“But what about you? Didn’t Grandfather leave you his share of the business?”
“What would I want with the brewery now that Addison’s gone? I had over sixty years of it. That’s more than enough. Besides, how much money does an old woman need? About two years ago, Addison and I had a long talk about all that. Since I didn’t want the brewery, and your grandfather and Frank had started it, he decided Frank should have it all.” Emily covered her mouth when she started to cough. “This darn bronchitis. It just keeps hanging on. I really need to lie down for a while. I hope you don’t mind.”
Tara closed the photo album, then gave her grandmother a hug. “Of course I don’t mind. You need your rest so you’ll get better.”
She glanced at Tara’s suitcase. “I made up a room for you. It’s on the third floor. I thought you might like some privacy. Oh, and if you’re hungry, there’s food in the icebox, and if you don’t like what’s in there, the number for Cody’s Market is in my directory on the kitchen table. They deliver, and you can put it on my tab.”
Tara smiled at her. “Thank you, Grandmother.” She watched her hobble into the front hall and then up the staircase. After she heard the bedroom door close, she went outside to get the rest of her things out of the car. She hadn’t brought much. Just the one suitcase, a duffle bag, and her cosmetic case.
As she strode along the brick walkway, she noticed the maintenance worker she’d seen earlier was in the driveway next door washing a black Mercedes. He had his shirt off, and his broad tanned chest glistened with sweat. Her gaze traveled down to his six-pack abs, and then lower to where his jeans sat dangerously low on his hips. He caught her watching him, and she quickly looked away, but not before noticing his smug smile. Her cheeks burned with embarrassment. There was no doubt he was used to women checking him out and enjoyed it.
She hurried over to her car, draped her duffle bag over her shoulder, and then grabbed her cosmetic case off the back seat. The roar of an engine caused her to look next door again. A silver BMW had pulled in behind the Mercedes. The driver revved the engine before getting out. He was tall and lean and just as good-looking as the shirtless guy, just in a much more refined way.
He raked his fingers through his jet-black hair before tossing his keys over to the maintenance worker. “Got time to do mine too?” he asked leaning up against the hood of the car.
“Nope.” He threw the keys back. “It might do you good, Bennett, to wash your own car for once.”
He chuckled. “There’s more of a chance I’d change the oil than bake out here in the sun, and we both know that’s not going to happen.” Bennett strode into the house, letting the door slam shut behind him.
Tara hurried up the walkway, not wanting to be caught eavesdropping. Once inside the house, she set her duffle bag and cosmetic case on the floor next to her suitcase, then went into the parlor and picked up the water glass she’d set on the marble-topped table beside the sofa. She went back into the front hall and headed toward the kitchen. On her way there, she checked out the other first-floor rooms and found them a cluttered mess. Especially the dining room. There was an extensive collection of porcelain knickknacks covering the entire table. And her grandfather’s library was just as bad. Only that was overrun with papers. There were piles of newspapers and magazines everywhere, and on his huge mahogany desk, there were bills, invoices, and receipts that must go back ten years.
She ran her finger over the back of his chair, and it came away covered in dust. So much for thinking the interior of the house wasn’t so bad. Apparently, her grandmother had only gotten around to cleaning the parlor. She certainly had her work cut out for her to get this place spruced up.
Tara made her way into the kitchen, where she set her water glass on the counter and was glad to see that it wasn’t covered with stuff too. The pantry was stocked with lots of canned food. However, the refrigerator barely had a thing in it, aside from some onions, carrots, celery, and green beans. Was that all her grandmother ate? She made a list of items to order from Cody’s Market, then went back into the pantry for the can of beef stock she’d seen in there. At least for now, she could make some vegetable soup.
After she had the soup simmering on the stove, she grabbed her bags from the front hall and headed upstairs, stopping to check on her grandmother first before going up to the third floor. She poked her head in the room, and by the old woman’s soft snores knew she was still asleep. The rattling of her chest with each breath, though, left Tara concerned. On the bedside table, she spotted two prescription jars and a bottle of cough syrup. At least she’d been to the doctor, although, how long ago was the question. Later, she’d talk to her about going back.
Tara left the door slightly ajar and then headed up to her room, where she was pleasantly surprised by its size and brightness. There was a plush four-poster bed, a large dresser, an oval-shaped floor-length mirror, and an upholstered chair that would be great to curl up in to read a book. She even had her own bathroom. What more could a girl want? And it was clean. Her eyes teared up as she thought of her grandmother trekking up the stairs and then painstakingly readying the room for her. What a sweet lady! It was a shame she couldn’t have been a part of Tara’s life growing up.
She plopped her bags on the bed before heading over to a single French door that led out to a deck overlooking the ocean. She rested her elbows on the railing and watched the waves crash against the shore. Between the Spencer and Douglas houses, there was a pier that the two families shared. That was one thing she remembered from her childhood. She used to love to go out there with her grandfather and watch him fish. She closed her eyes, relishing the warm rays of the sun beating down on her head, while at the same time the cool breeze from the water caressed her cheeks.
Her relaxation was short-lived, though, when she heard her grandmother’s voice calling her from her room. She raced inside, but no one was there.
“Tara, where are you? I tried the kitchen, but you weren’t there. Are you upstairs?” Her voice came from a call box on the wall next to the bed that Tara hadn’t noticed before. She went over to it, pushed the little silver button, and said, “Yes, Grandmother. I’m up in my room. I was just out on the deck admiring the view. I’ll be right down.”
She quickly closed the French door and then hurried down the stairs to the second-floor hallway and into her grandmother’s room. The old woman was sitting up in bed with the covers tucked around her as if she was cold.
When she spotted Tara, she smiled. “I was worried when I couldn’t find you. Especially, since there’s an intercom system throughout the house. Each room has a call box. I was beginning to think you might have gone out somewhere.”
“Sorry, Grandmother. I checked on you before I went upstairs, and you were sleeping so soundly, I thought I’d spend some time settling into my room. Luckily, I left the French door open or I wouldn’t have heard you. Don’t worry, I’ll be sure to let you know when I go outside.”
She patted Tara’s hand. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’d appreciate that. I know I probably worry too much, but it’s a habit I’m afraid, at eighty-seven, I won’t be able to break.”
“I made soup. It should be just about ready. Would you like some?”
“That would be wonderful. I haven’t had homemade soup in ages. I’ve never been much of a cook, and after Addison died, I let Maggie go. Didn’t seem right to keep her on just for me.”
Listening to her grandmother’s words made Tara even happier that she’d decided to spend time with her. It was clear Addison’s death had left her very depressed. “Is there anything else I can get for you?”
Her grandmother shook her head. “Not right now.”
“Okay. I’ll be right back with your soup.” Tara hurried downstairs, tested the vegetables to make sure they were soft enough, and then filled a bowl with some soup for her grandmother and another for herself.
She looked around for a tray and found one in the cabinet above the sink. She rinsed it off and, as she was drying it, glanced out the kitchen window. In the Douglas’s backyard were Bennett, the maintenance guy, and she guessed it must be Boyd, remembering the picture her grandmother had showed her earlier. By their angry expressions and flailing arms, they appeared to be arguing. Wonder what that was about? When the maintenance guy looked over at her grandmother’s house, she quickly moved away from the window, then set the soup bowls on the tray and hurried upstairs.
Her grandmother was dozing when she entered her room, but woke when Tara set the tray on the table beside the bed.
“That soup smells wonderful,” she said while propping the pillows up behind her.
“And tastes pretty good too, if I do say so myself.” Tara handed her a bowl and took the other for herself. “Careful, it’s hot,” she warned as her grandmother stuck her spoon into the soup.
The old woman puckered her thin lips and blew into the bowl. “What do you think of your room? Is it to your liking?”
“I love it. It’s lovely. And the view is spectacular.”
“I knew you’d like it up there. That’s why I had Samantha clean it up for you.”
“Samantha?” Tara was glad to learn her grandmother hadn’t traipsed up all those stairs after all.
She wrinkled her nose. “She was a lazy thing. I had to keep tabs on her all the time to make sure she was doing her work and not doing that thing young people do all the time on their cell phones.”
Tara laughed. “You mean texting?”
“Yes, that’s it. Samantha was always typing away on that thing. She only lasted here about a week, and I can’t say that I was sorry to see her go.”
“Well, she did a nice job cleaning my room.” Tara took a careful sip of soup. “You know, Grandmother, I’ve been thinking…if you don’t mind, of course, I’d like to clean up the rest of the house. Declutter it, open up the shutters and windows to air it out, that sort of thing. It’ll be healthier for you.” She looked up from the bowl to risk a glance at her grandmother, hoping she hadn’t offended her. To her relief, the old woman was smiling.
“Of course, my dear. Do whatever you like. I’m not surprised that you’re not fond of this dark, gloomy place. It was Addison’s idea to keep it closed up, and I’ve kept up the tradition. I guess it’s time for a change, isn’t it?”
“I’d say it’s way past time. Another thing I’d like to do is hire someone to spruce up the outside. Fix the rotted clapboards, cut the grass, prune the shrubs…”
“I think that’s a fine idea. Have I told you how happy I am that you’re here?”
Tara grinned at her. “Just a few times.”
They chatted while they ate their soup, until her grandmother started coughing and set her bowl on the tray. “Thank you, darling. That was delicious.”
“You’re welcome. Is it time for you to take some cough medicine?”
Her grandmother looked at the clock on the bedside table and nodded. Tara set her bowl on the tray too, then picked up the bottle and poured some syrup into the measuring cup top before handing it to her.
After her grandmother drank it, she grimaced. “Nasty stuff, but it does the trick and helps me sleep too.”
Tara looked at the bottle’s label and saw that it contained codeine. “When was the last time you saw the doctor?”
“Not long. Maybe two weeks. Believe it or not, Dr. Ladd still makes house calls.” She looked at Tara and the line between her brows deepened. “I can see the worry in your eyes.” She took hold of Tara’s hand and squeezed it. “I’ll be fine. I’m not going anywhere. Especially now that you’re part of my life.”
Tears burned the back of her lids as she squeezed her grandmother’s hand. “Have I told you how happy I am to be here?”
“Hmm, not that I recall, but then my memory’s not what it used to be.” She chuckled.
Tara kissed her cheek, then picked up the tray. “If you need me, just buzz.”
“I will.” A contented smile formed on her lips as she closed her eyes.
~*~
Tara washed and dried the soup bowls, then put them away in the kitchen cabinet. She glanced out the window above the sink. The sun was setting, and the sky was ablaze with color. She pressed the button on the call box mounted on the wall next to her. “Grandmother, are you awake?”
“Yes, dear. What is it?” But her voice sounded groggy, as if Tara had woken her.
“I’m going to go out back for about fifteen minutes to get some fresh air.”
“That’s fine. I’ll be here.” She let out a little laugh, but then was besieged with a series of coughs. When they stopped she said, “Enjoy the sunset. It’s gorgeous at this time of day.”
“I will. I’ll check on you again in a little while.” She lifted her finger off the button.
Before going outside, Tara took the back stairs off the kitchen up to her room so as not to bother her grandmother. She grabbed a cardigan sweater out of her duffle bag and slipped it on over her thin, sleeveless cotton dress. The breeze off the water might make it a little chilly.
She hurried down the stairs and out the back door. She had to weave around a tangle of overgrown bushes to reach the beach. Once there, she took off her sandals and carried them until she came to the pier. After hopping up onto it, she slipped her shoes back on, not wanting to risk getting splinters from the wooden boards. As she wandered down the pier, she noticed someone standing at its end, staring out at the water. This was as good a time as any to introduce herself to one of her neighbors. As she got nearer, the person turned around. It was the maintenance guy. She kept walking, but it was a little unnerving the way he was staring at her. When she reached the end of the pier and stood in front of him, he still didn’t shift his gaze, making her feel like his magnetic hazel eyes could see right through her. He was even better looking up close. Hard to believe that was even possible.