“Hell yeah, there is,” he barked. “I was just waiting for you to ask. Check this out.”
Opening a different display case on the other side of the room, he pulled out a flat box and lifted the lid.
“This was your grandmother Josie’s pearl necklace. Back in the day, little girls had add-a-pearl jewelry. Every special day meant the addition of a pearl. Baptism, birthday, graduation. She loved what it represented and said she thought of it as a statement of her life. Look.”
Lifting a cushion in the box, he pulled out a piece of paper written in the distinctively beautiful scrawl Arnie associated with his grandmother.
“She left an explanation for each pearl laid out left to right.”
Arnie glanced at the paper. He couldn’t imagine a better gift for his baby daughter than something tying her to Josie Wanamaker.
“Play your cards right.” Senior snickered. “And I’ll hand over the silver cuff links she gave me for our wedding day.”
“I see you share my grandson’s love of questionable snacks,” Pops teased as Summer tore open a second pack of chocolate peanut butter goodness.
“What are these called again?” she asked.
“Tastykakes. An East Coast favorite. I have a carton shipped here whenever I know Ned, Arnie, or Stan are coming by. They’re called peanut butter tandy kakes. The company calls them kandy kakes now.” He snorted. “Used to be you could only get them in Philly and New York, but now Ralph’s sells them!”
“They’re lethal.” She giggled with her mouth full.
Pops lowered his voice. “Not on my nutritionist’s list of approved foods.” He put a finger to his mouth. “Shh. And don’t tell Bethany about my secret stash.”
“Bethany is your physical therapist?”
His facial expression made her laugh. “She’s a gold digger, and I’m a cradle robber,” he told her with gleeful cheekiness.
Summer smirked. “You’re going to have to qualify your statement.”
“Sure.” He chuckled. “Bethany Collins was looking for a sugar daddy when she started as my physical therapist. She’s younger, you see. Only sixty-two. Is the picture getting clearer?”
She gave him a dry look and sighed. “Bethany is a rich widow and a retired nurse. I asked Arnie.”
Pops held back a laugh.
“I say more power to you if you’re doing her on the side.” She gave him a wink.
Laughter filled the room when he boomed. “Side piece! Bwah!” He pounded his hand on the kitchen table and hooted hysterically. “She’s gonna love it.”
Ari watched her mommy and great-grandfather from her baby seat in the middle of the table. The three of them were hanging out while Arnie took a video call from King.
Summer was well aware of Arnie’s efforts to keep her involvement with the LAPD to a minimum. He wasn’t withholding anything from her and carefully explained all he was doing was handling the details without drawing her into it.
She was grateful for his help. She was also happy to spend time with his grandfather. Getting to know the men who shaped Arnie gave her valuable insight into the man she couldn’t imagine living without.
“I brought Ari’s baby book and some photo albums. Maybe after dinner, we can look through them if you want.”
He looked at her oddly. She wondered why, and then he filled in the blanks.
“Arnie told me you documented practically every minute of the baby’s life. Why did you do that?”
She lifted a shoulder and gave a weak shrug. “I’m a hopeless romantic.”
“You knew he’d come back, didn’t you?”
“I clung to the hope he didn’t leave because he wanted to, and if he did return, it didn’t seem right for him to miss out on so much.”
Senior nodded and studied her with a thoughtful expression. “He told me about you.”
She smiled.
“Last year,” he added quietly.
She continued smiling. Then his words pierced her brain, and she croaked, “What?”
With a nod, he confirmed his statement. “It’s true. Last year, in Santa Barbara. We were at the farm, in the greenhouse, and it just came out.”
“What did?” She was completely confused by what she was hearing.
He reached for one of her hands and held it in both of his. “I remember thinking he was different somehow and told him it was as if he suddenly looked up and saw the sun shining.”
Her jaw went slack, and tears gathered.
“Teasing him, I asked who she was. He owned it without hesitation, Summer. Said he met someone, but it was complicated.”
“Oh, my god.” That was it. That was all she could say.
He held her eyes. “I knew what he meant because I know