Even if it was keeping him up late at night. Or having him miss a few meals.
He wouldn’t fade away.
Without a gym at his disposal though, he’d have to find some way to get out of the house before he fell into his old ways.
“Everything my grandson touches makes money if he wants it to.”
He smiled at the pride he heard in her voice. “I don’t need this to. If I put that goal on it, it wouldn’t be good for anyone. It’s giving me a purpose right now. One I’m enjoying. It’s killing time too. If it works, then maybe that’s something else I can tinker with again. I’ve still got my investments I’m managing.”
“And time to build arelationship,” his grandmother said.
“That too.”
Though not as much time as he would have liked.
The last thing he wanted was her to think he was needy. Or smothering.
He wanted more time with her. She didn’t seem to feel the same.
Pushing it wasn’t the thing to do. She had to set that pace, whether or not he was comfortable with the speed.
“Is she coming to see your place today?”
“She’ll be here after work,” he said. “And I’m going to cook her a nice dinner.”
“Have you cooked for her yet?”
He swung his feet to the floor and stood. “No. I haven’t wanted to in the hotel room and have the space smell like that the whole time.”
“Do you plan on burning something?” He could almost see his grandmother’s head tilted and one eye closed.
“No,” he said. “That would be you.”
“I don’t burn things anymore. Your grandfather made me take cooking lessons.”
“And you taught me how to cook early on when I visited.”
Because his mother could never be bothered to do anything domestic in the household.
His father wasn’t around. Too busy finding another woman to fuck behind his mother’s back.
“Someone had to show you those things.”
“Not to be mean,” he said. “But I’ve done much better on my own.”
“Don’t be a brat. They didn’t have all that easy access stuff online back then.”
“They didn’t. And speaking of that, I’ve got to get ready for Natalie. She’ll be here in about twenty minutes.”
“I’ll talk to you soon. Don’t overdo anything.”
“Yes, Grandma.”
Though he knew he was lying because his new goal was to win over his girlfriend.
Starting tonight.
32
