Not Quite Over You
Page 46
“Always is stretching it. How about rarely right?”
“Always,” she repeated.
“Sometimes.”
She thought about all the mistakes she’d made. Maybe “always” was pushing it. “I’ll go with sometimes.”
“I’ll go talk to Wynn about something for the wall.”
* * *
AS HE AND Silver had prearranged, Drew picked up Autumn after her day at the Learning Center. She raced out of the building right at two-thirty and headed for his car.
“You rescued me,” she called. “I’m free, I’m free!” She flung her backpack into the backseat, then slid into the passenger seat and grinned at him. “What are we going to do? Go see Millie? Catch a movie? Why do people say catch a movie? Movies can’t be caught.”
“I have no idea,” he admitted, charmed by her energy after a day of studying. “How was school?”
“Okay, I guess. You know, not as much fun as not being in school. Although I like what I’m reading for English. It’s Little Women. It’s really old, like from a couple hundred years ago, but it’s still good. We have to alternate between an old book and a new book.”
“By an old book you mean a classic?”
She sighed heavily and fastened her seat belt. “Yes, Drew. A classic. You sound just like my mother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She grinned. “I guess it is, huh? Because my mom’s the best. And Silver. And my dad and Denton and you. I guess I like all the adults in my life. Huh. That’s nice.” She turned to him. “So what are we going to do?”
He allowed himself a second of basking in the glow of being part of the adult company in her life, then let it go. “I thought we’d go visit your great-grandfather.”
She frowned. “If he’s my great-grandfather, then he’s your grandfather?”
“That’s him. I told him about you and he’s really excited to meet you.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t have any great-grandparents. I’ve always wanted them. Wow, that is so cool. He must be really, really old.” Concern filled her eyes. “Is he like sick?”
“No. Grandpa Frank is healthy and strong. You’re going to love him.”
“A great-grandfather,” she repeated as he drove toward the family home. “What about your parents? They would be my grandparents. Silver’s mom is dead and she never knew her dad and she’s an only child, so there isn’t any family there.” She grinned at him. “You’re my last hope, Drew. No pressure.”
“I can’t produce family at will, so I’m not feeling a lot of pressure.” There was the issue of his parents, but he had no idea how to handle that. He’d told Silver about taking Autumn to see Grandpa Frank and had said he would do his best to keep her away from his mom, but he’d never thought to discuss how on earth he was going to explain his parents to Autumn.
“My parents live in Washington, D.C.,” he said, being factual while hedging on the truth. “I’m also an only child, but my mom is one of seven girls, so I’m guessing her sisters are your what? If they’re my aunts, are they your great-aunts?”
“I don’t know. We should look it up.”
“We should. You could ask Grandpa Frank. He’s a whiz on the computer.”
She leaned back in her seat and sighed. “It’s so nice when old people keep up with technology. I’m glad you know how to use a computer. We can do FaceTime and Skype and stuff when I go home. I do it with Silver all the time. Better than texting, but that’s good, too, for quick stuff. But sometimes I want to show her things and a picture just isn’t the same as seeing her.”
He was still stalled on the assumption that he was old, although he supposed to an eleven-year-old, he was.
He drove up to the house, trying to see it through his daughter’s eyes. It was large—three stories and four times as wide as it was high. There was a large flagstone porch that wrapped around the entire house and a huge circular driveway.
Autumn’s mouth dropped open. “It’s huge. It’s way bigger than your house and I thought that was really big. Are you rich? Is your family rich?” She thought for a second. “You don’t work in a bank, do you? You own a bank.”
“My grandfather owns a bank. I’m just an employee. As for being rich, I’m not.” He winked. “But Grandpa Frank is.”
She laughed. “I wish I was seven. I could ask him for a pony.”
“You still can.”
“No way. What if he said yes? Mom would kill me. I’d like a kitten maybe. Or a rabbit. I really liked Mr. Whiskers. He was so soft.”
They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Before he knocked, Drew glanced at Autumn.
“Just a heads-up. There are servants.”
Her eyes widened. “No way.”
“Amelia runs the house. She’s been with my grandfather for a long time and she’s very kind and patient. She has a staff working under her. A couple of maids, two gardeners and a handyman.”
Her mouth made a perfect O. “This is better than TV.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
He rang the doorbell. It only took a second for Amelia to answer, which had Drew wondering if she’d been hovering in the foyer.
“Mr. Drew,” she said, her gaze on Autumn, her smile broad and welcoming. “How nice to see you. Come in, come in.”
“Amelia, this is Autumn.” He hesitated, not sure how to claim the relationship.
“Miss Autumn, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi.” Autumn grinned at her. “Drew said you were really nice and I can see you are. It’s in your eyes.” She looked at Drew. “Does she know? Am I allowed to say?”
“I’m not sure and yes.”
Autumn turned back to Amelia. “I’m Drew’s daughter with Silver. They gave me up for adoption when I was born. I live in Los Angeles with my mom, who was just here to get married to Denton. He’s going to be my stepdad. My real dad remarried, too.” She sighed. “It’s a California thing.”
Amelia laughed. “It sounds like it. If you’ll come this way, your great-grandfather is very excited to meet you.”
Autumn stepped close and lowered her voice. “He’s not sick, is he?”
“No. Mr. Frank is very healthy. His new favorite sport is to go down a zip line.” Amelia murmured something in Spanish and made the sign of the cross. “I worry Mr. Frank will hurt himself on his adventures, but he insists and I cannot stop him.”
They went into Grandpa Frank’s study. He was sitting behind his desk, but stood as they entered. Drew tried to see him as a stranger would and not as someone he’d known his entire life.
Grandpa Frank was a couple of inches shy of six feet, with tanned skin and blue eyes. He stood tall and had broad shoulders and a trim waist. He didn’t look anywhere near his eighty-nine years and there was nothing the least bit feeble about his mental capacity. Drew was starting to think Grandpa Frank was going to outlive them all.
“You must be Autumn,” he said, walking around his desk and smiling at his great-granddaughter. “You’re a pretty one, aren’t you? I can see a lot of Drew in you, and a fair amount of Silver.” He grinned at Autumn. “Drew’s handsome enough but if I were a girl, I’d rather look like Silver.”
“Always,” she repeated.
“Sometimes.”
She thought about all the mistakes she’d made. Maybe “always” was pushing it. “I’ll go with sometimes.”
“I’ll go talk to Wynn about something for the wall.”
* * *
AS HE AND Silver had prearranged, Drew picked up Autumn after her day at the Learning Center. She raced out of the building right at two-thirty and headed for his car.
“You rescued me,” she called. “I’m free, I’m free!” She flung her backpack into the backseat, then slid into the passenger seat and grinned at him. “What are we going to do? Go see Millie? Catch a movie? Why do people say catch a movie? Movies can’t be caught.”
“I have no idea,” he admitted, charmed by her energy after a day of studying. “How was school?”
“Okay, I guess. You know, not as much fun as not being in school. Although I like what I’m reading for English. It’s Little Women. It’s really old, like from a couple hundred years ago, but it’s still good. We have to alternate between an old book and a new book.”
“By an old book you mean a classic?”
She sighed heavily and fastened her seat belt. “Yes, Drew. A classic. You sound just like my mother.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She grinned. “I guess it is, huh? Because my mom’s the best. And Silver. And my dad and Denton and you. I guess I like all the adults in my life. Huh. That’s nice.” She turned to him. “So what are we going to do?”
He allowed himself a second of basking in the glow of being part of the adult company in her life, then let it go. “I thought we’d go visit your great-grandfather.”
She frowned. “If he’s my great-grandfather, then he’s your grandfather?”
“That’s him. I told him about you and he’s really excited to meet you.”
Her eyes widened. “I don’t have any great-grandparents. I’ve always wanted them. Wow, that is so cool. He must be really, really old.” Concern filled her eyes. “Is he like sick?”
“No. Grandpa Frank is healthy and strong. You’re going to love him.”
“A great-grandfather,” she repeated as he drove toward the family home. “What about your parents? They would be my grandparents. Silver’s mom is dead and she never knew her dad and she’s an only child, so there isn’t any family there.” She grinned at him. “You’re my last hope, Drew. No pressure.”
“I can’t produce family at will, so I’m not feeling a lot of pressure.” There was the issue of his parents, but he had no idea how to handle that. He’d told Silver about taking Autumn to see Grandpa Frank and had said he would do his best to keep her away from his mom, but he’d never thought to discuss how on earth he was going to explain his parents to Autumn.
“My parents live in Washington, D.C.,” he said, being factual while hedging on the truth. “I’m also an only child, but my mom is one of seven girls, so I’m guessing her sisters are your what? If they’re my aunts, are they your great-aunts?”
“I don’t know. We should look it up.”
“We should. You could ask Grandpa Frank. He’s a whiz on the computer.”
She leaned back in her seat and sighed. “It’s so nice when old people keep up with technology. I’m glad you know how to use a computer. We can do FaceTime and Skype and stuff when I go home. I do it with Silver all the time. Better than texting, but that’s good, too, for quick stuff. But sometimes I want to show her things and a picture just isn’t the same as seeing her.”
He was still stalled on the assumption that he was old, although he supposed to an eleven-year-old, he was.
He drove up to the house, trying to see it through his daughter’s eyes. It was large—three stories and four times as wide as it was high. There was a large flagstone porch that wrapped around the entire house and a huge circular driveway.
Autumn’s mouth dropped open. “It’s huge. It’s way bigger than your house and I thought that was really big. Are you rich? Is your family rich?” She thought for a second. “You don’t work in a bank, do you? You own a bank.”
“My grandfather owns a bank. I’m just an employee. As for being rich, I’m not.” He winked. “But Grandpa Frank is.”
She laughed. “I wish I was seven. I could ask him for a pony.”
“You still can.”
“No way. What if he said yes? Mom would kill me. I’d like a kitten maybe. Or a rabbit. I really liked Mr. Whiskers. He was so soft.”
They got out of the car and walked up to the front door. Before he knocked, Drew glanced at Autumn.
“Just a heads-up. There are servants.”
Her eyes widened. “No way.”
“Amelia runs the house. She’s been with my grandfather for a long time and she’s very kind and patient. She has a staff working under her. A couple of maids, two gardeners and a handyman.”
Her mouth made a perfect O. “This is better than TV.”
“I’m glad you think so.”
He rang the doorbell. It only took a second for Amelia to answer, which had Drew wondering if she’d been hovering in the foyer.
“Mr. Drew,” she said, her gaze on Autumn, her smile broad and welcoming. “How nice to see you. Come in, come in.”
“Amelia, this is Autumn.” He hesitated, not sure how to claim the relationship.
“Miss Autumn, it is a pleasure to meet you.”
“Hi.” Autumn grinned at her. “Drew said you were really nice and I can see you are. It’s in your eyes.” She looked at Drew. “Does she know? Am I allowed to say?”
“I’m not sure and yes.”
Autumn turned back to Amelia. “I’m Drew’s daughter with Silver. They gave me up for adoption when I was born. I live in Los Angeles with my mom, who was just here to get married to Denton. He’s going to be my stepdad. My real dad remarried, too.” She sighed. “It’s a California thing.”
Amelia laughed. “It sounds like it. If you’ll come this way, your great-grandfather is very excited to meet you.”
Autumn stepped close and lowered her voice. “He’s not sick, is he?”
“No. Mr. Frank is very healthy. His new favorite sport is to go down a zip line.” Amelia murmured something in Spanish and made the sign of the cross. “I worry Mr. Frank will hurt himself on his adventures, but he insists and I cannot stop him.”
They went into Grandpa Frank’s study. He was sitting behind his desk, but stood as they entered. Drew tried to see him as a stranger would and not as someone he’d known his entire life.
Grandpa Frank was a couple of inches shy of six feet, with tanned skin and blue eyes. He stood tall and had broad shoulders and a trim waist. He didn’t look anywhere near his eighty-nine years and there was nothing the least bit feeble about his mental capacity. Drew was starting to think Grandpa Frank was going to outlive them all.
“You must be Autumn,” he said, walking around his desk and smiling at his great-granddaughter. “You’re a pretty one, aren’t you? I can see a lot of Drew in you, and a fair amount of Silver.” He grinned at Autumn. “Drew’s handsome enough but if I were a girl, I’d rather look like Silver.”
