And Doreen realized that the footstool rocked as well. She stared at the two pieces in delight. “These would be lovely on the deck.” They were a woven material, although she didn’t know if it was plastic or some weird rattan.
“They’re made with an all-weather material,” the store owner said, as if understanding he would make a sale.
Nan nodded. “But they are quite used, definitely in need of a good washing, and some of the material is worn down.” At that, the store owner and Nan set to haggling quite heavily.
Doreen still hadn’t even seen a price tag on the chair and wasn’t sure it would fit in her car for that matter. But, with Goliath curled up in her lap, and now Mugs on the footstool gently rocking, she saw this as a perfect way to sit outside and to enjoy her morning coffee.
Finally Nan turned to look at her and, with a voice of triumph, said, “Sold!”
Chapter 19
Monday Late Afternoon …
Nan insisted they go straight to Doreen’s place. With the help of the store owner, they had jammed the chair halfway into the trunk. Even now, she saw the trunk lid swinging gently as she drove up the last rise to her place. “I’m not sure it’s safe to drive like this,” she muttered.
“Oh, posh,” Nan said, with a wave of her hand. “It’s perfectly fine.”
Doreen rolled her eyes at that, but, once inside the garage, she hopped out, let the animals out, and then walked around to the back of the car. Together, she and Nan got the footstool out and were reaching deep into the trunk to get the chair, when strong arms leaned between them and pulled it right out. Surprised and startled, Doreen turned to face Mack, his face grim, as he set it down for her.
“Oh my,” she said, “perfect timing.”
“Well, timing anyway,” he said. “I don’t know about perfect.”
She frowned. “What’s the matter?”
He shrugged, then stopped and stepped back, looking at the chair. “That’s actually quite nice.” He looked at Nan. “Where did you find this treasure?”
“Up at that Max’s secondhand store in Rutland,” she said.
He frowned and shook his head. “No, that one closed down about a year ago.”
She waved her hand and shrugged. “Well, whatever one moved into that space then. He’s got all kinds of stuff in the back, jammed up together. Had to dig through that to find this. Anyway, we made a heck of a deal.”
Mack nodded. “How much did you pay for it?” He looked over at Doreen, and she flushed, then looked at Nan and said, “Nan wouldn’t let me pay for it.”
“It’s a sad world, indeed, if I can’t pay for a chair for my granddaughter to enjoy on her new deck. That’s been my only contribution to the entire process, by the way, and it was surely overdue.”
“I’m sure you contributed much more than you think,” Mack said drily.
Doreen nodded. “It was some of the money that I found in the house that paid for the pizza and the beer for the deck crew,” she said, with a smile.
“Oh, good,” Nan said in delight. “I’m glad I managed to do something to help out.” She looked at Mack, then patted his big bicep and said, “Now, could you be a dear and carry that chair around back for her?”
“Happy to.” He picked up the chair with one hand and the footstool with the other, then easily swung them both out of the garage and around the path. Nan sighed happily. “It does my heart good to see a big strong healthy man like that.”
Doreen decided to stay quiet, not wanting to risk sending Nan off into another tirade about her granddaughter’s lack of a love life. Nan had plenty of her own memories to muse upon. Closing the garage door, Doreen headed for the kitchen, where she put on the teakettle. Stepping out onto the deck, she stopped to admire the chair and the footstool.
“We should have bought that little table,” she said instantly, when she saw the two of them.
“I know,” Nan said, frowning. “I was thinking the same thing just now.”
“Was it at the same place?” Mack asked.
“Yes. It was just a little bistro table. I couldn’t picture it at the time, but now it would be just the thing.”
“You just need a little table, right? I might even have one over at my mom’s place,” he said.
“Oh, I can’t take Millicent’s,” she said. “She will need it.”
“I think she has a couple there. I’ll ask her.” He pulled out his phone and stepped off to the side.
She heard him greet his mother, but the rest of his side of the conversation drained away as he walked toward the river. She sat down on the rocking chair and smiled. “This is beautiful, Nan.” She hopped back up and said, “Try it.”
Immediately Nan took a seat and smiled. “It’s lovely. We should see if we can find you a second one.”
“Oh, my gosh. Another one like this would be perfect,” she said with a laugh. “Just imagine the two of us sitting here, like a couple little old ladies.”
“Well, I’m an old lady,” Nan said, raising an eyebrow. “You’re just acting like one,” she added, then glanced meaningfully over at Mack.
Instantly Doreen felt the heat rise up her cheeks. “Don’t go there,” she said.
Nan’s laughter trilled across the backyard. “I’m not going to,” she said. “I’ll just have to trust in him to take the necessary steps.”
Doreen’s jaw dropped as the older woman stood and said, “I’ll go make a cup of tea.”
Doreen stared at her receding back, wondering if she really meant that. Surely Mack wouldn’t make that move toward her, would he? She studied him for a long moment, admiring the stocky hips, the broad shoulders, and the muscle of a strong male in his prime. He carried himself with a grace and a purpose, like somebody who knew what he wanted and was happy to do whatever needed to be done in order to get it. She had to admire that.
Whereas she fell into and out of various phases of her life, it seemed. Just then he finished his call, turned, and walked toward her. “Where’s Nan?”
“She went inside to make a cup of tea,” she said. “Can I get you something?”
“Tea?” he said, but his tone was doubtful.
She burst out laughing. “Tea won’t kill you, you know?”
“Doesn’t mean it’ll be good for me either,” he said, grinning. “Mom said she thought she had a set but wants to think about it first.”
“Oh good,” she said with a bright smile. “If not that’s fine. I’ll find something eventually. And you don’t get to change the conversation. Tea would be good for you. I could even give you a nice herbal one.”
At that, he wrinkled up his nose and said, “Or we could just put on a pot of coffee.”
She smiled. “You know that I’ll never be against a cup of coffee.” She walked into the house.
Nan immediately shook her head when she saw what Doreen was up to. “You drink far too much coffee,” she scolded.
“I do not,” she said, automatically patting Nan on the shoulder. “Besides, I never know what to do with half of the teas you have here.”