“Water’s Edge. How can I help you?” The voice on the other end of the phone held no warmth.
“I’m calling to check up on where my grandfather’s name falls on your waiting list,” I said.
“Name?”
“Mortimer Sanders.”
“Hold, please.” An irritating rendition of a song I vaguely recognized blared through the phone. I tried to curb my annoyance while I waited.
With a jarring click, the woman was back on the line. “I’m sorry but we don’t have a Mortimer Sanders on the list.”
“That’s impossible.” I put my hand to my forehead. “I called a couple of weeks ago and added him myself. There’s got to be a mistake.”
“Hold, please.” The music came back on the line.
With my stomach flip-flopping, I didn’t have a choice but to stand by.
“I see we had Mortimer Sanders on the list, but he was removed last week. If there’s nothing else I can help you with?—”
“Wait. How’s that possible? I didn’t remove him.”
“Well someone did. Says here an Alex Sanders called.”
My head swam with the mix-up. “But I’m Alex Sanders.”
“Is it possible you made the call and then forgot?”
The sass in her tone rubbed me the wrong way. “No. That’s not possible. Can I talk to your supervisor please?”
“She’s not available now but I’d be happy to take a message.”
I questioned the authenticity of that statement but left my name and number. As I made my way back to the warehouse, I wondered how my grandfather could have been removed from the list. Char wouldn’t have done it. Which left one person who would know.
“Hey, Gramps, can I talk to you for a moment?” I tried to keep my smile friendly and not give in to my rising frustration.
“I’m busy at the moment. What’s on your mind?” Gramps stood next to Zina, watching as she scooped out kibble and filled a dog’s dish before sliding it into its crate.
“I’d rather chat in private if you don’t mind.” No need to air my family’s dirty laundry in front of Zina. She already probably thought I was a lost cause based on how I’d destroyed her dog shelter.
“I don’t know why you can’t just speak your mind right here. You afraid you’re going to piss off one of the dogs?” he asked.
“Fine. I wanted to keep it just between us, but why did you remove your name from the waiting list at Water’s Edge?”
Gramps scoffed. “That place? The only water they’re on the edge of is a manmade pond they filled with runoff. I don’t care what you and your sister say, I’m not going back into another home.”
Zina’s eyebrows shot up and she let the scoop fall into the bin. “I’ll catch up with you in a bit. Sound good?” I didn’t miss the way she dropped a hand to my grandfather’s shoulder.
Gramps covered her hand with his and gave her an authentic smile, not one of the tight-lipped grimaces he’d been sending my way. “Don’t let my persistent grandson scare you off.”
“Do I look like the kind of woman who spooks easily?” she asked.
“No, you sure don’t.” Gramps let out a chuckle as Zina walked away. “That girl is somethin’ else. Why, if I were a few years younger . . .”
I couldn’t agree more. Zina was full of surprises. The way she handled Gramps, the comfortable way she’d been around Dolly, there really wasn’t much she couldn’t do. Before I went all soft thinking about Zina and the way her lips quirked up at the corners when she found something amusing, I shook it off.
“We’re talking about the wait list.”
“You know, you should ask her out.” Gramps nodded. “She’s a real catch. Don’t find women like that nowadays. They’re all soft and wishy-washy. Not like your sister. And not like Zina. Those two are cut from the same kind of cloth.”
