"There'll be other jobs. That one in Vegas just isn't right for me."
"What does Walter think?" I ask, wondering if he'll tell me about the fight they just had.
"He thinks I should take a job out East. There's a builder he knows, some friend of his from high school. The guy builds custom homes and Pops thinks I should go out there and meet with him. He thinks it'd be a good opportunity for me."
"And you don't agree?"
He sighs. "I don't know. I guess I should go out there and check it out. I've never even been to the East Coast. All I've heard is that it's really crowded and really expensive."
"Where's the job?"
"In New Jersey, not far from New York City."
"That'd be a big change."
"It's probably like LA but without the good weather. To me, all big cities seem the same. The crowds, the noise, too much traffic. It sucks, but you just have to live with it."
"When would you go out there?"
"It depends."
"On what?"
He comes over and kisses me. "I can't talk about this anymore. I haven't seen you all day and talking is just taking away from time I could be spending doing this." He gives me a kiss, and then another, and we end up running out back and hiding in the shed, where the kissing continues and leads to other things.
"We need to find better places to do this," I say as I get dressed.
"How about if I sneak in your room at night?" He yanks his t-shirt on. "I guess that doesn't work. You need to sleep so you're awake for class."
"I don't need that much sleep. I need this more than I need sleep."
He smiles. "Then I'll see you tonight at midnight?"
"And the next night. And the night after that."
"It's a deal." He pulls me into his arms. "We better get going."
"Then why am I in your arms?"
"Because I hate letting you go."
"I hate it too. But if I don't go Grams will start looking for me. I didn't see her when I got home. I just got out of my car and went to find you."
"You did? You wanted to see me that bad?"
"I know. It's pathetic."
"It's not pathetic. It just means you missed me as much as I missed you. All day I kept checking your driveway to see if you were home."
"I texted you that I was staying on campus."
"I know, but I still checked the driveway," he says, sounding embarrassed.
"That's really sweet."
"Faith?" I hear Grams say. "Faith, are you out here?"
"Shit!" I whisper. "I think she's in the garden!"
Tyler peeks through the slats of the shed wall, trying to see. "Yeah, she's walking on the pathway between the flowers."
"She's going to find us!"
"No, she's going the other way."
"Cora," I hear Walter say. "What a pleasant surprise."
"Now your grandpa's coming out?" I whisper.
"I'm not sure. Right now he's just standing on the patio."
Peeking through the slats like Tyler is doing, I see Grams walking towards Walter.
"The flowers are looking lovely today," she says.
"Thanks to you." Walter smiles at her. "You have quite the green thumb, Cora."
"I didn't until you shared your gardening secrets with me."
He chuckles. "I wouldn't call them secrets."
I whisper to Tyler. "Maybe they'll go inside. Then we can sneak out."
We continue watching. When Grams reaches the porch, Walter puts his arms around her. And kisses her!
"Oh my God, he kissed her!" I whisper.
"And she seems to like it," Tyler says with a laugh.
He's right. Grams isn't pulling away or yelling at Walter for kissing her. She's clutching his shirt and kissing him back!
"What the hell?" I whisper. "When did this start?"
"I'm thinking yesterday. Whatever you put in that lunch made our grandparents horny."
I hit his shoulder. "I'm serious! How did this happen?"
"Wait, they're stopping."
We watch as Grams pulls back from Walter.
"We shouldn't be doing this," Grams says with a schoolgirl giggle. No exaggeration. She's actually giggling! "The children might catch us."
"First of all," Walter says, "they're not children, and secondly, I don't care if they see us. I don't know why we're hiding this."
"Sound familiar?" Tyler says to me.
"Shh, I'm trying to hear."
"Walter, we've discussed this. I don't want them knowing."
"It's not wrong, Cora. We've both been widowed for several years."
"Regardless, could we just keep it quiet a little longer?"
He gives her a flirty smile. "Sometimes I think you like keeping it a secret because it makes it more exciting."
"Walter." She does that giggle again. "Don't be silly."