Page 28 of #Resort Romance
She frowned. “And what? She didn’t make a decision right there on the spot. That’s where you come in.”
“Gram…”
“Just…hear me out.” She held up her hand to stop him from saying anything else. “You obviously have feelings for Kelsey, and she has feelings for you. You’re not strangers, and it seems like you get along very well with each other.”
“We do, but…”
“What are you waiting for? Ask her to come to Raleigh! Gah! It’s so simple!”
“Um…it’s really not, Gram,” he began carefully. “I can’t just ask Kelsey to uproot her entire life and move hundreds of miles away based on a ten-day vacation.”
“You could stay the two weeks…”
He gave her a patient smile. “Believe me, I would love for Kelsey to move to Raleigh, but…the time has to be right. I’m working on it. I promise.”
“Hmph.”
Used to his grandmother’s attitude, Jayce simply got them walking again. “It’s a very big decision and I don’t want her to feel pressured to say yes. I’m also afraid I’ll scare her off if I make such a big proposal after less than two weeks of being together.”
“Your grandfather and I got married after only knowing each other for three weeks. Did you know that?”
His eyes went wide. “Seriously? Three weeks? And your parents allowed that?”
Eleanor laughed softly. “Sweetheart, back in those days, you didn’t do long engagements, and you didn’t live together before you were married. My family was poor, and I think they were relieved to have one less mouth to feed, so…yes, they allowed it. And now look at us. It’s our fifty-fifth wedding anniversary tomorrow. Your grandfather wasn’t afraid he was going to scare me off and you shouldn’t be either. Think about it.”
Like he was going to think about anything else.
“I’m not the impulsive type,” he explained. “You know I overthink almost everything. I enjoy figuring out the way things work.”
“She’s not a building that you’re doing the electrical work on, Jayce! She’s a woman! A woman you want to spend your life with! If you spend too much time overanalyzing the situation, she’s going to think you’re not interested! She’s going to think you don’t care!” She snorted with disgust. “Where has being overly cautious gotten you, huh?”
That made him laugh a little. “Well, I could say it’s gotten me a very lucrative career. I own my home, I make good money, I’ve got a retirement account…” He shrugged. “I’m doing better financially than a lot of my friends are.”
“Well, whoop-de-do. I hope your bank statements keep you warm at night,” she muttered. “I can’t show my friends pictures of your 401(k), Jayce! I’d like to have great-grandkids while I’m still young enough to enjoy them!”
“Gram, you’re only seventy-one. And need I remind you that you won the hula hoop competition yesterday and beat out people half your age?”
She preened. “I beat out those teenagers too.”
Hugging her close, he nodded. “Yes, you did. So don’t start playing it up like you’re getting old because you’re not.”
“Jayce…”
“I get what you’re saying. I do. But…can’t you just be happy knowing that I’m…I’m working on it?”
Her sigh was loud and very dramatic. “Fine. But I’m not happy about it. With all the hanky-panky going on in that cabin of yours, you should be making an honest woman of Kelsey right now! Kind of a disgrace if you ask me…”
“Gram…”
“Fine! Fine. As long as you don’t wait too long, and you let me know the minute you decide.”
“Um…Kelsey will be the first to know, but then I promise we’ll let you know, okay?”
“If you need an engagement ring on the fly, you can have mine. Your grandfather is giving me a new ring at the party. He doesn’t know that I know, but…I know.”
It was his turn to sigh loudly. “You’re killing me, Gram. Can we please just drop this for now?”
Making a zipping motion over her lips, she didn’t say another word until they reached the lake. Jayce led her over to a shaded bench where they sat down. “I love looking at this lake. It doesn’t matter the time of day; it’s just peaceful and lovely. It breaks my heart that this is the last trip where I’ll get to enjoy this view.”
