“He’s dead,” I said flatly, just making sure she understood that this was meant to be afuneralannouncement. Lena covered her mouth next to me, holding back a laugh.
The girl sighed. “Yeah, that’s a right shame.”
I turned and left the building. Lena rushed out after me, amusement covering her features. “He’s dead?” she cried.
“Well, he is! This new generation terrifies me.” I took a beat, staring down the high street. Memories of walking down that street by Grandad’s side hit me so strongly that I nearly gasped. An uncomfortable mix of nostalgia and regret stirred inside me.
“You okay?” Lena asked.
“M’fine,” I said, checking my watch. “Fancy a walk? We’ve still got bags of time before we’re needed back.”
“Sure,” Lena said. “If you promise not to sprint across the cobbles.”
“I don’t sprint.” I inclined my head down the street. “I’ll show you around so you can familiarize yourself with where everything is before planning the summer festival.”
“We’rebothplanning the festival,” she reminded me. “And I’ve already promised your team that I’d get some good PR pictures of you. So don’t think you’re getting out of it.”
I chose not to complain about that and instead offered her my arm. That’s what a husband would do. And since we were out in public, I figured we should play the part.
Lena looked at me strangely for a moment, then slipped her arm through mine. Warmth spread through me, and I couldn’t stop my thoughts from returning to how badly I’d wanted to be close to her, to touch her, when I’d spotted her in the hallway a few hours earlier, towel wrapped around her, hair dripping water on Grandad’s expensive hardwood, her skin flushed an enticing pink?—
“Has it changed much?” she asked.
I cleared my throat. I needed tostopthinking about my assistant in a towel. My eyes drifted down the street, realizing the answer was no. “There’s a Costa now,” I said, pointing it out. “That’s basically your version of Dunkin’. But other than that, it looks the same as it did when I was a boy. Across the street is the pub where Grandad used to take me to watch the footie.”
She turned her head. The sign for the White Lion was as faded as it had always been, though they’d added a new outdoor seating area.
“And over there on the corner is the shop where he used to buy me Irn-Bru and sweets while Gran was at the salon.”
“I’m not sure I’ve heard you mention your grandmother before,” Lena noted.
“She passed away a little over a decade ago,” I said. “I was in the US working on my graduate degree. It was…difficult at the time, but these days, the memories feel more distant. An old ache, one that I’ve had a chance to get used to. Every now and then, though, something will bring her to mind, and it’ll feel fresh again. The other day, I got caught up remembering the toffee sweets I used to sneak from her handbag.”
“I didn’t know you liked toffee.”
“I don’t, usually. Just that particular brand—mostly because it was her favorite.” We paused outside a large brick building. “This used to be an independent cinema. Grandad would bring me on the weekends.” I laughed.
“What’s so funny?”
“They used to do a deal for a coffee and a pie on Sunday mornings. Grandad would drag me out of bed so we didn’t miss it. All the money Grandad had, and he still couldn’t pass up a good deal.”
Lena smiled. “And what’s this place?” she asked, dragging me along to the next shop.
My face lit up in the window reflection of the toy store that used to be my favorite place in the world. “I didn’t realize this was still here,” I said, going for the door handle. It creaked in a familiar way, and I grinned, finding the same shelves packed with different toys.
“This is adorable,” Lena said, following along behind me.
“When I was a boy, they used to have a train running on a track all around the store,” I said. “I used to chase after it until I was dizzy. And then one Christmas, Grandad bought me my own. I had it set up beneath the tree. I still remember lying beneath the pine branches, staring up at the lights, while the train whistled in my ear.”
“You liked trains?”
“I was obsessed. Sometimes I think learning about steam engines as a kid is what led me to engineering.” I’d gone on to double major in business as well, focusing on renewable technologies in grad school in the US. It had put me in a perfect position to take over Kincaid Energy after my father had made a car crash of being CEO when Grandad retired.
But trains had always been my first love.
“I’m glad you have such good memories of Pete,” Lena said. “I hardly knew my grandparents at all.” We slowed beside a display of dolls. Lena tugged on a small foot. “You know, whenIwas young, all my toys were baby dolls.”
“Really? That’s a surprise. You strike me as more of a teddy bear girl.”
