Chapter Twenty-Two
Beckett
Twenty minutes later, we’re walking into a beautiful facility with country-club vibes, and any sense of calm or happiness or excitement I might have felt back at Blue Notes has been replaced with sheer nerves.
I’m about to meet someone who is a complete stranger to me but who was once important to my Gran. Someone I’ve heard countless stories about over the years without really knowing if they were true.
The person at the center of all the tales Gran told of a boy she loved and lost. And the likely owner of the Claddagh ring I wear around my neck.
Keeley greets the receptionist by name, and she waves us inside with a smile. We walk down a brightly lit corridor decorated with floral and landscape paintings and into a sort of living area, where groups of people are scattered about, playing cards, sipping coffee, and chatting.
In one corner, a man with a lined face and kind blue eyes brightens as we approach.
“Hi, Gramps!” Keeley gives him a hug. “I’ve brought a friend to visit you today, if that’s okay. He’s really looking forward to meeting you.”
The older man cranes his head towards me. “Oh, how nice.”
“This is Beckett McCarthy,” Keeley says, and I extend my hand.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I say, smiling warmly. “Keeley’s told me so much about you.”
Douglas’s hand stiffens in mine, and his eyes widen. “You’re Irish?”
I pause for a moment, eyes darting to Keeley.
As we discussed prior to coming here, the plan was to chat with Gramps for a while, gauge how he’s doing today, and then, she would take the lead on asking any questions about Noeleen.
We didn’t consider the fact that my accent might throw him off.
“I am,” I say, keeping my tone gentle. “Visiting Serendipity Springs for the summer.”
Luckily, Douglas just nods. “Summer’s a great time to see the town. So much life and greenery.” He drops my hand and looks at Keeley. “Wouldn’t you say so, Rose?”
Keeley winces—just barely—before she swallows. “Rose was your sister, Gramps. I’m Keeley, your granddaughter.”
And though her voice is steady, kind, and patient, her blue eyes flare with emotion. I can immediately tell how much she loves him—and how hard this is for her. It feels all the more poignant that she’s allowed me to share this moment with her.
Gramps blinks. “Oh, of course. My granddaughter.”
Keeley pastes on a smile and sits next to him, taking his hand. She starts gently reminding him of a time when she was eight years old and he took her to Boston to see the penguins at the aquarium.
Douglas nods along and laughs occasionally, though his eyes are slightly glazed, like he loves hearing the story but can’t quite place himself within it.
I don’t sit. Instead, I hang back and give them the moment together. Study Keeley as she talks animatedly, sharing this precious memory. She swallows more thickly than she usually does, her smile a bit more forced than it usually is, and I find myself feeling a little emotional, too, as I take in the scene.
Keeley has only been a part of my life for a couple of weeks, but I already know that she’s made up of many layers. Layers I can’t get enough of peeling back and seeing. She’s strong and feisty and funny yet vulnerable and sweet and caring all at once. The best person I’ve met in a long time.
My Gran would have loved her.
The thought pops into my mind out of nowhere, but the second I think it, I realize how true it is. Gran always took to multifaceted people, people who had a combination of rough and soft edges. Who cared deeply about those they love.
That’s Keeley.
It’s becoming more and more apparent to me that this sudden resurgence of feeling, of tapping into my emotions again after having them lie dormant for so long, has as much—if not more—to do with her than it does to being here in Serendipity Springs.
It’s like seeing daylight after so long in darkness.
Keeley has been a key part of every meaningful moment I’ve had in this town so far, and I am really happy to be here with her in this one, seeing another side of her that makes me like her even more.
“Becks?” her soft voice cuts through my thoughts, and I startle.
“Yes?”
“Want to sit with us?” Keeley pats the chair to her right, across from her grandfather. “Gramps would like to play Gin Rummy.”
“I love that game,” I say with a smile. “My Gran taught me how to play.”
Keeley’s blue eyes dart to mine as I sit beside her, and she flips her long black ponytail over one shoulder as she turns to her Gramps. “How did you learn to play, Gramps?”
Douglas squints for a moment and then looks right at me. “A lady from Ireland taught me.”
Under the table, Keeley’s knee begins to bounce almost frantically. Before I can think too much about my actions, I place my hand on her knee to still her anxiety.
“Noeleen?” Keeley asks gently.
And then, something incredible happens.
Douglas’s lined face breaks into a beaming smile and his eyes clear. “Yes, Noeleen Quinn. She was a wonderful woman.”
Keeley finishes dealing the cards and picks up her hand, as does Gramps. She very casually asks, “How did you know her, Gramps?”
His eyes get a little misty. “I had two great loves in my life. Your grandmother was my second. Noeleen was my first.”
“What happened with Noeleen?” Keeley asks, and I can tell she’s purposefully trying to keep her tone light.
Douglas’s forehead wrinkles in confusion. “I… I… I’m not sure.”
Keeley shoots me a sideways glance, and I realize that at this point, she’s digging for my sake. She wants to get me an answer as to why they broke up that might help explain why Gran left so suddenly. Why she never mentioned this place.
But it’s an answer I don’t need right now. I just want to be here to support Keeley.
I give her knee a little squeeze under the table, then use my other hand to gesture to the deck of cards on the table. “Why don’t we play a round of Gin Rummy?”