“I was just in the right place at the right time. And I’m glad I was. Ryan helped too, you know,” I said, not sure why I brought him up.
Grant’s face twisted into a snarl and he tossed a hand into the air. “I don’t care about that knucklehead. I only care about you. About us,” he cooed, and I laughed again.
“Are you trying to woo me?”
“Is it working?”
“It might be.”
“Good. I’m a much better catch than Ryan. You should definitely choose me.”
“Oh, I already have,” I said, trying to push Ryan’s image from my mind.
Grant gave me a toothy grin. “I knew it. I can’t wait to throw that in his stupid face.”
The old man’s indomitable spirit was amazing. He’d nearly died this morning, and now here he was flirting with me. The outrageousness of it made me smile.
“Sit.” He pointed at the empty chair, and I did as I was told. “Now, tell me your real name, sweetheart. I should know it since we’re dating.”
“It’s Sofia.”
He grinned. “Sofia. A beautiful name for a beautiful woman. Does Ryan know it?”
My smile fell away. “No.”
“Good.” Grant laughed and then began to cough.
I jumped to my feet. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Sorry. I’m just old, Sofia. But don’t worry, we’ve still got plenty of time.” He patted my hand, and I moved back to my chair.
“That’s good, considering I just found you. I can’t lose you already,” I said in my sweetest voice.
“I plan on staying around and torturing Ryan for as long as I can.”
“What is it with the two of you? You’re not related, are you?”
His relationship with a man young enough to be his grandson made them an odd pair. I couldn’t help but wonder how they knew each other and what their story was. It would make sense if they were related somehow, but otherwise, I had no idea how they would have become friends, considering their age difference.
“Related? I’d end it all right now if I was related to that pretty boy.”
“Stop it.” I playfully swatted at his arm. “How’d you two meet, anyway?”
The old man huffed out a long, annoyed breath. “He invaded my personal space one morning, and I haven’t been able to get rid of him since. Ryan’s like a stray dog that won’t go away, no matter how many times you shoo him away. He always comes back for more.”
“You probably feed him, don’t you?” I said, hiding my smile. “Strays never leave if you give them food.”
“Dammit. You’re right.”
Making fun of Ryan behind his back should have felt wrong, but it didn’t. I sensed that we would have said these things in front of Ryan if he were standing here, so that made it okay in my mind. Plus, it was sort of fun to pick on him.
“Do you know how long you have to stay in here?” I asked, wondering how serious Grant’s condition was.
“Eh, they don’t tell me anything. Maybe they’ll tell you since you’re my wife and all.” He waggled his bushy eyebrows at me.
“We’re married now? I swear we were just dating a second ago.”
“Oh yeah, did you forget? No prenup or anything. I get half of all you got, sweetheart.”