Page 29 of Under Pressure

“And they’re not like whoopie cushions or gift cards, right?” Dad ran a hand through his pepper hair which was starting to get a few strands of salt here and there.

“We already learned our lesson there,” Johnny assured—and he was right. It’d been a hard lesson, learned well.

“Good because you know your mother likesthoughtfulgifts.”

Yeah, she did. Problem was, she was impossible to buy for. Not that Sean considered himself very good at shopping to begin with, but Mom was especially difficult. Anything she wanted, she always bought for herself. The good news was, he was pretty sure he had backup to help him out with his predicament. He grinned at the thought.

Johnny leaned closer to his phone which he had propped up on something. “How’s Grandpa doing, Sean?”

Dad raised his brows. “Why don’t you ask me? I see him every Sunday, have done for years.”

“He’s keeping busy,” Sean said.

“Has he done any more super baking?” Johnny asked.

“Nope.” He’d made a few pastries here and there, but mostly his intense focus had transferred to other areas—like sweeping the sand on the beach, spending way too many hours at the gym, whipping the male retirees into shape, and super crafting. A couple weeks ago, he’d caught Grandpa creepily snapping photos of three women at the bakery while they weren’t paying attention. He still had no idea what that was about. Grandpa had gotten downright snappy and ordered him out. Sean hadn’t even gotten the Bear claw he’d gone there for before being marched out the door. Not that he had any intention of telling his family that. “He’s fine. Just . . . trying to figure out what to do now that his life and schedule don’t revolve around Nonna.”

A moment of silence proceeded that statement. Nonna had been special to all of them. Her loss was hitting everyone hard, but they were dealing.

Dad cleared his throat. “You’ll be there to help him set up before the party?”

“Don’t worry, I’ve got him,” Sean said.

* * *

Sean pulled into Grandpa’s driveway and parked his Jeep. Down the drive, in front of the garage sat one of The Palms’ golf carts. Grandpa had taken up golf about two years ago for some reason. He was much better now than when he’d started, but still not great, and Sean never got the impression that Gramps liked it very much. That said, Sean wouldn’t be surprised if Grandpa had decided to start practicing for ten hours a day now. At least if he did that, he’d have his friends, Walt and Harry, to keep him company instead of doing something alone where he had too much time to think.

Bounding up the porch steps, Sean rapped on the door and tried the handle. It was locked. Grandpa wasn’t home, which meant he could be in any number of places. He ran around the back of the house and looked up and down the beach. Not there either.

He glanced at his watch. It was half past seven, which meant Grandpa was probably at breakfast. Perfect, because right now, Sean wasn’t here for Grandpa.

He was just past Gramps’ bungalow when he remembered the golf cart. He jogged over to it and smirked when he found the keys still in the ignition. He backed it around his jeep and drove the golf cart up to the back exit of The Palms, then parked, and jogged inside.

The building was relatively new, but gave off a vibe that reminded Sean of The Great Gatsby. The front entrance had an aviary with large palms in it, and a fountain, wherethe communities’ mascots, Bear, the Labrador Retriever, and Sweetie, the blind baby alligator, liked to sun themselves. They were there now, Bear on his back chewing on a blankie, and Sweetie with her tail in the water. If they weren’t the cutest things ever, he didn’t know what was.

He made a right and headed for the dining area, which was decorated in light colors and had large windows looking out over the pool and gardens.

Sure enough, Grandpa sat chatting with his friends at a perfectly set table. Nancy saw him first, her blond head lifting as she waved in his direction. “Sean!”

Gramps spun in his chair and narrowed his eyes at Sean. He was still in his workout gear, and looking a little sweatier than he normally did by this point. He’d probably killed a punching bag this morning.

“What are you doing here?” he said in a tone that was slightly biting, then cleared his throat and repeated the question in a nicer tone. “What are you doing here?”

Sean chuckled and slapped him on the back. “Don’t worry, Gramps. I’m not here for you.” He glanced around at the ladies—Winnie, Nancy, Rosa, and Polly. “Ladies, aren’t you looking lovely this morning.”

Sean could almost feel the indignation wafting off Grandpa, but Gramps’ emotions, for maybe the first time in his life, were totally out of control, so Sean was inclined to be lenient with him.

The women all blushed. Even Nancy and Polly got a little pink in the cheeks, and that never failed to amuse Sean.

Winnie fluffed her updo. “Oh, stop.”

“You’re such a charmer.” Rosa giggled.

Sean gave a nod to the other men at the table, Walt and Harry, of course, Horace, Winnie’s husband, and Miguel, Rosa’s husband. “Morning.”

Walt nodded back, and Miguel said, “Hola.”

“Where’s Virginia this morning?” Sean asked.

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