At his nod, the band went into break mode.
Caleb turned off his amp, then unplugged his guitar. The sound of musicians on their break—improvised guitar licks, drum solos, the ever-present corny jokes—followed Caleb and Ariel to the porch.
He held the door for her, and they stepped onto the porch—the scene of their kiss.
Caleb pushed aside the thought. “Your timing’s tight in the chorus. Unless you’re going for a different vibe.”
“I don’t know what I’m going for. What I’m doing isn’t wrong, but it doesn’t feel right either.” She rubbed the back of her neck. “I wish my aunt was here.”
“Does she know when she’s coming back?”
Ariel shook her head. “Would it be wrong to dismiss for the night?”
“I think you should. I’ll walk you back to the Grand.”
She pulled a sigh from deep within. “It’s difficult enough as it is, seeing you so much and…I’ll just ride back with the band.”
“Ariel, if I could make this work?—”
“I know.”
Later, Caleb watched the band from the hotel porch as they rolled down the street in horse-drawn carriages. It wasn’t supposed to go this way. Caleb wanted to blame the inn, his grandfather. Elizabeth Jane and that land grant of hers.
Even the bedbugs. Because if they didn’t have bedbugs, Ariel would be right here, right now, in her suite. And he’d be nearby, in case she needed him.
But he’d already given this mess to the Lord. So he had to trust Him with her.
He went inside and headed toward his room. On the way, he passed Granddad’s door, open just a crack.
Caleb stepped inside the empty living room. “Granddad?”
“In here.”
When Caleb reached the bedroom, Granddad had on pajamas and stood beside the bed with his walker.
“Didn’t your aide come to help you to bed?”
“I called and told him not to come. Don’t need them anymore.” With the covers already turned down, Granddad lowered himself to the bed.
They’d see how that went. “Your door was open.”
“I did that so you’d come in.” Granddad pointed at an antique wooden chair in the corner. “Pull up that Windsor chair.”
Caleb picked up the chair and set it by the bed. Didn’t realize how tired he was until he sat down. “You could have called. You have a cell phone now.”
“Could have called you with my real phone too, if I wanted to. I didn’t want to disturb your rehearsal.”
Since when did his grandfather care if he disrupted Caleb’s music?
What was going on here?
Granddad kicked off his slippers and pulled in his feet. Sat propped up against the headboard. “I wanted you to come and see me tonight because I want you to do something.”
Caleb glanced around. Everything looked okay in here. “What’s wrong?”
“You are.”
He drew a blank. “I’m wrong? About what?” Probably everything.
