Love Me for Me(26)

The crickets hummed outside as they walked into the late evening air. The sun was still resting on the edge of the horizon, casting enough light into the night sky to make the trees look like silhouettes against the sapphire-blue background.

“I’ll bet Nana was a pretty young woman,” Libby said, opening Jeanie’s car door and allowing her to take the pie off the passenger seat. With the open car windows, the smell of cinnamon and apples wafted up toward her as if it were just out of the oven.

“She was. I’ve heard she was the catch of the town when she was a girl.” Jeanie stepped to the side, holding the tin while Libby shut the car door. “In her—I suppose—thirties, she always had red lips and her dark hair rolled up on the sides in pin curls. So pretty.”

“How long had she known Pop before they got married?”

“I’m not sure. That was before my time. But I’ve never known a happier couple,” she said as they went inside.

Libby opened a drawer and pulled out a knife. It was all she had for serving apple pie. As she dished the dessert, she was left to ponder the man named Mitchell and how he’d offered to take Nana away from Pop.





Chapter Nine





Libby felt strange to be dressed down. Even her casual clothes were out of place there—as Jeanie had pointed out last night after dinner—so she’d gone to the local clothing store and purchased a simple pair of shorts, a T-shirt, and a pair of flip flops. She had needed some clothes to wear when she worked on the cottage. The new outfit was also fitting for trips to the hardware store.

With her gift card in hand, she’d decided to try again and see if she could find something to get that kitchen wallpaper off. It didn’t hurt matters that Jeanie had told her Pete was always in the hardware store and that he liked to take Pop there around noon before lunch. Since his dementia had worsened, Pop liked to build things, and he made Pete take him to Wentworth’s almost daily.

There were so many things she wanted to say to Pete, to explain herself more, to make the situation between them better. She hadn’t worked out exactly how she wanted to say it all, and she didn’t know if she’d have the emotional stability to do it, but she still wanted to see him. She stood, staring at the various brands of paper stripper, scrutinizing the benefits of each, when she heard a familiar voice that sent flutters shooting through her stomach.

“Wow. That’s an improvement.”

She spun around to find Pete, right on time. The sight stunned her. It hadn’t been Pete who’d captured her attention. It was Pop, who was standing next to him. Pop looked considerably older than the last time she’d seen him. His hair, now completely white, didn’t stay down quite as easily anymore, and he seemed smaller, thinner. It took her by surprise so much that she didn’t even speak for fear her mouth would gape open. Her strong and protective Pop had withered to this feeble old man. But his big, bushy eyebrows rose when he caught sight of her and his face lit up.

“Libby!” he nearly shrieked before wrapping her in a tight bear hug. He pulled back, his hands trembling with old age and covered in sun spots. With everything else in town, time had stood still, but not for Hugh Roberts. He had definitely moved along with the years. But upon closer inspection, his smile was the same and his eyes were still friendly. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I’ve missed you too,” she said, her eyes glassy from tears. She’d missed so many good years with him. Seeing how he looked now made her wish she had at least called him. She wrapped her arms around him, noticing how her fingers met at his back. He’d been a broad, tall man when she was growing up, and she could barely get her arms around him, but now he was so much smaller. He didn’t smell the same or feel the same, but it was him. She leaned back to look at his face and smiled, blinking the tears out of her eyes. “I missed you,” she said again.

“Have you come back to see Pete?” he asked.

“Um,” she wavered. Clearly he was thrilled at the idea, and she didn’t want to disappoint him. Pete seemed to read her thoughts and nodded at her as if to say, Say yes. “Yes, I have.”

Hugh clapped his hands together in one loud motion. “Oh! That’s fantastic. Great news!” he said before turning down an aisle and heading toward the packets of nails.

“Pop’s making a bookcase today. He needed some supplies.”

Together they walked behind Hugh toward the spot where he had stopped to inspect a few small bags of nails. Being next to Pete made her knees feel loose and weak as if she couldn’t hold herself up. He wasn’t his normal friendly self, but he was pleasant instead of harsh, and she couldn’t help but notice it. Was his friendly demeanor because he understood how hard it was for her to explain herself and apologize for her actions? Or was it for Pop’s benefit? “What did you mean by ‘That’s an improvement?’” Libby asked, her arm brushing against his.