Page 4 of An Island Summer
“I’m so sorry,” a smooth voice came from behind the old man, strong hands gently pulling him back. The much younger man shook his head apologetically, two lines forming between his captivating blue eyes. “He’s… confused. Come on, Gramps.”
“No,” the old man refused. “It’sHester,” he said urgently. “I’m not leaving her.”
“This isn’t Hester, Gramps,” the man said with an anxious inhale, running his fingers through his crop of dark hair in bewilderment. “Is it?” He peered down at Meghan.
She shook her head, not understanding what was going on.
“I apologize again.”
“It’s no problem,” Meghan said, feeling sorry for both of them. The old man seemed insistent that she was someone else, leaving his poor grandson to corral him over to his seat. “I’m Meghan Gray,” she said, hoping it might help to clear any confusion. She held out her hand to the younger man.
He took her hand in his soft but firm grip, his mind clearly elsewhere. “Toby Meyers,” he said. “And this is my grandfather, Rupert. Come on, Gramps.”
“You’re not Meghan Gray,” Rupert snapped, his eyes unsteady, his lips wobbling, looking disoriented. “Your name is Hester Quinn.”
“He stays at Rosewood Manor, the senior living facility down the road, and when he gets agitated there, I take him out for dinner. I thought he might like to go out tonight,” Toby explained. “But he’s still having trouble. I’ve never seen him quite this distraught before.”
Rupert snatched his arm away from his grandson and tried to sit down in a chair at Meghan and Tess’s table.
Meghan smiled uncomfortably.
“He must be having an off night,” Toby said, pulling the chair back and attempting to coax the old man out of it, his clear distress making her want to put her hands on his shoulders and assure him that it was okay.
Rupert grabbed Toby’s arm and looked up at his grandson, his eyes like daggers. “I’m telling you, it’s Hester. Stop treating me like I’m a crazy person.”
Other diners had begun to take notice of the scene and Toby was getting more frustrated, his lips worked into a frown as he pulled out his cell phone. “I’m going to have to call your nurse if you don’t leave these ladies alone.”
“Don’t you dare.” Rupert swiped at the phone.
“Why don’t we all sittogether?” Meghan suggested, scrambling for some way to put this old man at ease and take the immense burden off of Toby.
Tess joined in, nodding. “Rupert, you can keep your seat across from Hester so you two can talk, and Toby can sit beside her. How does that sound?”
Sweet Tess.
“Oh no, we wouldn’t want to impose,” Toby said, shaking his head, still unsuccessfully trying to move his grandfather by grasping the old man’s arm, but Rupert was already scooting his chair over beside Tess.
“It’s fine,” Meghan said to Toby. “We only just ordered.”
Tentatively, Toby took a seat beside Meghan with a thankful surrender in his gaze.
Rupert calmed down once they’d all gotten settled. He stared at Meghan as if he hadn’t seen her in years, a smile lingering on his creased face.
Unsure what the old man was thinking, Meghan caught Toby’s eye and wrinkled her nose with amusement. He shook his head as if the whole thing was completely unbelievable. Even though Toby was obviously mortified, it was sweet that Rupert thought Meghan was someone he knew. And she had to admit that it was nice to have him there, grinning at her. In an odd way, he reminded her of Pappy. Toby looked out at the Atlantic, and she wished she could set his mind at ease a bit more. She really didn’t object to them crashing their dinner at all.
She leaned over and whispered to Toby, “Who is Hester?”
“I have no idea,” he replied, clearly troubled by it. “Probably not a real person.” He looked up. “Hey Gramps, how old are you?”
“Twenty.”
“See?” Toby turned his attention back to the shore, a storm of some sort churning on his own face.
She smiled, but he didn’t see it, so her eyes went back to the old man. He had a faraway look in his gaze as if he were peering straight through her, seeing something that wasn’t there.
Toby stood up. “I’ll grab the waitress and put in our orders so hopefully they come out with yours,” he said, pacing off, his shoulders up near his ears.
Once Toby was gone, Rupert leaned across the table and took Meghan’s hand, his expression intense. “I can give you what you need,” he whispered. “You don’t have to look anywhere else.”
