Falling For A Stranger

by Barbara Freethy

  "I'm sure he was proud of your service, Drew."

  "Yeah, he was." As he drove down the street, he added, "By the way, we have to make one quick stop."

  "Where?"

  "My grandfather's house. It will take less than two minutes."

  "I don't want to meet your grandparents," she said, her brows knitting together in a frown.

  "Why not? They're nice people."

  "I'm sure they are, but my goal is to get you out of my life, not to get myself into yours."

  "My goal is to get you to trust me. Once you meet my grandparents, and you see the kind of solid stock I come from, you'll have no choice but to trust me."

  She sighed. "I told you it wasn't just about trust."

  "That's the first step."

  "Is it really only going to take two minutes?"

  "Five minutes at the most," he assured her.

  Chapter Eleven

  Five minutes had turned into ten, with no end in sight as Ria and Drew waited for his grandmother to appear. A middle-aged woman named Doris had let them into the two-story, three bedroom condo on Lake Street and explained that Patrick had run to the store. Eleanor was just getting up from a nap and would be with them shortly.

  Doris had left them in the living room, and up until now, Ria had been sitting patiently on the couch. But she was starting to wonder just how long this quick stop was actually going to take.

  "Drew—"

  "I know. I'm sorry," he said apologetically. "My grandfather should be home soon. He doesn't like to leave my grandmother alone for long. Just to warn you, she drifts in and out of reality. Sometimes she makes sense, and sometimes she doesn't. She might not even know who I am."

  She saw the pain in his eyes and felt a wave of compassion. She hadn't lost anyone to Alzheimer's, but she did know what it felt like to lose family.

  "We were very close when I was growing up," he added. "She was always there when we came home from school. There were so many of us kids around that my mom couldn't give everyone the attention they needed, so Grandma filled in the gaps. She had a great sense of humor. She was always smiling, laughing, and she never let the little stuff bother her. I remember one time when she was babysitting, she let us put up a tent in the attic. We got our sleeping bags and pretended to have a campout. I think she even made s'mores." He smiled at the memory.

  "She sounds wonderful."

  "But she doesn't smile like she used to, and she's often confused or scared. When I saw her the other day, she acted like she was afraid of me." He got up and paced restlessly around the room. "I want to help her, but I don't know what to do."

  Ria was beginning to realize that Drew couldn't stand by when something was broken and not try to fix it. "It doesn't sound like there's anything anyone can do," she commented. She stood up and walked across the room. Since they weren't going anywhere soon, she might as well learn a little more about the Callaways.

  On the mantel were several framed photographs. "Who are all these people?" she asked.

  "Callaways," Drew said, coming over to join her. He pointed to an old black and white photo. "Those are my grandparents, and their six kids. My father, Jack, is right there. He's the second oldest in the family." He paused and pointed to the next photo, which was in color and appeared to have been taken by a lake. "That was the last family reunion, two years ago up in Lake Tahoe."

  "I don't see you anywhere."

  "I was still deployed. I don't think they missed me. There were at least seventy-five people there."

  "Huge family."

  "Everyone in my dad's generation had a bunch of kids, and some of their kids had kids, so it's a crowd. We rent four houses on the lake now. Actually, one of them belongs to my grandfather, so that's the home base, and we try to snap up anything else that's close by."

  As she looked at the family pictures, she was struck by the feeling that she'd come up really short in the draw for family. "It looks like fun," she said, unable to keep the wistful note out of her voice.

  Drew gave her a speculative look. "You sound sad."

  "Do I? I'm just tired."

  "And maybe a little lonely," he suggested.

  "I'm not lonely. I have Megan."

  "Who else do you have?"

  She was saved from having to answer by the arrival of Drew's grandmother.

  Eleanor was a petite and pretty, white-haired blonde with beautiful light blue eyes. She wore gray slacks and a pink sweater, both of which hung loosely on her thin frame. Doris helped her to the couch, then left them alone.

  "Hello, Grandma," Drew said. He sat down on the couch next to her. "How are you today?"

  "I'm fine, Drew. Who's your friend?"

  Drew seemed to visibly relax when she called him by name. "This is Ria," he said.

  She inwardly sighed at the use of her old name, but there was no one in this living room who cared.

  "Ria, that's a pretty name for a pretty woman," Eleanor said with a friendly smile. "Are you Drew's girlfriend?"

  "No, we're just friends," she said quickly, taking a seat in the chair next to the couch.

  Eleanor laughed. "Oh, I can't believe that's true."

  "I'm working on changing her mind," Drew said.

  "I suspect so," Eleanor said. "What brings you here tonight, honey?"

  "I have to talk to Grandfather. He went to the store, I guess."

  "He loves to go to the store. It gives him a reason to get out of the house. Sometimes I make him as crazy as I am," she said.

  Eleanor's disarming candor was very appealing, Ria thought. Maybe she wasn't always lucid, but when she was, she seemed to at least know that something was wrong.

  "You're not crazy," Drew said quietly.

  She patted his leg. "You're a sweet boy to lie to me, but I know I'm losing my mind. I wish it wasn't so, but I can't seem to stop it. The doctor says it's going to be worse on Patrick than on me. I'm not going to know when I'm out of it, but he will. That's what I hate the most. I don't want to think about him looking at me like I'm a stranger, even if that's how I'm looking at him. That man is the love of my life, and I'm his. I never thought we might end up not knowing each other."

  "Grandpa is a strong man. And he loves you," Drew said with a fierce note in his voice. "He'll help you through this, and you'll never be a stranger to him, Grandma."

  "Time is so fleeting, Drew. You think it's going too slowly at times. I remember when I was a young mother, and I was stuck at home with six babies. I was changing diapers every other minute and helping kids with multiplication problems and breaking up fights over the last Oreo cookie, and I used to think—will they ever grow up? Will it ever get easier? And then one day, I looked around, and everyone was gone. The house was so quiet. Some days I'd give anything to go back to those loud, noisy, exhausting years."

  "If you want loud noise, you know where to find it, Grandma," Drew said. "You're always welcome at our house."

  She smiled. "Even your house is getting quiet now. And that little Brandon; he's such a gentle soul, but so lost. I worry about Nicole. She thinks she can pull off a miracle, but I don't know if that's possible. We seem to be in short supply of miracles these days. Although, I'd give up my mind if it would mean Brandon could get his back."

  "My nephew has autism," Drew said to Ria. "He was diagnosed when he was three; he's six now."

  She nodded. "I'm sorry to hear that." The Callaways might be a big, loving and close family, but they still had their problems.

  "Nicole reminds me of myself," Eleanor said. She paused for a moment, the sparkle in her eyes growing dim. "I know what it's like to worry about your child. I remember when Jack came home with a bloody nose, two black eyes and a broken hand. I wanted to kill the guys who had hurt my boy."

  Drew's brows knit together. "When did Dad get beat up?"

  She gave him a startled look. "What did you say?"

  "I asked when Dad got beat up," he repeated.

  "Your dad? Jack?" she asked in confusion. />
  Drew nodded. "Yes, Jack. When did he get hurt?"

  "I'm not supposed to talk about it." Panic entered her voice. "Patrick says we must never talk about that day. It's dangerous. If Patrick doesn't do what they say, then next time it's going to be worse. It won't just be a warning. Someone is going to die."

  "What?" Drew asked sharply.

  Eleanor grabbed Drew's arm. "I told him to go to the police, but he says he can't. He says I don’t understand. You won't let anything happen to Jack, will you?"

  "I won't," he said.

  "Do you promise?"

  "I promise."

  Drew shot Ria a pained look, and her heart went out to him. She'd never seen anyone go from perfect clarity to confused fear.

  "Can I get you some water, Grandma?" Drew asked.

  She blinked a few times and then said. "What did you say?"

  "Would you like something to drink?"

  "No, I'm fine. Tell me how you and your friend met," she said, glancing over at Ria, then back at Drew. "Was it love at first sight?"

  Ria was curious to hear Drew's reply, and she had to admit to being a little amused by how his grandmother's question had shaken him up. Drew had her off balance the last two days. Now he was the one who had to find his feet.

  As he searched for an answer, Ria decided to help. "Was it love at first sight, Drew?"

  He gave her a wry smile. "Was it for you?"

  "I think your grandmother asked you the question."

  He glanced back at his grandmother, who also seemed amused and back in perfect control of her senses. "You're trying to get me into trouble, aren't you?"

  "You've never brought a girl to meet me. I'm curious."

  "I like her," he said. "A lot," he added, turning his gaze on Ria. "And I think she feels the same way. Don't you, Ria?"

  Shivers ran down her spine at the look in his eyes. She'd tried to turn the tables on him, but he'd flipped them right back at her.

  Before she had a chance to answer, the front door opened and closed, then a tall, gray-haired man walked into the living room. He had a ruddy complexion and blue eyes, that weren't as light or as bright as his wife's but were penetrating and intelligent.

  "Drew, what are you doing here?" he asked.

  "Grandpa," Drew said, getting to his feet. "Aiden couldn't make it, so he sent me. This is my friend, Ria, my grandfather, Patrick Callaway."

  "It's nice to meet you," Ria said, inwardly adding yet another person who now knew her name was Ria.

  "You, too," Patrick said. "Why don't we go into the kitchen, Drew? Maybe your friend could chat with Ellie?"

  "It's fine," she said, in answer to Drew's unspoken question.

  As Drew and his grandfather left, she smiled at Eleanor. "You made Drew very uncomfortable."

  "I know," Eleanor said with a smile. "He's always so private, I have to tease him now and then, or I'll never get any information."

  "Was he always that way?" she asked. "Even when he was a child?"

  "Oh, yes. Drew keeps everything inside. I've tried to tell him that's not healthy, but he always says that’s just the way it is. I know he went through some hard times in the Navy. I could see the shadows in his eyes, the grief in his expression when he thought no one was watching. There was a heaviness about him when he first came home, as if he had the weight of the world on his shoulders." She paused. "But today he seems lighter, more relaxed. Maybe that's because of you, dear."

  "I doubt that. We're really not together."

  "Why not? You like him. He likes you."

  "It's complicated."

  "The best things always are," Eleanor said. "And it's fine to make Drew work for it. Then you'll know if he's serious. The Callaway men have too much charm for their own good. Sometimes they get caught up in their hype, if you know what I mean. When Patrick first asked me out, I said no. And I kept saying no for the next month. Finally, I agreed to have coffee with him." She smiled. "You would have thought he'd won the lottery. Do you know what I told him on our first date?"

  "I can't imagine."

  "I said I'm not playing hard to get, Patrick, I am hard to get. And if you want me, you're going to have to work for it."

  "I'll bet he took that as a challenge."

  Eleanor's eyes twinkled. "He absolutely did. He went out of his way to prove that he was the one and only man for me."

  Ria smiled. "I think Drew has a lot of his grandfather in him."

  "He definitely has his stubbornness. But Drew is more of a thinker, and he guards his heart like it's made of pure gold."

  "Why do you think that is?"

  "I've never been sure. Maybe losing his mom when he was a small child made him a little wary of love. Or maybe it was a broken heart somewhere along the way. Like I said, Drew doesn’t confide in me. But there's something about Drew that sneaks up on you. If you're not careful, you'll wake up one day and realize you're in love with him."

  Her nerves tingled at Eleanor's words. "I better be careful then."

  Eleanor laughed. "I like you, Ria."

  "I like you, too," she said.

  "You know I may not remember you five minutes from now."

  "I know. But I'll remember you."

  "That's what keeps me going," she said. "Knowing that my family will remember the woman I used to be."

  "I think the woman you are now is pretty great, too," Ria said.

  Eleanor met her gaze. "You'd make a fine Callaway."

  "I told you—"

  "I know what you said, but my grandson is very good at getting what he wants."

  Where was her grandson? Ria wondered. Drew's five minutes had now turned into half an hour.

  * * *

  "Are you sure you want to sell the boat?" Drew asked his grandfather as they sat at the kitchen table together.

  "Positive." Patrick took out his reading glasses. He looked at the checks and then nodded. "You boys are going to have a great time with that boat. I know I did."

  "You can still come out on it," Drew said.

  "Those days are long gone."

  "Grandma seems pretty good tonight. She's making sense. At least most of the time."

  "Don't worry about what she says, Drew. Random thoughts pop into her head, and she gets things mixed up."

  "She told me about some time where Dad got beat up. She implied that it was some form of blackmail. That someone wanted you to do something." As he finished his statement, his grandfather's jaw tightened and anger filled his eyes.

  "She has Alzheimer's, Drew. I can't unravel every story she tells you. And I'm damn tired of trying. You and your brothers and sisters need to stop trying to make sense of things that don't make sense."

  "Okay, sorry," he said, seeing the weariness in his grandfather's eyes. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

  "No." He pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. "I just want to savor the good moments now, let everything else go. Because one day there won't be any more good moments."

  Drew hated to think about that day.

  "I'll put these checks in the bank in the morning. But here are the ownership papers and the maintenance log," Patrick said, pushing a binder across the table. "I kept track of everything. A few of my friends have used the boat in the past few months and said everything was in good shape, but you should get it checked out from top to bottom. I probably should have dry-docked the boat, but I kept thinking that I'd get Ellie back out there. She always loved to sail."

  "It's not too late. Any time you want to go out, you can."

  "I couldn't take the risk that she'd get confused or scared out there and put herself in danger."

  "Do you really think that would happen?"

  "Anything is possible. Sometimes she gets combative. It's just fear, and I know that, but it's hard to see the woman I love jerking away from me as if I was going to hit her."

  "Is there any treatment?"

  "The drugs she's on now seem to be working better, but I don't know. Anyway, you don't ne
ed to worry about it." Patrick stood up. "We better get back in there. Lord only knows what Ellie has told your friend."

  * * *

  "What did you and my grandmother talk about?" Drew asked, as he drove Ria back to her apartment.

  Ria smiled. "She said you're a charmer like your grandfather. Personally, I had a little trouble seeing your grandfather's charm behind his gruff exterior, but I guess I'll take her word for it."

  "These days, I'm not sure you should take her word for anything."

  "She seemed focused most of the time, except for those few minutes when she was talking about your father getting beat up. Do you know what that was about?"

  "I have no idea. I asked Grandpa, and he just blew me off. My dad has never mentioned anything, and he's big on sharing stories of his life. I can't imagine why he'd leave something like that out."

  "Maybe there's a reason he didn't tell you. Your grandmother made it sound like it was some sort of warning or form of retribution."

  "She might have made the whole thing up, Ria." His hands tightened on the wheel.

  "Or not. Every family has secrets."

  "Are we talking about your family or mine?"

  "Just saying you may not know everything there is to know about your father or your grandfather."

  "I know both of them pretty well," Drew said defensively. But this wasn't the first time that his grandmother had made vague references to some secret event in the past. Emma and Aiden had both come to him with similar stories.

  As he turned down Ria's street, he saw a parking spot near her building, so he grabbed it.

  "You don't have to park," she said quickly.

  "It's almost seven. I was hoping I could bum some food off of you." He gave her a pleading smile.

  "I doubt I have much in the fridge."

  "I'll have whatever you're having."

  "That's a risky statement. I could be having peanut butter and jelly."

  "I love peanut butter and jelly," he said, as they got out of the car.

  As they walked down the block, he caught Ria taking several glances over her shoulder, and before she inserted her key into the front door of the building, she took another look around.