Chapter 56

fifty-six

DANIEL

I was in the middle of a meeting with my digital manager when my cell phone vibrated. I glanced at the caller display and frowned. My granddad wouldn't contact me during work hours unless it was important.

"I'm sorry, Charles. I need to take this call." My manager nodded and I walked out of the room. "I hope this isn't about work, Granddad."

"Can't a man speak to his grandson when he feels like it?"

"Not when his grandson is the chief executive of the company he co-owns. How is your vacation?"

"Getting better each day. Did I tell you about the brown trout I caught?"

I smiled. "Only about ten times. I got the photo, too. Are you ready to tell me where you're staying?" My grandfather had refused to tell me where he'd gone. The photo of the fish hadn't helped pinpoint his location and neither had any of the other information he'd accidentally shared.

"You aren't going to like it."

"Is this a polite way of telling me you're fishing naked off the coast of Costa Rica?"

"I'm eighty-five years old. If I was going to be naked, it wouldn't be while I was fishing."

I choked back a laugh. "Tell me where you are. I promise not to join you."

"It's funny you should say that. I was hoping you might do the opposite. We haven't had a vacation together in years."

"Are you at Mom and Dad's cottage?"

"Nope. Not even close."

I checked my watch. If I didn't get back to the meeting, the issues with the prestige store's website wouldn't get fixed. "I'm too busy to take time off work."

"You should never be too busy to have quality time with your family. I'm in Sunrise Bay."

For once in my life, I was speechless.

"I thought that might surprise you."

I dropped my head to my chest. "Why did you go there?"

"To see Ben. Don't worry. He was as surprised as you are."

I could only imagine what Ben had thought when my granddad had arrived. I dreaded asking the next question, but I had to know. "Where are you staying?"

"At Acorn Cottage."

"Why did you go there?" I growled. "You could have stayed in town."

"I wouldn't have gotten to know Ben if I'd stayed somewhere else. I had dinner with him last night."

I pinched the bridge of my nose. "You're meddling in things you know nothing about."

A dry chuckle echoed down the phone. "Your grandmother and I were married for fifty-seven years. We had more than our fair share of disagreements, and some of them were doozies. Would you like to know what I learned?"

"No, but you're going to tell me, anyway."

"You can't fix a broken wheel from hundreds of miles away. If you love Ben, get on a plane and ask for his forgiveness. Grovel if you have to. Believe me, what you're feeling now is nothing compared with how you'll feel if he walks away from you."

My hand tightened around the phone. "He doesn't want to speak to me."

"You left one message."

"I asked him to call me when he's ready to talk. He hasn't called."

"When was the last time you waited for someone to get back to you?" Granddad growled.

I looked for somewhere more private to discuss my nonexistent love life. If any of my staff overheard the conversation, the gossip mill would be churning for weeks. "Our relationship isn't a business transaction. I don't want to push Ben for an answer. What if he tells me to leave him alone?"

"At least you can say you tried. The trout I caught had more spunk than you're showing."

"Spunk?"

"Courage. Determination. All the things you used to have."

My mouth slammed shut. It was better than saying something I'd regret.

"If you want to make your relationship with Ben work, get on a plane. I have to go. Gordon needs some potatoes dug out of the garden for dinner."

I frowned. "Who's Gordon?"

"Come to Sunrise Bay before Sunday and you'll find out."

With those final words ringing in my ears, my granddad ended the call.

What on earth was happening in Sunrise Bay? It was bad enough that my grandfather had gone to see Ben. But fishing and digging potatoes?

Before I returned to my meeting, I called my brother. If there was something wrong with our grandfather, Owen would know.