Chapter 2

TWO

I knocked on the apartment door and waited. I had a key but my grandmother wasn’t expecting me until late this afternoon so instead of letting myself in and giving the woman a fright I opted to knock. Which meant I’d be standing there awhile seeing as at ninety-one she moved a lot slower than she used to. Not that I’d ever mention it or suggest she get one of those power scooters—that wasn’t to prevent offensive, it was to save the unexpecting population of Coeur d’Alene from my grandmother running over pedestrians. Something I feared she’d do if someone didn’t move out of her way fast enough.

It could be said my gram was a firecracker, an opinionated one at that.

The door came open and much to my shock a man answered. And not just a man, a very good-looking man around my age. I glanced up and down the hall wondering if I was at the right apartment. Admittedly I was a shit granddaughter and hadn’t visited my grandmother in…damn, it was going on two years, but I was sure I got the right door.

“Can I help you?” the man asked.

“May I help you,” my grandmother called out from inside the apartment, correcting the man’s grammar.

She didn’t sound like she was tied to a chair in the middle of a robbery but still my fear tickled the back of my neck. Which only served as a reminder of a strong hand there while the owner of said hand plundered my mouth.

Good Lord, it was going to take forever to stop thinking about Wilson.

“I’m here to see my grandmother,” I told the man with all the authority I could muster in the presence of a very tall man with blue eyes that reminded me of…you guessed it…Wilson.

Damn.

“My sweet girl!” my gram exclaimed. “Let her in, River.”

This was River?

The man who married Letty who used to be my grandmother’s downstairs neighbor.

Wow. Gram hadn’t exaggerated when she called him a tall drink of water. Though I would describe him as a tall sexy beast, but who was I to quibble over what to call the man?

River stepped to the side holding the door open for me.

I walked in and immediately spotted my grandmother. As always she was dressed to the nines. A throwback from the old Hollywood days. I’d always thought my grandmother looked like Elizabeth Taylor. She dressed like her, too.

“Gram.”

“My beautiful Atlee. Stop and let me look at you.”

I paused in the middle of the living room a few feet from her chair. I put my hands on my hips before I did a slow turnaround and ended on a curtsy.

“Always a ham,” she cooed.

“Did I pass inspection?” I quipped. “May I give my favorite grandmother a hug now?”

“So much sass.” She smiled and looked at River. “River, meet my grandbaby, Atlee.”

“Nice to meet you.”

“You, too, River. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Now, now, don’t go spilling the tea,” my grandmother chastised.

I couldn’t stop my sputtered laugh.

“Did you just say, ‘spill the tea’?”

“Did I not use it properly?”

“Shockingly you did.”

“Oh, good. I’m trying to keep up with the young people vernacular.”

So, maybe Helene Simpson was more than a firecracker.

“Now, come give me love,” she demanded.

As soon as her fragile arms encircled me, I felt two things—the mightiest love I’d ever know and guilt for not coming sooner.

“Missed you, Gram,” I whispered.

“Missed you, child.”

Yes, I adored my grandmother.

“Tell me why you’re here a day early,” she insisted as soon as the hug ended. “Did something happen?” She paused to give me another perusal. The urge to squirm fired; my grandmother could always suss out anything from a lie to a surprise and everything between. “Yes, something happened,” she went on. “Did you meet a man? You have a glow.”

I bet I did have a glow.

Though I’d never had five orgasms in one night so I couldn’t be positive.

“Just excited to see my grandmother.”

I glossed over the man comment.

Something hit me.

“Why is River here? Is something wrong?”

“He’s here picking me up for breakfast. Letty and her mother are meeting us at Elmer’s.”

She eyed the straps to my backpack then bossed. “Set your bag down. Do you need to freshen up before we leave? You must’ve taken an early flight.”

“I got in late last night,” I admitted then rushed out. “Since you’ve gone on and on about how spectacular the resort is I decided to give it a try.”

“I do not go on and on, child. I sing praises,” she corrected. “And? What did you think? Was it as fabulous as I said it was?”

Oh, my night had been fabulous alright.

The resort wasn’t bad either.

“It was perfect. Just what I needed before I start my new job.”

And that was the honest truth. I was excited about starting my new job. I’d worked my ass off for the promotion to executive guest relations manager. It was a fancy name for basically being a concierge for the high rollers who visited the hotel, but with the name came a pay raise and wealthy men and women tended to tip well. So, as excited as I was, I knew I was about to be run ragged with the whims of the rich and demanding.

River’s phone rang and my grandmother gave him the side-eye. It was good to know she was an equal opportunity ballbuster when it came to phones. According to her, cell phones had ruined humanity. She hated them and insisted they be put on silent.

“Sorry, Mrs. S, but you know with the new baby I keep my phone on.”

“You and your comrades will be the death of me,” she sniped.

But I stopped listening to my grandmother complain about the shortening of her last name when I heard River answer his phone.

“Hey, Wilson, we’re running late. Mrs. S’s granddaughter showed up early. We’ll be on our way in five minutes.”

Wilson.

It had to be a coincidence.

“Right. See you then.” River disconnected the call and tilted his head to the side while studying me. “Do you need more than five minutes?”

No, I feared I needed a new life.

There had to be more than one Wilson in Idaho, right?

“You know what, I think I’m going to stay here and catch up on some sleep.”

“Did you not sleep well at the resort? The beds there are lovely.”

Shit.

“The bed was, um, fine. I just mean in general. You know, late nights at work and all.”

“Nonsense. The whole gang will be there. It’s the breakfast party before the wedding this evening.”

Yes, the wedding. I was Gram’s plus-one.

That reminded me. I forgot my garment bag at the resort.

“Crap. I left my dress at the hotel.”

I pulled out my phone but got no further when my grandmother, in her no-talkback tone told me what I was going to do and how I was going to do it.

“Set that backpack down, fish your handbag out of it, and let’s get a move on it. I haven’t eaten yet today and Elmer’s pancakes are my favorite. River, pull your plant-killing truck to the front entrance if you would. Atlee will help me down.”

“Yes, Gram.”

I did as told and watched River walk out the door with a broad smile.

I tried to be nonchalant when I asked, “Who’s going to be at breakfast?”

She rattled off a list of names, confirming this man Wilson would be in attendance.

“Who’s Wilson?” Again I was going for nonchalant but my grandmother’s finely honed radar perked up.

“I’ve told you about Wilson McCray. He’s what they call the team leader.”

My stomach clenched.

“I thought his name was Walter.”

“No, child. Wilson.”

I offered my grandmother my hand to help her out of the chair while I prayed to all things holy that Wilson whatever-his-last-name-was from last night was not Wilson McCray.

Surely, there had to be another Wilson nearby.

Thirty minutes later I learned that the universe didn’t answer my prayers.

Though it rarely did.