Page 11

I follow her to the front door and hold it open so she can pass under my arm.The bag of sandwiches is in my other hand.
“Pop?”
“I’m in the kitchen, Ray,” he calls out.“What’s the special occasion?Did you get a big tip from that Wilde guy?”
She winces.
I smirk inside as I follow her to the kitchen.At least she told her grandfather she would be with me this morning.
She glances at me over her shoulder and hisses, “Stop smirking.”
I chuckle.She already knows me well enough to guess my expression without looking.We’re practically an old married couple.
A man about my father’s age is sitting at the kitchen table, but when he glances up and sees me, he quickly shoves his chair back and rises to his feet.“Oh, I didn’t realize you were with someone, Ray.”I love his nickname for her.It’s sweet.
I set the bag of sandwiches on the table and extend a hand.“Tiago Wilde, sir.Nice to meet you.”
His handshake is firm.He’s not old and decrepit.He’s a fit man of about seventy.“Dwane Clegg.”After releasing my hand, he hurries to collect the newspaper from the table.“Please, sit.Would you like coffee or a soda?Beer?”
“Water is fine, sir.Thank you.”
He waves a hand through the air.“Please, call me Dwane.”
I nod and set a hand on Reagan’s shoulder.Possessively.
Dwane’s eyes widen, and for a moment he stands very still, holding the partially folded newspaper.Finally, he glances at Reagan, and a slow smile appears.
I release a careful breath.This is going well.
“When did you say you met Mr.Wilde?”Dwane asks.
“Please, it’s just Tiago,” I say.
He nods.
I release Reagan’s shoulder, pull out a chair for her, and push it in when she sits.“A few weeks ago, at the bakery,” she tells him.
I sit next to her and open the bag of sandwiches and chips.
Dwane fills three glasses with ice water and joins us at the table.“And then?”he asks Reagan.
Her cheeks are red, and she has her hands fisted in her lap, so I step in.“I knew I was interested in Reagan the moment I saw her in the bakery, but my life has been chaotic for the past few weeks.I didn’t reach out to her until yesterday.She was kind enough to spend the morning with me.”I set a hand on her back and stare at her.“She’s an amazing woman.”
Her grandfather clears his throat.“Uh, yes, she is.”
“I’ve asked her to spend the day with me.I wanted to meet you first, then we’ll go up to the estate so she can meet my brother and cousin.”
“Oh.”Dwane’s eyes are wide.He rubs his chin.“What do you do, Tiago?”
“I’m a painter.Canvases, not homes.I mostly paint nature settings.Sometimes portraits.I have work displayed in galleries all over the country.I’m not world-famous or anything, but I make a good living.”
“And now you have your inheritance.”
I nod.“Sort of.There are a lot of stipulations in the will.Apparently, my grandfather was an unusual man.”
Dwane snickers.“You could say that.Which of Amos’s sons is your father?”
“William.”