“Can we talk about something other than my first period?”
“Hey, I don’t want to talk about it either.” He gave me a reproving look. “Trust me. There’s no man who wants to talk about his granddaughter’s period — unless he’s some gross SOB who should be shot anyway. That’s not the point.”
“What is the point?”
“Your mother being so open made you want to do the exact opposite, so you closed yourself off. That’s why you’re the way you are.”
He sounded so sure of himself that, for a moment, I questioned whether he was right. Then I made a face. “Hunter and I aren’t getting together. It won’t happen. We’re not kids any longer.” And, besides, I silently added, he showed exactly zero interest in me the previous day. He was interested in work, nothing more.
“If you say so.” Grandpa picked up a spatula. “Where did we land on breakfast?”
“I could eat,” I said, earning a grin from him.
“Your usual?”
“You remember my usual?”
“I remember everybody’s usual. Hash browns, eggs over medium, whole wheat toast, and sausage links. Sometimes you’ll have ham, but you lean toward the links. David prefers French toast doused in a sea of syrup. I expect you to take a plate out to him at the gas station in about an hour, by the way. He’s a slow starter when he opens.”
“I guess it’s good your memory is intact.” I flicked my eyes to the front of the restaurant. The front door was still locked, but somebody stood outside. “Do the customers line up before the doors open?”
“No. Why?”
“Because someone is out there.” I squinted for a better look. “I think it’s Hunter.”
Grandpa straightened. “He’s here?”
I nodded. “Maybe he has more questions about Roy’s death. Speaking of that, do you know who would want to kill him? According to just about everybody who works here, that list is long and sundry.”
I waited for Grandpa to answer. When he didn’t, I turned back ... and found the spot in front of the grill deserted.
“No way.” He’d bolted. He knew Hunter was there to question him, so he took off and left me to handle the situation. “Ugh. Men.”
I stomped to the front of the restaurant, struggling with the lock. It had always been tough. When I finally managed to open it, Hunter looked sheepish.
“Sorry I’m here so early,” he started.
“It’s okay.” I locked the door behind him and motioned for him to follow. I had no idea where my grandfather had decided to hide — odds were he was up in my apartment — but I had no intention of leaving Hunter hanging. “Coffee?”
“Is it ready?”
I nodded. “I’m hungover. I spent the night hanging with Alice and we drank way more than was smart. There’s definitely coffee.”
He smirked at my answer. “Coffee’s good.” He sat at the counter and waited for me to deliver the cup, appreciatively inhaling the intoxicating aroma before sipping. “Still as good as I remember.”
“You don’t even come in here for coffee?” I felt bad, as if I’d somehow cut him off from something great. “You know, you don’t have to avoid this place. You can come here whenever you want. Just because I wasn’t here ... .”
“That’s not the only reason,” he said hurriedly.
“Okay, well ... you’re still welcome.”
“I know. It’s just weird because it’s your family. They’re not my family, even though there were times they felt like it. Losing them, on top of losing you ... .” He didn’t finish the sentence. He didn’t have to.
“I’m sorry.”
“About what?” He looked genuinely confused.
I thought about what my grandfather had said. Could he be right? Was I closed off? If so, was it something I could fix? Heck, did I even want to fix it?
“I’m sorry about all of it,” I said finally. “I knew that the distance would be the end of us and yet I held on too tight. I couldn’t help myself. Then, when you couldn’t move down state with me, I told myself it was because you didn’t care. I knew that wasn’t true.”
“It definitely wasn’t true.” His green eyes clouded over. “I wanted to be with you. I just couldn’t. There was no way I could make it work financially.”
“And I was too self-involved to see that.”
“I wouldn’t say you were self-involved.”
“No?” I arched a dubious eyebrow. “Most everyone I know says I’m self-involved. There’s no reason to lie and spare my feelings.”
“Yeah, well ... .” He pursed his lips, and then changed the subject. “Is your grandfather here? I need to question him. He disappeared yesterday afternoon even though he knew I was looking for him.”
That was news to me. “You haven’t talked to him at all?”
He shook his head and sipped again. “Nope. He took off and when I stopped at his house your grandmother said he wasn’t home, but his truck was parked in the garage.”
That didn’t sound like my grandfather. Usually he tackled a problem immediately — unless it was a minor annoyance and then he foisted the irritation off on us. “I ... um ... .” I glanced over my shoulder, over the swinging doors, and found the spot in front of the grill still empty. “I don’t know where he is.” That wasn’t exactly a lie. Of course, it wasn’t the complete truth either.
“Was he here earlier?”
I didn’t know what I was supposed to say. Lying to a cop seemed a bad idea. Still, I would’ve done it if I thought it was necessary. Lying to Hunter was different.
“He was here,” Hunter surmised, shaking his head. “Did he leave when I showed up at the door?”
“I’m not sure when he left. All of a sudden, he was just gone.”
“Uh-huh.” Hunter looked dubious. “He doesn’t think that hiding from me will make this go away, does he?”
“I’m not sure what he’s thinking. We haven’t really talked about the Roy situation. I was slow this morning because of the hangover. I should’ve opened with that. Maybe then I wouldn’t have had to hear the period story for the hundredth time.”
Hunter drew his eyebrows together. “The period story? Do I even want to know?”
“Absolutely not.”
He laughed at my vehemence, the sound low and warm. “Well, can you send him a message for me? Tell him I’m not going to stop coming around until he answers my questions. Hiding from me won’t work.”
“I’ll tell him.”
“Thank you.” He finished off his coffee and stood. “I wish he wasn’t such a pain in the butt. All he’s doing is dragging things out.”
“You don’t really think he’s a suspect, do you?” Suddenly, I was worried at the prospect.
“I’m sure it will be fine.” He must’ve read the fear in my eyes, because he extended a hand and rested it on top of mine. The instant our fingers touched, an electric charge passed through us.
He obviously felt it, too, because he jerked back his hand.