feet up on the overstuffed ottoman and settle into his club chair with a drink and the newspaper.
That actually sounded like a perfect ending to anyone’s day, now that he thought about it. He waited until Esther sat in her favorite chair; then he brought her a white wine before settling into a club chair with an iced vodka. He chose not to put his feet up on the ottoman.
Esther surprised him by talking first. “The Chinese place I sent Drew to pick up dinner from takes a while, so we can have a nice long chat.”
It was impossible to be in this woman’s company and not smile. “I see. And why do you think I couldn’t speak freely with Drew around?”
“Because you’re in love with him.”
He choked on his drink, then wiped his mouth and set the glass on a small nearby table. “Esther, I can’t imagine why you’d say something so ridiculous but—”
“Deny it to my face.” Her bright blue eyes challenged him.
He opened his mouth, then shut it. Then opened it again. “I’m not in love with Drew.” Even to his ears, his muttered denial sounded weak at best.
“Asher, dear, I know life has not been easy for you, am I right?”
He jerked a small nod, his gaze darting between the floor and her gentle face.
“The first thing you have to learn is to love yourself and believe you’re worthy to receive love. Only then can you have a healthy relationship with another person.”
At that he barked out a harsh laugh. “Love, love, love. All this talk of love. You say I’m in love with Drew, that I have to love myself. I’m sorry, Esther, but I gave up on love, Santa, and the Easter Bunny when I was a young boy.” He rubbed his arms. “None of them ever appeared in my house when I was growing up.”
“Someone hurt you, didn’t they?” Those knowing eyes held his. “I’ll never repeat what you’ve told me, but after all these years it might feel good to get it off your chest.”
Never had he been this vulnerable, not since Mr. Frank had taken him in. But Esther had those same wise eyes. Eyes that looked as though they’d seen things too, things she could never forget.
