Page 102 of Meet Me on Lilac Lane

Declan answered, pitched his voice low. “What’s up, Brandon?” He put a hand to his other ear, bent his head to capture his voice.

“Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“I’m on an elevator?—”

“Right. Sorry.” Wind blew across Brandon’s receiver. Probably his tour-guide cousin was standing on a cliff somewhere in Arizona, overlooking a different kind of view. “And now you’re the jerk talking in the lift.”

“Yep.”

The elevator stopped and opened. Two of the businessmen stepped out, one glancing over his shoulder at Declan with a frown. Yeah, yeah, he knew it was rude. Declan raised his hand in apology but the guy was already walking down the thick-carpeted hallway.

A sigh came over the phone, and he forgot about the men. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Grandma.”

Sweet Grandma Kelley, who had been frailer and frailer every time Declan had visited home. Who never had a cross word to say to anyone, even though the Kelleys (except for maybe his Aunt Jill) weren’t generally known for their ability to win friends.

“What about Grandma?”

“She had a small…episode last night.”

“What do you mean,episode? Like a heart attack? A stroke?” He glanced at the brunette. She’d turned, staring at the numbers, as if trying not to listen.

“She fainted and they’re still running tests to verify what happened. But she’s stable now.”

“Good. Stable’s good.” He blew out a breath. “Is she at the Jonathon Island clinic or did they take her to the mainland?”

“She’s at the Port Joseph Hospital, but they said given the fact she’s eighty-three, they’ll keep her overnight for observation. Sorry I didn’t call you sooner. We didn’t want to call until we had good news. I know how much she means to you—to all of us—and didn’t want you to worry.”

Oops, he hadn’t realized he was pacing until the door opened and another man got out, and the woman took another step away from him.

He retreated to the corner, facing the wall, and fought to keep his voice low. “I appreciate the call, but you definitely should have told me sooner.”

He’d never be ready to lose Grandma, but especially not now—before he’d figured out some way to restore his family’s faith in him.

But this job…maybe it was a start.

“So she’s okay?”

“She’s okay. Physically, at least.”

Declan stilled. “What do you mean?”

“Apparently the reason she had the episode in the first place is because the county is foreclosing on her home.”

Foreclosing—it took a second. “What?” Declan schooled his voice as the elevator stopped again. He glanced, and the woman got out, leaving him, blessedly, alone. “Why would they do that? The house has been in the family for more than a hundred years. It’s on the same road as all of us. All the kids. Aw, we should have never let her live alone.”

“We? Dude, you haven’t lived here for ten years—since graduation.”

“I know, I know—sorry, it’s just…”

Brandon’s voice softened. “I get it. You never really leave the island.”

Huh. But he was trying to, wasn’t he?

“Apparently, she owes ten years’ worth of back taxes…ever since Grandpa died,” Brandon said. “And she didn’t tell anyone, despite multiple warnings from the county. Now, it’s too late.”

Declan swore under his breath just as the elevator opened again. Oops, his floor.

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