front door. Gideon looked nonplussed. He simply gave the staring patrons a cavalier shrug and a smile. His sight flickered to me and the smile faltered a bit. There was an odd sort of overcast to his gaze, an unusual emotion in those jade eyes that I’d never witnessed before. It looked like hurt but that wasn’t possible. Gideon Pierce didn’t have a heart so how could he be feeling discomfort.
A waitress then hurried past, blocking off Gideon for a moment. When she was past, he’d returned to his phone, reading something from it as he chewed on a slice of rye toast.
“…that old house. I’m not even sure it’s suitable for occupancy,” Dad was saying when I drifted back to the conversation at our table.
“Well the McMaster’s did rent it out for close to twenty years,” Mom said while dribbling honey over her oatmeal. “They might not have kept it up to your exacting specifications but there were people in it until two years ago when they moved off after Bill retired.”
“You know what they say. We Welsh like to worry,” Dad tossed out then dunked his toast into a perfectly fried over easy egg. “I worry that the place should have been gone over closely by an electrician and plumber. I’m sure things aren’t up to code.”
“What are we talking about?” I had to ask. My mother gave me that look. Aubrey shrugged and got the same disapproving glance.
“Gideon living in his old familial home at the end of Mercer Court Road,” she whispered then mumbled at the droplet of honey that fell to the tablecloth.
“He’s back home like really back home? I just assumed he’s taken a room over Frank’s Pub.” I threw another look back at Gideon, and his gaze rose from his phone to grab mine. His eyes held mine captive for at least ten full seconds until I yanked free.
“So we hear. I’ve not been up the Mercer Court Road hill in some time, it’s not in my usual walking route,” Dad replied. I met his look. “If you want we can take a stroll up there this evening before it gets dark?”
“I’d love that,” I said, wondering why I was suddenly so damn interested in where Gideon Pierce laid his head down to sleep. So what if he was back in his old home? He obviously knew what he wanted to do. He was not a man of weak will. “I’ll need to work off this breakfast and the treats at the senior center. Come over around five. We should have about an hour before it’s too dark to see. Should only take us fifteen minutes or so at a good clip to climb up Mercer hill.”
My father nodded enthusiastically and we let the subject of Gideon and the old Pierce homestead talk disappear. Pastor Nichols joined us as we were finishing up then the conversation really heated up as trout fishing was discussed. I barely got out of the diner and to Mountain View in time for the talent contest. Pauline Prendergast, aged ninety-one, won for her lovely rendition of “I Love a Rainy Night” played on a xylophone. Eddie Rabbit would have loved it.
My father was waiting for me when I got home after dropping off Aubrey at his apartment building. Knowing Dad hated to wait, I rushed into my little house, feeling the calming influence of the monochromatic palette of my gray furnishings, white walls, and black window frames. My mother had hated the colors I’d chosen, but I liked them. They were masculine yet trendy. I’d found a beautiful layout online and had done my best to replicate the bachelor pad look. I’d added some of my own touches like a big area rug under the low-slung gray sofa and black leather recliner. The soft brick reds and slate blues warmed up the room. I’d carried the colors throughout the house and was now in the process of revamping the master bedroom. I loved my house. What a shame I didn’t have anyone to share it with.
“Give me five,” I shouted over my shoulder as I pulled off my blue tie and jogged to my messy bedroom. The walls in here were stripped down and awaiting paint. As were the window frames. The floor hardwood was in good shape, so I could skip redoing that in this room. The spare room was even a bigger mess but one thing at a time. Given my schedule, I was impressed that