Page 10 of Lovers at Seaside
“Mr. Stein will see you now, but he’s had a long morning. Please keep it brief.”
“Yes, of course. Thank you.” Parker rose to her feet, but they refused to move.
“You’ve got this,” Grayson said loud enough for only her ears.
His supportive hand returned to her back, and he guided her across the floor. He pushed open the heavy wooden door and stepped into the unusually warm room with her. Parker’s eyes were immediately drawn to the frail old man lying in a hospital bed. She hesitated, her heart aching at his similarities to Bert. He had smallish eyes, a hawklike nose, and a sharp chin, but where Bert had been a bit plump and spry, even at eighty-six, Abe was all skin and bones. His knobby knuckles looked too big for his bony fingers. Compassion replaced her nervousness.
“Well? Are you going to come in or stand there all day?” Abe grumbled in a tone too demanding to have come from the ailing man before them.
“Yes, sorry,” she said. The energy coming from Grayson was like that of a guard dog protecting his charge as they moved toward the bed, beside which medical machines silently displayed numbers and graphs.
“Mr. Stein, I’m Parker Collins, a friend of Bert’s. Or I was. I’m so sorry for your loss.”
His gray-blue eyes shifted toward her, stopping short of where she stood. His sparse white brows drew into an angry slash. “I didn’t lose anything.”
She wondered if he was lucid and worried he’d misunderstood what she’d said. “Maybe you aren’t aware that your brother Bert passed away?”
He waved a frail hand and scoffed. “I know that.”
Her stomach plummeted at his rancor.So you’re just a jerk?
Grayson’s jaw clenched.
No one said this would be easy.Thinking of Bert, she forced herself to continue speaking. “I know you two didn’t get along, but—”
“Who were you tohim?” He clutched the blanket in fisted hands.
His use ofweregave her chills, but the way he snarled after growling the wordhimmade him look less like a grumpy old man and more like the Big Bad Wolf. Families didn’t hate this deep. They couldn’t. It wasn’t natural. She debated walking out and forgetting the whole thing, but Grayson’s hand pressed against her back, and she drew strength from his support, forcing herself to try again.
“We were very close. He helped me get started as an actress.” She blinked away the frustration and grief simmering inside her and added the most meaningful part of their relationship, hoping Abe might soften. “We were like family.”
“Family,” he mumbled, turning away and chewing on the word, as if it tasted foul. “I had family once. If you and Bert were like family, I pity you.”
Tears of anger burned her eyes. She couldn’t believe this bitter man was related to the loving, kind man who had been her most cherished friend for the last decade. Grayson stepped forward, and she reached for his hand, giving him anI’ve got thislook, which paled in comparison to the turbulent expression he threw back as his fingers curled around hers.
She took one last stab at civility. “I would like to talk, to understand what went wrong. Maybe we can get through it, if you’ll just give me a few minutes. Then I’ll get out of your way.”
“Who says you’re in my way?” Abe snapped. “Criminy, you kids think you can waltz into someone’s life andchangeit? What makes you think I want to getthroughanything?”
Grayson squeezed her hand, drawing her attention. The slant of his eyes, the firm set of his jaw, and the angry tilt of his head told her he wanted to slay the old man, but he wouldn’t. He was silently asking for her approval. That touched her deeply. He’d not only volunteered, but he had pushed his way into coming with her, and he wanted to step up to the plateforher? She didn’t even know how to process his selflessness.
She mouthed,It’s okay.His eyes narrowed, shifted to Abe, and he remained silent, giving her the courage to keep going.
“Bert was a wonderful, warm man, and I cared about him very much.” Parker’s voice shook.So much for years of acting.She was failing miserably. Probably because she wasn’t acting. This was real. This was for Bert. “You missed out on so many years together. I wanted to share some of that with you.”
Abe Meaner-than-a-Snake Stein waved his gnarled hand again. “Pfft.”
“Hey,” Grayson snapped. “She’s come all this way to talk to you. The least you can do is treat her with respect.”
“Grayson!” she said in a harsh whisper.
Abe lifted his chin in a silent grimace for an interminable moment. Parker was sure her heart was going to beat right out of her chest.
Just when she was ready to walk out the door, Abe turned toward them and said, “Noted.”
She didn’t know what to make of that, but her nerves were fried, her patience was gone, and she was sure she’d made a huge mistake.
“I’m sorry to have bothered you.” She turned to leave.I need another calming kiss. Stat!
