Page 36 of Mountain Bean Dream
“Hmm. You look so familiar. There’s something aboutyour eyes.”
A lump at the back of my throat made it harder to swallow. My looks had changed since my teen years, and she really didn’t suit the demographic that would’ve known who I was. Plus, my show hair colour was always a strawberry blonde, not the natural red I was now. But yet, she was staring at me as if trying to recollect where and why I was familiar.
Head shaking, she tapped me with her finger, interrupting my thoughts. “You know, Jimmy’s always been protective of his favorite people. Once, when he was ten, he made a ‘No Entry’ sign to keep squirrels out of my flower beds.”
Jeremy’s ears pinked, but he shrugged, leaning toward me as he whispered conspiratorially. “In my defense, those were some very aggressive squirrels.”
Grandma let out a genuine laugh, tipping her head back. “Didn’t you name them?”
I winked. “I’ll have to keep you around for any future wildlife emergencies, then.”
As I went to grab a cookie, so did Jeremy, and our hands brushed against the other. I couldn’t help but stare at the connection, and flustered, I pulled back. Jeremy lingered, but his eyes stayed trained on me until they looked over my shoulder.
Following his gaze, I turned to check out what had captured his attention.
Derek.He was walking at quite a quick pace with a bag in hand. Seeing us, he slowed his steps and cocked his head to the side before leaving the open area.
I inhaled sharply as my breathing hitched, and connected with Jeremy, who did the same. We both turned to face his Grandma.
“How do you spend your time?”
“I’m sorry?” I wasn’t sure what she meant.
“When you’re not at the motel or that coffee place or with my Jimmy. How do you spend your time?” There was nothing slow about her speech. Every word was perfectly annunciated, almost with dagger tips.
I wanted to scan the area to see where Derek went but fought the urge and gave Grandma my undivided attention. “I read a lot, and I play in a band.”
She looked to Jeremy for confirmation. “She’s in a jazz band. She plays the flute.”
“Really?” That garnered me a half smile. A win. “In my day, I played clarinet. First chair.”
I tipped my head down. “I’m not that good, but for right now, I’m the only flutist so I guess you could say I was first chair.”
“Not really. How do you play with your arm like that?” Like a beacon, she laser-focused on the sling.
“I’ll need to work that out, but I’m hoping I can play for our final concert next Saturday. We’re playing at the Jasper Park Lodge for a fundraiser.” Rest, ice, hydrate, and medicate. And if necessary, grin and bear the pain because there was no way I was going to sit out the concert. I’d been practicing for months.
“What fundraiser?”
“It’s for the hospital. Some big gala event. They’re raising money for their community outreach programming or something?” I wasn’t up to date on all the reasonings. All I knew was I got to dress up in my fancy clothes, play my flute for an hour, and walk around Jasper Park Lodge in all its majestic glory.
Under the table, Jeremy rubbed my knee and sent a wink in my direction. The touch sent shockwaves rippling throughout my body, and although it was a brief connection, the effects lasted much longer.
“Well,” she raised her gaze to connect with me. “Goodluck to you. I hope it works out.”
I swallowed. “Thank you, me too.”
I took a bite of my cookie and chewed it slowly, watching how Grandma turned away from me toward her grandson. But I understood why. I was a stranger, an outsider, and if I didn’t want to offend her, I needed to jump in with both feet so to speak.
Jeremy reached into the bag and retrieved a deck of cards. “Well, should we play a round of rummy?”
“Oh, Jimmy. Thought you’d never ask.”
“You’re in, right, Molly?”
One quick look to see if Grandma was okay with it, and there was no change in her expression. I took a wild guess. “Of course.”
“Excellent.” He went over the rules for my benefit and dealt the cards.