And then I saw the For Sale sign.
Shaking my head, I knew there had to be some explanation, so I took my phone from its holder and called his cell. The one he only kept on him because of me and Delly.
It rang out the first time, but I tried again immediately, and it connected.
“You get Delly back safe?” he asked in lieu of a greeting.
I laughed, some of my nerves going with it. Pops hatedphones and never just said, “Hello.” Grams would’ve slapped him upside the head for it and taken the phone from him if she were still with us.
“Yes, sir.” I answered. “And she sends her love.”
He grunted in response.
“So…” No matter how close we were, or how many years went by, the smallest things could make me doubt my place in his life. Myrightto ask questions, constantly worried I was overstepping. Which, I guessed, was why I reverted to riling him up instead. “Somethin’ ya wanna tell me?”
“Don’t sass me, Addy. I taught you better than that.”
I huffed a laugh. The response was so like his old self—how he was prior to three weeks ago, to be exact—that the reprimand felt more like reassurance. “You did, sir.”
“You’re not driving, are you?”
I glanced out the windshield at his gated driveway. “Not technically, no.”
He grunted again. “Explain.”
“I’m parked outside your driveway, Pops.”
There was a beat of silence followed by a muffled curse.
“Adair… I wish you hadn’t done that. Not before I could talk to you and your sister.”
He called me “Adair” instead of “Addy” when he was serious.
Adair, you have to get Delly back home now. We don’t want you getting in trouble.
I’m sorry,Adair. You can’t come over now. Grams isn’t feeling well.
Rubbing at my chest, I breathed sharply through my nose at the constricting muscles, the heaviness.
Angina. That’s what it was called. A strange word for such a horrible feeling.
He sighed. “I’m not home. I’m in Alabama, visiting Jillie.”
My ears popped, then a high-pitched ringing started. There were implications in those words that were just out of reach.
Jillie, his great-niece, worked at some sort of senior-living place near the Gulf Coast. Or was it a resort?
I didn’t think Pops had been to the beach since Grams passed. It wasn’t like he needed to tell me when he was going somewhere, but….
I glanced at the sign again.
Something wasn’t right.
“Pops…,” I said slowly. Carefully. “Are you coming back?”
There was a nine-months-pregnant pause before he sighed. “I wanted to talk about this face-to-face, Addy. But I’m not sure that’s an option at this point. And for that… I’m sorry.”
“Pops…,” I said again, but I really wasn’t sure what to say. There was too much to say, too many things to ask, but only one of them mattered. “What’s happening?”
