Kelly smiled then, for the first time. “Thank you.”
Grant didn’t know what to say next. Her smile made him almost forget everything he’d planned to say to her. He was saved by the waiter coming to take her drink order. He was pleased to note that she was also drinking iced tea.
Kelly finally spoke, “I don’t know why I’m here tonight.”
Grant laughed, “To be honest, I didn’t think you’d show up.”
She looked as if she would protest, then shook her head and said, “I almost didn’t. I had myself talked out of it until the last minute. That’s why I was late. I’m sorry.”
“No, don’t be. I think I understand. And I promise you Kelly that I will never push you in any way. I will never ask you to do something you don’t want to do or aren’t quite ready to do.” He blew out a breath. “I’m a cop, I’ve had to learn patience the hard way, especially since I made detective.”
She smiled a little shakily. “Thank you.” She shook her head. “Just listen to me. You’d think that’s all I knew how to say.”
Grant reached across the table and briefly touched her hands where they were clasped on the table top. “That’s okay, Kelly. When you’re ready to talk, I’ll be ready to listen.”
When she didn’t say anything to that, he said, “Would you like for me to do the talking for now?”
When she nodded, he said, “I guess I’ll start by telling you a little about myself.”
When she nodded again, he continued, “As you know we thought my mother was killed in that car accident in Europe when I was nine. What you probably don’t know is that my father was killed the year before that when he drove off the road into a ravine.”
When she started to say something, he held up a hand. “No, don’t say anything.” He blew out his breath. “He was drunk. In fact, he was drunk almost all the time for the last five years, when he wasn’t working that is. What’s worse is that he used to beat my mother. I remember seeing it many different times.”
Kelly’s face went pale for a moment. “That must have been awful for you to see.” She seemed to think for a second. “I’m glad Ja . . . Sarah . . . . doesn’t remember all that.”
It was Grant’s turn to look at Kelly in surprise at the emotion in that statement. “You really like her don’t you?”
This time her smile was wider. “Yes, I do. I don’t think I really wanted to at first, but I’ve grown to like her as I’m getting to know her better. She’s a sweet, good natured person. I can’t believe how she reacted when she found out that my father had kept her from you and your sister all those years. She was angry, yes, but she seemed more hurt than angry. She didn’t lose her temper or say anything derogatory about Harry.”
Grant was surprised that Kelly had picked up on all that. He hadn’t. He must have been too preoccupied, or too much in shock, at the time to notice. But, she was right.
Just then, the waiter interrupted them to take their orders.
When the waiter left, Grant looked back at Kelly and said, “I guess I’d better get on with my story.”
She nodded again and took a sip of her tea.
“Well, whether we actually were or not, as far as we all knew, at the time, we were orphans when Alison was seven and I was nine. Our Aunt Sybil took us in without a single second thought. Thankfully, she did, since neither of my father’s two brothers wanted anything to do with us.”
Kelly frowned. “That’s so sad! You had family and yet you didn’t. I’ve always wished that I had more family. Neither my mother nor my father had any brothers or sisters, so I don’t have any aunts, uncles, or cousins. Even my other grandparents died when I was little.” She looked down into her iced tea glass. “All I’ve had since my mother died is my grandparents and Wayne.”
When Grant didn’t comment, she said, “I guess you could say I’ve been lonely for a long time.” She immediately blushed again.
Grant waited to see if she would say more, but she didn’t say anything else, and the silence was starting to become awkward.
Grant spoke up quickly. “Sybil has been our whole family for the past twenty years. As I told you Monday, I’m having a hard time accepting the fact that I now have a mother. And the fact that I’ve always had one, but I just didn’t know it, makes it even harder to accept.”
He thought for a moment. “And that’s the most infuriating part of it too.”
“I’m sorry Grant. If it helps you any, I’m having just as much trouble but in a different way. I always knew I had a father, but one who I knew didn’t want anything to do with me. I would have had a terrible time accepting Harry back into my life as my father.”
“Yeah, I can see where it would be harder for you. My mother had no choice. In fact she had no idea she even had kids. But your father knew, and he chose to stay away from all of you.”
Grant was sorry as soon as he said that, and wished he could take it all back. Kelly’s eyes filled with tears. He reached across the table again and covered her hand.
“I’m sorry Kelly. That was uncalled for. I’m sure you didn’t need to be reminded of that fact.”
She shook her head as she reached into her purse for a tissue to dab at her eyes. “That’s okay, Grant, I’ve got to face that fact, and get around it somehow so I can go forward from here.”
Grant didn’t want the silence to lengthen this time so he continued with his story. “Would you like to know why I’ve always wanted to be a police officer?”
She jerked her gaze back up at him, probably because of the drastic change in subject and also at the intensity of his question. She tried to smile. “Yes, I would like to know.”
Grant could see genuine interest on her face as though she really wanted to know the answer. “Most people think it’s because of my uncle Lonny, Sybil’s husband. He was a police officer.”
When Grant noticed confusion on Kelly’s face, he explained, “He was killed in the line of duty when I was only four years old. So you see, I never really knew him. He wasn’t the reason though.” He chuckled. “Well, if I’m honest, I’d have to say that he was probably part of the reason.”
He looked around the restaurant without really seeing anything or anyone else.
“No, the real reason was quite different. You see, I was only eight years old when my father was killed in that accident.” He paused and looked down at his clenched hands. “But, I remember that next day very well. I remember two police officers coming to our house that morning and telling my mother that her husband had been killed.”
Grant had to wait for his throat to clear before he could continue. He was glad that Kelly waited without comment.
“I was so impressed with the way they handled the whole thing, the way they were with my mother, that I knew right then that I wanted to be like them.” He chuckled. “And, so here I am, a police officer for the past seven years.”
Their orders came then and the conversation centered on their food, and Grant marveled at how much he enjoyed simply being with Kelly.
* * *
Kelly caught herself smiling again as they finished their meal. Smiling? Her? Then the realization hit her, she was having a good time . . . . with Grant . . . . with a man. Face it, no matter how she tried to convince herself otherwise, she was on a date, and she was enjoying it. With Grant, she didn’t feel as if he ever stared at her ankle. Even when she walked through the restaurant to their table, his eyes were on her face, and she hadn’t seen anyone else either.
“Did you?”
Kelly mentally shook herself to come back to the conversation. Grant must have said something and now expected an answer. She blushed again. She’d already lost count of how many times she’d blushed this evening. She never blushed!
She couldn’t think of any other way but to admit she hadn’t been paying attention to what he was saying.
“I’m sorry Grant, my mind was wondering. What did you say?”
He only smiled, and it was an understanding smile that ga
ve Kelly a good feeling all of a sudden. That was why he seemed so different. It was as if he understood her. No one outside her family had ever understood her before, not that she had ever given anyone else much of a chance to do so.
With merriment in his eyes, Grant repeated what he had just said, “You didn’t seem to think too much of me the first time we met, did you?”
Kelly was still struggling to get her mind on what he was saying. But, when she did, she shook her head emphatically. “No, Grant, it wasn’t that. It was the fact that I didn’t want to think about you. I tried not to, but I did no matter what.”
Had she actually said that? It sounded almost as if she were flirting with him. She opened her mouth to rephrase that statement, but Grant held up a hand and said, “I know what you mean, Kelly. I don’t blame you for feeling that way, and especially after all that you’ve told me about yourself. What with your injury and all the rehab, I understand your reaction completely.”
Kelly tried to frown without success. “I don’t know if I quite like the idea of you understanding me as well as you seem to be doing.”
Grant’s face fell for a moment until she smiled, and he laughed. “You had me going there for a minute.” His face turned serious. “I’m glad that doesn’t bother you. It just proves that I’m extremely interested in you, Kelly, and I want to get to know you even better.”
Oh no, did he expect her to tell him all about herself now? She was quickly trying to think of an excuse not to have to do so just yet when he laughed again.
“It’s okay if you’re not quite ready to share. I’ve still got a few more things I can tell you about myself.”
Relieved, she nodded for him to continue, and he did, “The way you talk, it seems that you and your brother are rather close. I envy you that. You would think that my sister, Alison, and I would be the same way, but for many reasons, that just didn’t happen.”
He paused to run a hand through his wavy brown hair. Kelly had noticed that he seemed to do that quite often, especially when he was either nervous or thinking deeply. Which was it this time?
“You see, the biggest reason is that when Alison and I were growing up, I always had Stan who only lived a couple of houses down the street, but Alison had nobody. She kind of clung to our Aunt Sybil. Now, the only one Alison is close to is Sybil.”
He lifted his tea glass toward his lips but placed it back on the table without drinking from it. “So, you see, I was always with Stan, and Alison was always with Sybil. You can’t actually say we grew apart. We just didn’t really grow up that close.”
Kelly thought she understood. “I know what you mean. Wayne and I aren’t really as close as it would seem. He was like you, with all his friends. I wasn’t like you or even like Alison. I had nobody.” She held up a hand. “Before you start feeling sorry for me, it was my own fault. After my accident, I pushed everyone away. So, I’ve never had a close friend.” She laughed. “A shrink would probably say that after losing both my parents, I was afraid to get close to anyone for fear of losing them too. But, I don’t think that was it.” She thought for a second. “At least that wasn’t all of it.”
When Grant remained silent and even smiled encouragement to her, Kelly realized that she was indeed telling him about herself. And the odd thing was that it felt good to be telling someone some of these things, someone who she was sure would listen without commentary or judgment.
“Wayne has always been my big brother. He may not have had time for me most of the time, but he was always there when I truly needed him.”
She stopped then and moved her silverware around on her empty plate. “I guess everyone needs someone they can get comfort from, and that has always been my grandmother. She would simply wrap her arms around me and everything was suddenly all right. But, when it comes to someone to confide in or get advice from, that has always been my grandfather. He is an amazing man. He has never made me feel as if I was wrong, even when I clearly was. He would always find some way to steer me in the right direction without me even realizing it wasn’t my idea until later.”
Grant shook his head slightly and smiled. “Still, what you have just described is a very close family. I envy you for that.” He frowned. “If it hadn’t been for Sybil, and to a certain extent, Stan, I think I would be an entirely different person sitting across from you right now.”
After that, they both realized they had an early day tomorrow and left the restaurant.
In the parking lot, Grant walked with Kelly to her red Mustang. She opened the door and stood with it between them.
“Grant, I want you to know that I’m glad I came tonight. In spite of not expecting to, I enjoyed it immensely.”
Grant grinned and said, “See, I’m not really the big bad cop after all.”
She laughed then. “No, Grant, you’re not the big bad cop. Though I am glad you shared with me about why you became a police officer.”
“Me too.”
“Well, I’d better get going. It’s late.”
She started to maneuver herself into the driver’s seat, but Grant laid a hand on hers on top of the door.
“Kelly, would you consider going out on a real date with me tomorrow night? I mean a movie and dinner. And I would pick you up at your home.”
Kelly suddenly felt cornered, but then she took a deep breath and looked into Grant’s deep brown eyes. They were so gentle, that she knew there was nothing to fear there.
“Yes, Grant, I think I would like that.”
They made arrangements and said their good-byes.
Just as Kelly closed her door, she saw a dark Mercedes go past slowly on the street. She rolled her window down and stuck her head out.
“Grant?” When he turned around and walked back to her car, she said, “I forgot about something that happened on my way over here tonight.”
She had his attention now. “A dark Mercedes seemed to be following me. When I pulled into the parking lot, it came in too, but just drove through and left.”
She took a deep breath. “I saw it go by again just now.”
Grant leaned down into her window and said, “I’ll follow you home right now, and if you see it again, call me immediately.”
Kelly drove off with so many thoughts going around in her head that she consciously decided not to think about any of them until she’d had a good night’s sleep. It was comforting though, to know that the headlights in her rear-view mirror were Grant’s.
Chapter Eleven
When Kelly awakened the next morning, she was somewhat surprised. She had gone to bed the night before expecting to toss and turn all night, since she had been so high from her ‘date’ with Grant. However, she had slept the night through in a deep sleep. Her ankle hadn’t even awaked her.
As she began getting ready for another hectic Friday at work, she replayed some of the conversations she’d had the evening before with Grant. Just as she was pulling herself into the shower with the special bars mounted on the wall, she realized she had forgotten to talk to him about his sister. How were they going to get Alison to accept Sarah as her mother? Not having met Alison, she was going to have to rely on Grant and probably his Aunt Sybil as well. She so wanted Sarah to be accepted by her son and daughter.
The way Grant had talked the night before, it sounded as if he was going to eventually accept Sarah as his mother. But, what about his sister? What about Alison? She was refusing to even talk to Sarah.
Another thing Kelly wanted to know was how the investigation into Harry’s murder was going. But, then, she realized that Grant probably couldn’t tell her much about that anyway.
As soon as she had settled herself at her desk at work, she began thinking about the fact that she had arranged for an actual date with Grant for tonight. Before she could begin to try to talk herself out of it, she simply smiled and remembered how kind and considerate Grant had been to her last night.
Just as she was starting to concentrate on her work, her phone rang and it was Grant.<
br />
She smiled when he greeted her and said, “Good morning Grant.”
“Say, Kelly, I don’t have much time, and I know you’re probably plenty busy too, but I wanted to ask you something now so you can prepare yourself for it.”
She didn’t like the sound of that.
He laughed. I can hear those little wheels spinning. It’s nothing like that.” She could hear him sigh before continuing. “Stan and I try to go four-wheeling on Saturdays every chance we get. We’re going tomorrow morning and my sister Alison consented to go too, but only if you go. She doesn’t want to be outnumbered by us guys.”
Kelly was about to say no when Grant said, “I know you’re concerned about your ankle, but if we wrap it in a small blanket I always carry on my quad, I think it will be fine. And I know you’ll have fun.”
She was still about to say no when Grant finished her off. “It would mean a lot to me, and we might be able to get Alison to loosen up a little about Sarah.”
That did it! How could she say no now? It was as if he had heard her earlier thoughts about his sister.
“Okay.” She laughed. “You’ve finally convinced me.”
“Great! I’ll pick you up at eight, okay?”
She replaced the phone and stared at it with what she thought must have been a silly grin on her face.
“Well, how did your date with the cop go last night?”
Kelly’s thoughts of Grant were shattered by her brother’s loud voice. She looked up at him just as he fell into one of the chairs in front of her desk. She wasn’t up to the interrogation that she knew was coming from her ‘big’ brother.
Before she could say anything, Wayne began. “Wow! I don’t think you even need to answer that question. From the dopy grin on your face just now, I know it must have been something.”
She readjusted her face into what she hoped was a normal smile and said, “It was fine, and if you want to know any more than that, you’ll just have to ask Grant, because I’m not going to let you analyze my evening with him.”
Wayne had been looking at his hands but jerked his gaze around to Kelly’s face. “Whoa, that sounds rather serious.”
Lost Memories (Sycamore P.D. Series Book 1) Page 19