to meet. It’s important to me.”
“Okay. Now you have me wondering.”
Five minutes later we pulled down a very long driveway lined in thick fruit trees. About a mile down the lane, we came to an opening where a huge mansion sat with a circle entrance. “Oh my god. Is that your grandfather’s house?”
“Yep.”
“This is where we’re having dinner?” I asked.
“Right again.”
“You brought me here to meet your grandfather?” I don’t know why I was shocked. Wes was doing everything he could to impress me. Meeting his grandfather wasn’t about the money. I could tell this was something else entirely. “Why?” I asked.
“I promised him when the right girl came into my life I’d let him meet her. There’s never going to be another you, Cammie. Don’t get the wrong idea though. I have no plans of eloping in the next week.”
I wanted to laugh, but a part of me wondered if he was serious. Was he already thinking that far ahead, and if so, what did it say for my future? Could I eventually love him? Could he be the man I was supposed to be with all along?
Once the truck was turned off, he climbed out of the vehicle. I did the same, waiting for him to come around to my side to help me hop out. When my feet hit the ground, he kept his hands on my waist. “He’s going to love you.”
“This is insane, Wes. I’ve been here for two days.”
“Woman, when are you going to get it?”
“Get what?”
“This is my one shot. I’m not going to get another one.”
“You’re crazy.”
“If I’m crazy why are you still hanging out with me?”
I shrugged. “I suppose I’m attracted to strange folk.”
“Yeah, you keep telling yourself that. In the meantime, I’m going to keep moving forward.” He pulled me along. “Come on. I’m sure dinner is ready.”
I’d met his grandfather when I was kid. He’d be in one of the bank branches when my mom would take her deposits in. He’d aged since then, and was using a walker to get around. His white hair was still thick on top of his head, and his pudgy body reminded me of what Santa Claus should look like. The moment we walked into the foyer and saw him standing there to greet us, my stomach knotted up. I was nervous. This wasn’t a friendly visit, I could sense it from the way Wes was carrying on earlier. He turned and looked at me while speaking to his grandfather. “Grandpa, this is Cammie Healy. She’s the one I was telling you about.”
He’d talked about me before? I could hardly contain the way it made me feel. While trying to keep a smile on my face, my mind traveled to earlier in the day and the things we’d done together. We still had much to explore, but I was finally understanding the difference between sex and making love. Wes’ feelings for me radiated through to his actions. I’d never felt so cared for, and even though I knew our lives could be headed in different directions, I wanted to make the best out of whatever time we’d have.
“It’s a pleasure to meet such a beautiful woman. I hear you’re also a smart one. Quite the package if you ask me.”
I shook his soft, aged hands. “Thank you. It’s great to meet you as well.”
A little later we were sitting at the dinner table. His housekeeper, Aggie brought us each plates with fresh grilled steaks, potatoes and steamed vegetables. She put a fresh loaf of bread on the table and refilled our drinks before taking a seat next to Wes’ grandfather.
Since I had a huge red meat addiction, I tore into my food after grace was said. Wes kept the conversation going when his grandfather asked about school.
“Are you still planning on graduating early?”
“Yeah. It’s the plan. I’m hoping to have enough credits this year instead of having to do another semester, but we’ll see how it goes.”
“I could use you full-time at the office. The branches can run themselves, but the back end staff could use a new CEO to keep them in line.”
“Soon enough, Grandpa. You can count on me.”
“I’m glad. Your sister is taking after her mother. Aside from paying for her school, I barely hear from her.”
“New York is where she wants to be. Don’t take it personal. She’s one of those artistic, agoraphobic people. If she could rent a space with enough room to create years worth of art