“I’m good, thanks.”
While I went into her small kitchen to pour some tea, she invited Theo to sit. Her living room had a small couch and an armchair, plenty of room for a small group to gather. An old TV sat on a cabinet against the wall, and there were a few pictures on the walls, mostly of me as a child. A small side table was covered with a stack of books and a few old magazines.
“Is your tea still hot, Grandma?” I asked as I poured hot water over a tea bag in one of her mugs. “Can I get you more?”
“Mine is fine. Thank you, Penny.”
I brought my tea into the living room but paused. Her gaze moved between me and Theo, scrutinizing us through narrowed eyes.
“Well,” she said, as if she’d come to some conclusion.
I stood there for a second, frozen. She knew.
Theo and I had already slept together once before she’d met him the first time. But after the previous night, things were different between us. And she could tell.
It was hard to keep from glancing at Theo, but I had a feeling I’d turn beet red if I did. With my mug of tea in hand, I went to the couch and sat on the opposite corner from him.
“Are you two going to let me in on what’s going on?” she asked.
“Um…” I trailed off with no idea how to answer that question.
Theo and I are sleeping together and it’s the best I’ve ever had but we’re still just friends?No.
“With the painting and that news story that had you two so excited,” she added.
“Oh!” I laughed. “Right, the painting. Of course that’s what you meant. I knew that.”
She raised her eyebrows.
I launched into the story, starting with everything we’d seen and heard at the celebration of life. I told her about finding the note in the painting of the creek, and how a body had been discovered in a location that Morris had painted. Theo chimed in with a few details, especially about Amanda and Michael Morris.
“So, you think this man was murdered?” she asked. “Or was he a murderer?”
“We don’t know,” I said. “Maybe both. But there’s definitely something going on with those notes and the places he painted.We found the location of another one of his paintings and hiked out there yesterday. We didn’t find anything, but Theo’s brother Garrett is a sheriff ’s deputy, and he’s going out there to investigate.”
“This is quite the mystery you’ve uncovered,” she said. “It’s even better than that silly crime show Maury always wants to watch downstairs.”
“Speaking of Maury,” Theo said, “did you ever manage to Jell-O his teeth?”
“Not yet.” A mischievous smile crossed her face. “But I did return the favor after that glitter card. I sent him one of my own, except…” Her shoulders shook and she covered her mouth. It took her a second before she could finish what she’d been about to say. “Except the one I sent him was filled with—” She cut herself off with laughter again. “Penis confetti. With glitter.”
My mouth dropped open. “Grandma!”
Theo laughed and held out his fist toward her. “Yes. Colleen, you are the woman.”
She bumped his fist. “Serves him right. There’s still glitter in my chair.”
“Penis glitter,” Theo said, nodding. “Solid prank.”
“I’m glad you approve,” she said.
We visited for a while longer, and after we finished our tea, she invited us to go downstairs to the common room for a snack. We found a table and Theo and I helped her work on a puzzle while we ate cinnamon sugar muffins.
I was thinking it was about time to go when Theo got a call. He took his phone out of his pocket and raised his eyebrows at me.
“It’s Garrett. I’m going to step outside to take this.”
“Lovely to see you again, Theo,” Grandma said with a smile. “Take good care of my Penny.”
