“Welcome.”
He took off without a backward glance.
Wow, I’d come out here to give him a long-overdue thank-you. That plan had been completely hijacked.
A summer storm blew up, sending me into the house. I stood in the sunroom and waited for it to pass. Five minutes later, we had blue skies again. The kind of day where I wanted to be outside, and not in Magnolia Grove either.
I opened the door and called, “Grant?”
There was blue smoke, fading to reveal him watching me lazily. “Good afternoon. How has your day been?”
“Uneven, but it’s going to get better. Come on. I’ve got an idea.” I led him to my bedroom and went into the closet to grab an overnight bag.
“Are we taking a trip?” he asked, leaning against the door frame.
“Yes. Have you been to any North Carolina beaches?”
“Emerald Isle.”
I turned to look at him. Now that I knew who Grant really was, I was so glad he’d been there. “You went with my brother and Kimberley in January.”
He nodded, not that I needed him to. We had a whole album of pictures from that trip, and Grant had been in a few.
It had been hard for me to have no one who could share the memories from those days. Kimberley had been in on the secret, but she couldn’t recall the details. Lacey hadn’t been told my brother was sick until he was gone.
Grant had been involved—and he remembered.
I had someone who could talk about that final month. When I was ready. “Ever been to the Outer Banks?”
“No.”
“Then I know what today’s wish is. We’ll go there. It’s different from Emerald Isle. More varied. You can be part-chauffeur, part-bodyguard.”
“How long is the drive?”
I grabbed shorts and a T-shirt from my dresser. “Three hours.”
“Sara?”
“Uh-huh?”
“May I ask when we will return?”
“My parents have a beach cottage in Nags Head. We can spend the night there.” I added two pairs of shoes, yanked up the zipper, and then hesitated beside my nightstand.
“You won’t need medication tonight. The sea will be enough.”
“Alright then. Let’s go.” I crossed the room, warmed by his confidence. “I’m going to an estate sale in New Bern tomorrow morning, so we’ll have to get up early.”
He eased the bag from my fingers. “If I may say so, I like the sound of this event rather well.”
“You do?”
“Indeed.” His lips curved into a smug smile. “If I am behind the wheel, I suspect we can do better than three hours.”
“How? You can’t break the law.”
“You may not ask me to. I, however, can choose to do whatever I wish.” He chuckled. “In this case, I shall honor thespiritof the law.”
