Chapter 21
“WHERE’S MR. DAVIS?” CARLY ASKED as they loaded their bags into the trunk of the Cadillac.
“When I stopped by, he wasn’t quite ready,” Wyatt said. “I thought I’d come here and pick you up, then we can go back to the center. I guess he had a rough night.”
Anita’s gaze connected with his over the hood of the car. “Is everything all right?”
“They assured me it was,” he said, but she didn’t miss the concern etched on his face.
They slid into the seats and Wyatt started the engine. “I guess he woke up from a nightmare, and after they got him settled, he couldn’t fall back asleep for a couple of hours.”
“Well, I can always take another day off from school if we need to delay the trip,” Carly said in a nonchalant tone.
“Let’s hope that doesn’t need to happen,” Wyatt said, backing the car out. They pulled onto the road. “Everything’s set up with Susan and Lila, and all the other arrangements. It would be a shame to cancel it.”
“Everything will be fine, you’ll see,” Anita said, hoping it would be the case. She patted Wyatt’s hand, and he glanced over at her with a smile.
Her heart did a little tumble.
Carly put on her headphones and pressed Play on whatever cassette she’d put into her Walkman.
“I talked to Phyllis’s son this morning,” Anita said. “He’s staying at her house.”
“Ah, how’s Phyllis?” Wyatt asked.
“She’ll probably be moved today or tomorrow to the rehab facility. He’s going to feed our cat while we’re gone. Said it was the least he could do to thank me for finding her.”
Wyatt smiled. “Good plan.” He paused. “You didn’t call last night. Do you have everything you need?”
“I think so...” Anita glanced at Carly in the back seat. Her head was bobbing to whatever music she was listening to as she looked out the side window. “Um, Carly has noticed our, uh...interactions.”
Wyatt raised a brow. “Like when I kissed your cheek?”
“Not that,” Anita said, warmth shooting through her. “Other things...I don’t know exactly, but she accused me of liking you.”
Wyatt didn’t answer for a moment. After turning the next corner, he asked, “Do you like me?”
He said it so softly, so tenderly, that Anita didn’t feel as embarrassed as she might. “I like you, Wyatt, but I don’t really know what that means.”
He gave a short nod. “Is Carly upset that you might like me?”
“No, quite the opposite in fact.”
Wyatt’s smile appeared. “Like I said before, Carly’s a smart kid.”
Anita laughed, then stifled it to avoid drawing her daughter’s attention to the front seat.
“Anita,” Wyatt said in a low voice. “I like you too. And I don’t know what it means either. I like being around you, and I like everything I know about you so far.”
“I’m good at hiding my flaws,” she said.
“Hmm.” He reached for her hand and threaded their fingers.
From Carly’s position, she wouldn’t be able to see the hand holding, but it felt risqué all the same.
Wyatt’s hand was warm, his fingers long, his grasp firm. Their hands fit well together, and Anita wondered if she’d ever had so many goose bumps racing up her arm when it wasn’t cold.
“My life is complicated,” she said quietly.
Wyatt glanced over at her, his green eyes intense. “And you handle the complications with grace, which is another thing I like about you.”
“My head it getting pretty big by now.”
“As it should.” He moved his thumb slowly over her skin.
All too soon, they arrived at the center, and he released her hand. Which was a good thing because the longer he held it, the more she wanted from him. And she hadn’t been glib when she told Wyatt her life was complicated. Dating a man didn’t just involve her, it would involve Carly. And her last choice—Glenn—had proved to Anita that she didn’t always make the best choices. She didn’t want that to become a pattern.
“He’s ready!” Carly announced from the back seat, in a too-loud voice. She tugged off her headphones.
“Inside voice,” Anita said with a laugh.
“Sorry,” she said, not sounding sorry at all.
Sure enough, Mr. Davis sat in a wheelchair, situated in front of the glass doors of the center. A small suitcase stood off to one side, and a nurse was fussing with getting a sweater on him.
“Looks like he’s pretty anxious to get going,” Wyatt said, both humor and relief in his voice.
“Our road trip is back on,” Anita added.
They all climbed out of the car and greeted Mr. Davis. He beamed at them. “Ready for our adventure?”
“We’re ready, Gramps,” Wyatt said. “How are you feeling?”
“Oh, I’m fine. The nurses here are just fussy.” He smiled over at Ginny, who shook her head good-naturedly. “See, I have an entire army to help me.”
“That you do, Mr. Davis,” Ginny said, squeezing his shoulder. “Now, let’s get you settled.”
“Are we taking the wheelchair?” Wyatt asked.
“No,” his grandpa said. “This is just for show—giving me the five-star treatment to get into my own car. I told them I’ll do just fine with my regular old walker.”
When Wyatt opened the passenger side door, Mr. Davis said, “Oh no, I’ll sit in the back with Carly.”
“I’m all right in the back,” Anita protested. “We want to make sure you’re comfortable.”
But Mr. Davis waved her off. “I’ve already made up my mind. You’re up front.”
She glanced at Wyatt, and he shrugged. “All right,” she conceded.
Once Mr. Davis was settled into the back seat with a lap blanket that he claimed he didn’t need, Anita climbed into the front seat. She was both excited and nervous about this trip. Excited to find out the full story about Susan and Mr. Davis, but nervous about it bringing up previous sadness and regret.
“How long is this drive?” he said as they pulled out of the parking lot.
“Eight or nine hours at least,” Wyatt said. “We have some planned stops on the way.”
“That sounds fine. Did you give Susan and her daughter a time when we’d arrive?”
“Yes, they’re expecting us for a brunch tomorrow,” Wyatt said. “We’ll stop at a grocery store so we can contribute a few items. Lila thought a brunch would be best in case we need to sleep in.”
Anita glanced back at Mr. Davis when Carly asked, “Are you nervous?”
“I’m as nervous as a turkey in November,” he said, but his eyes twinkled. “I’m happy her daughter is allowing the visit. I hate to think about Susan being upset with me.”
Carly reached over and patted his hand. “It’s probably just a misunderstanding.”
“How old are you?” he asked.
She grinned. “Teenagers are more mature these days than back in your time.”
He chuckled. “Maybe, and smarter too. You have all those newfangled gadgets to figure out.”
“Like this?” Carly held up her Walkman. “It’s great when Mom wants to listen to the news, and I want to listen to my music. Do you want to try it?”
And the conversation between the pair of them continued. Anita’s heart soared at their friendship. Since her own parents were long gone, Carly didn’t have grandparents she saw.
Wyatt glanced over at her. “Everything okay?” he asked in a quiet voice.
“Yeah, I love their banter.”
“Me too.” He smiled and reached for her hand.
Wyatt holding her hand felt strange and wonderful at the same time. Anita could get used to this. Expanding her relationships, living richer moments, going on interesting quests into the past.
“Speaking of news,” Mr. Davis said in a louder voice from the back seat. “How about we put the radio on? I’ve been living in a land of three square meals and board games. I don’t know what’s going on in the outside world.”
So Wyatt put the radio on a news station, and for the next part of their journey, the news updates blared through. At one point, Carly tapped Anita on her shoulder. She looked back to see that Mr. Davis had fallen asleep, his head resting on Carly’s shoulder.
Carly smiled, and Anita reached over to turn down the radio volume. “Your grandpa is asleep,” she told Wyatt.
He looked in the rearview mirror. “I think we’ll continue past this next town, and when he wakes up, we can stop for lunch.”
“Will that take you off your plan too much?”
“We’re making good time,” he said. “Besides, part of the fun is getting to drive this more than about the town.”
Anita ran her hand over the smooth leather upholstery. “No complaints here.”
Within the next few minutes, Carly had closed her eyes too, her headphones on.
“If you’re tired, you can sleep,” Wyatt said in a teasing tone.
“Then who’ll watch the road for you?”
“Ha. Right. I do need you awake.”
He squeezed her hand because he was currently holding it. It was a soaring feeling to be holding hands with this man—a man she hadn’t even kissed yet. She hoped that would change, and fairly soon, but for now, she could wait.
The hours passed by surprisingly quickly, and when they pulled up to the hotel Wyatt had booked, Anita should have been tired. But she wasn’t. They ate a simple meal at a nearby restaurant, then split up to their rooms, Wyatt and his grandpa in one room, and Anita and Carly sharing another.
“Are you going to be able to sleep, Sam?” Carly asked Mr. Davis.
It felt a bit odd to hear her daughter call him by his first name, but he kept insisting that they both call him Sam.
“I’ll be sleeping fine,” Sam said. “I just need to be sure to fall asleep first so that Wyatt’s snoring doesn’t keep me awake.”
“Hey, I don’t snore,” he protested. Then he mouthed to Anita, “It’s true.”
She laughed. “In the morning, you can tell us who snored.”
“Huh,” Sam said, then he threw a smile at Carly. “I hope you sleep well. You’ll need to be on your toes tomorrow. History is about to be made.”
Once they were settled in their rooms, Carly turned to face Anita from her bed. “Do you think that Sam would change his past if he could? About Susan?”
“I don’t think so,” she said. “He seems devoted to Norma, and Wyatt has come to the same conclusion. Although I think he was a bit worried for a while.”
Carly stifled a yawn. “What do you think the big misunderstanding was?”
“Oh...” Anita’s mind whirled. “I can’t guess, but I do know that there are a lot of misunderstandings in a couple’s relationship. And if the other person doesn’t voice their concern, then it will never be discussed. Could cause resentment.”
“Which is probably what happened.” Carly turned onto her back and folded her hands behind her head. “I can’t wait to meet Susan. Even though she and Sam are both old now, it’s kind of sweet to think about them being in love in high school.”
Anita smiled at that. “I agree.” She reached over to turn off the lamp. “See you in the morning, sweetie.”
“Good night, Mom.”