him. I can’t. I’m not entitled to it after this short amount of time. I’ve already gotten more than I expected. But I do hope that when this ends—when we each go back to our normal lives—that he keeps a small piece of me with him. I hope he continues to be the man he only shows to me.
“She went to the doctor yesterday. They’re keeping a close eye on her, but they’ve noted some recent declines. Slow but steady.”
“Well, she seems to be getting around just fine.”
He lets out a deep chuckle. “That old lady is too mean. She won’t go down without a fight. She will kick and scream the whole way. She refuses to let us put her in a home or help her in any way. She’s a tough old bat. And, well, as long as she’s able to take care of herself, with help from her staff, why try forcing her into something she doesn’t want?”
“You’re a good grandson.”
He gives me a small but shy smile. “I’d do anything for her. She’s like a mother to me.”
We make it over to her house and he opens my door like a true gentleman. On our walk to the door, his hand is on the small of my back, leading the way. He reaches forward and rings the doorbell, then leans in to whisper in my ear. “You look beautiful, by the way.”
My cheeks heat up with his praise.
“I really like this dress.” His hand falls from my lower back to my ass, then over its curve and to my thigh, where he pulls the dress up slightly like he’s about to have his way with me, but the door opens and he quickly removes his hand and stands upright with a smile in place.
“Good evening, Mr. Matthew,” the maid says, welcoming us in. “Ms. Poppy.”
I smile as I take off my coat and hand it over along with my purse. “How have you been?”
“Very well, thank you,” she replies, taking our things. “Mrs. Lewis is already in the lounge. You may go on in if you’d like.”
“Thank you,” Matthew says, hand back on me and leading me in the direction of the lounge.
We walk into the lounge and his grandmother is sitting in her chair like normal. She seems pale today, her skin nearly transparent with a greenish sheen to it. She has dark circles under her eyes and her lips are white around the edges.
“How you feeling today, Gran?” Matthew asks, taking his seat.
“Not the best, dear. That doctor has changed my medication again and he says it could take several days for my body to adjust.”
“If you don’t feel up to dinner . . .” Matthew starts, but she cuts him off.
“Nonsense. I know you might think I don’t have very many of these dinners left, but whether or not that’s the case, I’m going to enjoy every last one of them.” Her eyes cut to me and she winks. “And I hope we’re still on for tea this Sunday?”
I nod and smile. “Absolutely, but if you don’t feel up to it . . .”
“I will be there with bells on,” she insists, then looks at Matthew. “You father won’t be attending dinner again this evening.”
“I didn’t figure he would,” Matthew replies.
“I wish he would open his eyes and see that this is the most important place to be—with family. Not sitting at some desk all alone.”
Matthew lifts his hand and places it on his knee. “You know how he is, Gran. Always work and never any play.”
“Well, you two look like you’re getting closer,” she notices.
I look over at Matthew and notice that we are sitting closer than we have in the past. He has one hand on my knee and my hand is covering his. He looks over at me as our eyes simultaneously fall to our hands, then back up to each other’s eyes. He lets out a nervous chuckle and removes his hand.
“Well, don’t let me come between you. Intimacy is important in a marriage.”
My face heats. I don’t know about a marriage, but there has been plenty of intimacy lately.
“That’s okay, Gran,” he tells her. “I honestly didn’t even realize how inappropriate I was behaving.”
She smiles a sweet, kind smile. “That’s the best kind, isn’t it? When you crave the touch of another person so much that you reach for them without even realizing you’re doing it?” She points at us. “I have a good feeling about the two