Page 25 of Home for Justice
By the time he finished checking everything in the house, the garage, and the small barn and sheds that Gramps had on the property, Tyler was hungry. He’d stopped for lunch long enough to nuke a casserole that someone had dropped off at the house after the funeral and enjoyed another slice of Justice’s pie.
Wanting to repay the favor, he entered the kitchen, rolling his eyes.Who am I kidding?He wanted to see her, and it had nothing to do with paying her back for the pie.
In the few days he’d been around her, he was already craving to see her again and couldn’t remember the last time he’d felt that way about a woman. He had no idea when she would get in from work, but he reached for the stack of restaurant menus Gramps always kept in a basket on the kitchen counter. In the few years since his grandmother had passed, Tyler knew Gramps ate well, considering the number of dishes he talked about being brought by some of their church friends. But he also knew that his grandfather had become adept at take-out menus.
Though he was glad they had traded phone numbers, he hesitated to call her. Chickening out, he typed out a text instead.
I wasn’t sure when you'd get home, but I can order dinner if you’d like.
He stared at the words for several minutes, trying to decide whether it sounded too polite, or too needy, or something in between. Finally, realizing that the opportunity might pass if he didn’t take action, he hit Send. For several minutes, there was nothing. Not usually a man to sit and stare at his phone, he hoped she would get the message.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated, but instead of a message, it was an incoming call. Seeing her name on the caller ID, he grinned. “Justice?”
“Hey, Tyler. I just got your message, and I’m leaving the hospital now. I’d love to have dinner, but I can pick something up since I’m already out.”
He was thrilled she wanted to share a meal. “Do you like pizza?” he asked.
“Absolutely!”
“Gramps has a take-out menu from A Slice of Italy. I remember getting pizza from them when I visited him.”
“They’re good,” Justice affirmed.
“I’ll call in the order, so all you have to do is pick it up.”
“Ooh, sounds good. Order any pizza you like, and I’ll arrive in about twenty minutes. When I get there, it should be fresh out of the oven. Then it’s just about ten more minutes to get home. You can just wait for me on the back porch if you get there before me.”
He agreed, then said goodbye and immediately called in the order. Before long, he walked through the meadow to her house and soon heard tires on the gravel driveway. She pulled to the back, and he walked straight to her car door. She stepped out, and he reached over to take the pizza box from her. He had ordered a large pizza and breadsticks, but she turned and grabbed another bag before shutting her car door.
“I wasn’t sure what else you liked or if you had been to the market. So I had them throw some salad and mozzarella sticks into the order.”
“Sounds good,” he said as he followed her into the house. It didn’t take long to plate their dinners, and each settled at the table with a cold beer in front of them.
He looked around, noting the warmth of the space, and smiled. “How was your dad?” Tyler asked.
“He’s good!” Her eyes sparkled as she answered. “When I got there, he was walking around, and I spoke to the doctor. They plan to keep him one more day for some tests tomorrow and send him home the day after.”
“I’m really glad, Justice. I know you’re eager to have him home.”
They attacked the pizza enthusiastically, chatting between bites and laughing over their shared appreciation of the meal. As Justice finished, she pushed her plate away and emitted a satisfied moan while patting her stomach. “What is it about pizza that always hits the spot?”
Finishing his last bite, Tyler mimicked her, leaning back and sipping his beer. “I don’t know why, but something as simple as take-out pizza always seems special.”
Her eyes widened in agreement. “Right? It’s so satisfying!” She smiled softly. “What did you do today?”
“I made a list after taking a look at everything.”
“Checking out the house?”
“Yeah, I went through each room to see what needed to be done.” Tyler wiped his mouth with a napkin, sighing. “I should tell you Anthony Milton came by today.”
Her eyes widened, distress flickering across her face. “Oh…”
“I sent him packing,” Tyler assured, watching relief wash over her.
Justice’s eyes softened, her smile tinged with sympathy. “I know it’s a lot for you to handle right now. I’m sorry you have to deal with all this.”
Her kindness seeped over him. “Right now, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be,” he admitted, meeting her gaze earnestly. “Honestly, before the call about Gramps being in the hospital, I was uncertain about my next move beyond the plan to come here and help him out. Now, with Gramps gone, staying here and caring for this place is exactly what I want to do.”
