Inappropriate - Vi Keeland Page 0,30

driver to slow down and put on his brights.

“This is their house. He usually takes the same path. Go to the end of the road and take a left and a quick right. Follow the winding path down to the water.”

“You sound like you have a pretty good idea where he’s heading,” I said.

Grant looked out the windows, searching as he spoke. “He always goes to the same place.”

A few minutes later, I spotted someone walking along the side of the road.

“There!” I pointed. “I see someone up ahead.”

Grant let out a deep breath. “That’s him.” He instructed the driver to pull up behind him slowly, and he jumped out of the car before it had even rolled to a complete stop.

I watched the interaction between the two men through the front window of the limo. Grant’s grandfather was dressed in a brown bathrobe and slippers. His hair was disheveled, and he turned around, seeming confused when the headlights caught his attention. But his entire face lit up as he shielded his eyes and got a look at the man stalking his way. He definitely recognized his grandson. He opened his arms wide and waited as a tuxedoed and clearly frustrated Grant approached.

I couldn’t help but smile when Grant gave in and let the old man swamp him in a hug. The two of them spoke for a minute, and then Grant led him back to the limousine.

Grant helped his grandfather climb in first.

The man smiled at me warmly as he took a seat. “Well, aren’t you pretty.”

Grant got in and pulled the door shut. He shook his head. “Don’t let the charm fool you. He’s a dirty old man.”

Grant’s grandfather laughed and winked at me. “He exaggerates. I’m not that old.”

“You gotta stop disappearing, Pops. It’s almost midnight.”

“I needed to see Leilani.”

“This late?”

“A man needs to see his girl when he needs to see his girl.”

Grant sighed. “I’ll tell you what. I’ll take you to Leilani, but you have to agree to let me put an alarm on the house tomorrow. You worry Grams when you disappear.”

Grant’s grandfather folded his arms over his chest. He reminded me of a little boy who was told he couldn’t have dessert until he ate all of his vegetables. “Fine.”

Grant ran his hand through his hair and turned to me. “Do you mind if we make another stop? It’s just down the road.”

“Of course not. Whatever you need to do.”

“Thank you.” He leaned forward to speak to the driver. “Head down to Castaway Marina, please.”

Chapter 12

* * *

Ireland

Leilani wasn’t a woman. She was a boat.

A gorgeous sailboat.

Grant helped his grandfather board and then held out his hand to me.

“Thank you,” I said as I stepped onto the back deck.

His grandfather disappeared into the cabin immediately.

“He’s going to put on Frank Sinatra. Sometimes he forgets his wife. Sometimes he wanders off and gets lost. But he never forgets about this boat or Frank.”

I looked around the wide back seating area. “I can see why. This boat is incredible.”

“Thank you. Pops built it almost sixty years ago. He gave it to me as a gift on my twenty-first birthday.”

“Oh, that’s really special.”

“He built it as a sample, to use it to sell boats and take orders when he started his boat-manufacturing business. He borrowed the money from a loan shark who would have broken his legs if he didn’t get his money back. But he sold more than he could possibly build the first time he unveiled it at a boat show.” Grant laughed. “The loan shark’s grandson actually has the newest model, and Pops plays cards with the shark, who lives in assisted living now.”

I looked at the logo on the side of the boat. “I didn’t realize your family owned Lexington Craft. I don’t know too much about boats, but those are really beautiful. I see them in movies every once in a while.”

Grant shook his head. “My family doesn’t own it anymore. Well, we have a chunk of stock from when it was sold, but it’s been a public company for a long time. Pops stayed on to run it after the sale, but he retired ten years ago after he made sure the new management was as passionate about boat building as he is. He and my grandmother used to have a big boat over at the marina down the road, but they put it in storage a few years back, after he was diagnosed. This one is special to him,