Someone Like You

“Hey, Reanne. I’m leading water aerobics next week.”

“Sounds good.” Reanne smiled at her grandfather. “Is there anything else I can get for you, Mr. Renshaw?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, would you mind delivering this note to Mrs. Larson?” He held out a folded piece of stationery and, with a smiling nod, the aide took it and left.

“Who’s Mrs. Larson? Someone special?” Kayleigh couldn’t resist teasing Gramps. “And shouldn’t you have sent her this, as well?” She held up the shoe.

Her grandfather hung his head and then rolled his eyes up to meet hers, his hangdog expression making her laugh. “I would have, but I’m hoping she’ll let me deliver it in person. She’s not speaking to me.”

Kayleigh wagged her finger. “You should have told me you had a girlfriend.” It felt good to tease again.

“Annette’s not my girlfriend.” Gramps took the shoe and held it on his lap. “I haven’t dated anyone besides your grandmother in over fifty years. I’m making a mess of it.”

“Who could resist you?” Kayleigh tucked a stray lock behind his ear. He really was the sweetest.

Her grandfather rubbed his jaw. “Annette’s got one heck of a temper. Dumped a bowl of oatmeal over my head when I accepted Martha’s extra bacon at breakfast.”

“Sounds like a keeper.” Her smile faded when her grandfather’s face fell.

“She’s not your grandmother, God rest her soul.” He fumbled for the tissue box beside his bed, found it empty and blotted at his eyes with his sleeves.

“You still miss her.” It’d been eight years since her grandmother had passed from lung cancer, and the ache of her loss flared up at the most unexpected times.

“I miss her every day.” Her grandfather’s chin folds sank to meet his collarbone, his voice a low rasp. “Every single day.”

“I miss her, too.” She scooted closer and put her arm around him. “But I know she’s still with us.”

“I can’t hear her laugh anymore.” He pressed his lips together and shook his head. “After she passed, I used to tell her jokes—in case she was listening. I wanted to hear her, and I thought I did...that little snort she’d make when she couldn’t help herself. I heard it. But now, nothing. I think she’s left me for good. Probably found some angel who can do the cha-cha-cha better than me.”

Kayleigh returned his sad smile. “Gram is still with you, Gramps. She just knows it’s not your time to join her yet.” She rested her head on his shoulder, feeling his bones shift beneath her cheek. “Besides, I need you.”

He stroked the top of her head. “I know, doll, I know. Your gramps isn’t going anywhere. Unlike Brat.”

She couldn’t help but laugh at the mix-up over Brett’s name and didn’t correct her grandfather. Brat sounded about right. “Looks as if we’re both having relationship troubles.” She pulled back and met her grandfather’s direct blue eyes. Paul Newman eyes, Gram had called them.

“It’s his loss for letting go of a diamond like you.” Her grandfather pointed at his minifridge. “Still got some of that diet soda you brought last week, if you want it.”

“Thanks.” She crossed the tiled floor and grabbed a can as well as her favorite snack—white chocolate–dipped Oreos. She brought Gramps treats when she visited, and a few for herself.

“Funny how you drink that diet soda then eat all those cookies,” he teased, his eyes twinkling behind drooping lids.

“Makes perfect sense to me. Then I can eat more.” She tossed a treat in her mouth as she sat, her cheeks bulging.

“You’ll catch lots of fellas with that kind of charm.”

Despite the bad joke, she couldn’t help but laugh. Something about being around her grandfather made her feel like a kid again. “You’re not having the best of luck yourself.” She picked up the red shoe and waved it at him.

He chuckled, the sound starting low and deep in his belly and growing louder as it erupted from his throat.

“Maybe I oughta quit while I’m ahead. What’s an old guy like me doing thinking about romance anyway?”

“Looking for happiness. There’s nothing wrong with that.”

“Nope. But so far, I’m striking out.” He chucked her lightly under the chin. “At least I’ve still got my hair and my teeth. Not bad for eighty.”

“Life doesn’t get better than that,” she teased, then ate another cookie.

“Maybe for me.” His face grew serious, and his eyes searched hers. “But what about you?”

She glanced out the open doorway and watched a couple of women shuffle by, their heads craning to peer inside her grandfather’s room before they whispered and giggled together. These women had more going on in the romance department than she did. How depressing.

But lucky Gramps. He had a fan club, even if he didn’t see it. As for her, despite Gianna’s efforts to get her out to the clubs and tempt her to attend her family’s Fourth of July party today, Kayleigh found it hard to get in a social mood.

“I’m hanging in there.” She popped in another Oreo, sucking on the white-chocolate coating before it melted on her tongue.

“Barely, by the looks of it. You’ve got circles under your eyes. Besides your breakup, what else is bothering you?”

She swallowed the rest of the cookie and chased it with cold soda. “Still haven’t found a job, but I got the idea to use one of my own app designs to start a business. Unfortunately I can’t find an experienced programmer to write the software. Plus, I need an investor. Big money.”

“Maybe your father—” began Gramps before he stopped himself with a head shake. “Forget it. His young wife has him on a tight leash. With four new kids, I don’t imagine he’s giving even Chris’s family much help.”

Kayleigh let the soda bubble down her throat before answering. “Just some checks on holidays and birthdays. Otherwise, my stepmother demands that he focus on his new family, not his grown kids. You know how he hates confrontations, so he gives in.

“As for Mom, she tries. The paintings she sends Beth to sell don’t raise much money, if they’re purchased at all.” Kayleigh sighed, thinking of the framed canvases stacked in her closet. Her artist mother meant well and did the best she could. “It’s up to me to make this work, for Beth and myself, since I help her pay for Josh’s private school. But I’m failing.”

A bent finger, one of the two he’d broken back in his days operating a cement truck, lifted her chin. Their eyes met.

“‘Many of life’s failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.’ Thomas Edison said that.”

She smiled at her grandfather’s penchant for quotes. “Good one, Gramps.”

Then the meaning of the quote hit her. Failure wasn’t about not getting what you wanted. It was about giving up. And she was not a quitter. No matter what others said, she was on to something.

Her grandparents had been happily married for nearly fifty years, and her grandmother’s passing had felt unbearable. Yet despite losing his spouse, Gramps hadn’t given up on enjoying life. The red shoe was proof. It didn’t mean he’d forgotten her Gram. It showed that he wanted to find happiness where he could.

And wasn’t romance what made most people happy? If Gramps still believed in it, then other seniors did, as well. If he was struggling to meet someone again, she was sure he wasn’t alone. Her app could help them, not just young people. And many probably had smartphones, gifts from well-meaning grandchildren like her.

Youth didn’t have a monopoly on romance. Everyone, of all ages, wanted it, and she could make it easier to find. But if she gave up, it’d be their loss as well as hers. She had to trust that she knew best and not quit when success might be right around the corner. This was an untapped market.

Her grandfather beamed when she pulled him close and squeezed. “Hey, what’s that for?”

“Everything. You have faith in me.”

His smile pushed up his skin folds and lifted his ears. “Of course I do.”

She thought about the cryptic note to Annette Larson and how he’d inspired her to expand her app’s market. “Thanks, Gramps.”

“Bingo starts in the lounge in five minutes,” the PA system announced.

Gramps straightened and ran a hand over his hair. “I promised Annette I’d be there. Of course, she might not be talking to me anymore, but I should go. You wouldn’t be interested in playing with a bunch of old fogies, would you?”

She opened her mouth to insist that she would, but closed it when she thought of Mrs. Larson. Maybe he was hoping to make up with his lady friend.

“No. I promised Beth I’d stop by and see the boys. You have fun, though.”

He grabbed his cane and wobbled to his feet. “You have fun, too. While we’re alive, we should make every day count. In the end, that’s what matters.”

Exactly. Tomorrow she’d redouble her efforts to get her business off the ground. Prove that she was taking herself seriously, believing in herself, even if others weren’t.

“Okay, Gramps. I’ll see you in a few days.”

To her surprise, he pulled his cell from his pocket. “Why don’t I phone you on the text?”

A snort escaped her. “Gramps, you text on the phone.”

“Huh?” He fiddled with his hearing aids.

She kissed him, and they strolled out to the hall together. “Why don’t I call you, okay?”

He patted her shoulder. “Sounds good, honey. And keep your chin up. You’re going to work this out.”

She nodded, feeling more certain. “I know. Love you.”

“Love you, too.” He hugged her, then strolled down the hall lined with photos of residents taken at a variety of events. One even showed them in togas. Who knew the assisted-living facility was party central?

The key to business success was finding an unfulfilled need and supplying it to an untapped market like this.

Brett was wrong. She wasn’t just a thinker. She was a doer. As Gramps said, success might be right around the corner.

Now she just needed to turn it.

* * *

“KAYLEIGH?”

She stopped in the hallway and whirled at the familiar voice. Behind her stood MaryAnne, her pink scrubs clashing brilliantly with her scarlet hair.

“MaryAnne, hi. Happy Fourth. Sorry that you have to work.” She glanced down at her buzzing phone.

“Wait for me, okay?” MaryAnne said, ducking into the nurses’ station.

Kayleigh scanned her screen. A text from Gramps read, I’m toning you. That’s phoning you on my text. xo.

She chuckled and typed, xo X infinity.

MaryAnne hung her stethoscope on a peg in the nurses’ station then rejoined her, carrying her purse. “Actually, I swapped shifts so I could be home for our family barbecue. Are you leaving?”

Kayleigh smiled. “I think Gramps has a date.”

MaryAnne leaned in. “He’s quite the catch around here.”

“Well, I’m glad he’s happy,” Kayleigh said as they waited for the elevator.

The elevator chimed and they stepped inside.

“So what are your plans for today?” MaryAnne rummaged through her purse, pulled out hand sanitizer and squirted some into her palms. The astringent smell filled the enclosed space and made Kayleigh sneeze.

“I’m stopping in to see my sister-in-law and nephews before heading home. Nothing much.”

“Why don’t you come home with me? We’re having a family party.” Her eyes slid toward Kayleigh. “And Niall will be there. We could pick up your family and bring them.”

The elevator door opened on the ground floor and Kayleigh stepped out, stunned at the unexpected invitation, her head feeling light at the thought of seeing Niall again.

“I wouldn’t want to impose. Plus, I don’t know if Niall mentioned it, but our lunch meeting didn’t go very well.” She could only imagine Niall’s reaction to her being there. Then again, it was an opportunity to see him and make her case. Change his mind. Was this the corner she needed to turn?

MaryAnne pushed open the glass double doors, and they plunged into the bright, midafternoon sun. “Sorry, Kayleigh. Niall’s a tough nut to crack these days, but I wouldn’t give up. As for imposing on a Walsh family barbecue? Please. We’ll have loads of food and not enough people to eat it. Plus, we have a pool for the boys. Even better, you’d be doing me a favor. Niall is so uncomfortable at parties. You could talk to him, keep him busy.”

“Well—” Kayleigh considered. If there was a more perfect opportunity for her to approach Niall again, she couldn’t imagine it. And as Gramps had said, failure was giving up right before you succeeded. Here was her chance, and she’d be a fool not to take it. And she couldn’t deny that she looked forward to seeing him again. Hoped she’d find her old friend this time instead of the stranger in the restaurant. “Okay. I’ll call Beth. Ask if she wants to come and to have the boys ready. They love to swim.”

MaryAnne beamed and pulled out her car keys as they crossed the cracked asphalt parking lot, the heat so strong it wove clear ribbons in the air. Kayleigh took off her overshirt, glad she’d worn a tank top with her shorts. It’d been a sticky bus ride from her apartment.

“Good. And I know Niall will be glad to see you, even if he wasn’t on his best behavior. I can tell he enjoyed your lunch.”

Kayleigh stopped for a moment, then hurried to catch up. She thought he wanted nothing more to do with her. “How? He wasn’t willing to help when I shared some ideas with him.” Had he said something to MaryAnne? Did he want to see her again? Her heart thumped at the possibility.

MaryAnne flicked a glance her way before they stopped in front of a blue sedan. “Because he has a Five Leaves matchbook by his computer, and all of your messages are saved on his answering machine. Usually he deletes them, especially mine, but yours he keeps. When I dropped off his laundry, I snooped a little before he kicked me out.”

“Huh.” Kayleigh mulled over what that might mean. Was he thinking about her start-up? Had he decided to help? Deep down she knew that they’d succeed at anything. He just needed to remember how great they used to be together. How they could be again if he’d give them a chance.

Her pulse raced. There was only one way to find out. Although, if he got on board, she didn’t need another Brett telling her what was best for her. She needed her old friend. Partnering with someone who considered his feelings ahead of hers would be repeating history.

She’d come too far to go backward again.

CHAPTER SIX

NIALL SIDESTEPPED HIS older brother, Aiden, who rushed from the back of the pub and across their backyard bearing a hamburger-laden platter.

“Coming through!” shouted his brother, and the crowd parted as he dashed to the grills. Hickory-scented smoke rose from a far corner of the fenced-in yard, mingling with the aroma of grilled meat. In the still summer air, the chatter of Walsh family members, visiting and local, grew louder by the second. Niall’s head ached. His leg throbbed. His eyes burned. He’d been outside for over two hours, and if it wasn’t for an aunt or a cousin grabbing him every time he tried to duck inside, he’d be in his old room over The White Horse Tavern.

He leaned against a tall oak tree, taking the pressure off his prosthetic. Although the weather was warm and dry, he wasn’t comfortable. Peace and quiet. That was what he needed. When a breeze tussled through the leaves, he squinted up at the limbs he and his siblings once climbed. Life had been full of empty promises then. Now he just wanted to make his excuses and take the train home.

“Happy Independence Day, soldier.” His twin brother, Liam, saluted Niall, then held out a hand. “Thanks for keeping the world safe.” His green eyes twinkled, and dimples created half-moons on either side of his smile.

Niall returned the gesture, feeling like a hypocrite. As a marine, Liam had fought on the front lines. He’d saved the lives of allied forces, not cost them. Still, it was good to see his brother again.

After cutting into a watermelon on the table beside them, Liam passed Niall a piece. “How’s life?” He studied Niall as he chewed. It was a measured gaze, the kind Liam had worn as a kid whenever he’d scrutinized bugs under a magnifying glass.

Niall returned his brother’s assessing stare. “Same.” The fruit’s sweetness barely registered as he bit into it and braced himself for a lecture. Liam only showed that much concentration when he was about to dissect something—in this case, Niall’s life.

“Still holed up in your apartment?” Liam spit a few seeds into a napkin and dropped his rind into a garbage bag, his eyes never leaving Niall’s, his expression serious.

Niall shoved his hair off his damp forehead. “Leave it, bro.”

Liam stepped closer and lowered his voice. “Not a chance. As your older brother by three minutes, I want to hear that you’re getting out, working with people, maybe even dating the next time I visit. Got it?” Liam gave him a light punch and tried to grin, but it slipped off his face before it stuck.

Niall glanced away and shrugged. He wasn’t making promises he couldn’t keep. “I heard you. So how’s the new job? Saved any stranded campers yet? Tranquilized any bears?”

Liam’s low laugh rumbled. “Being a park ranger isn’t as exciting as that. Mostly I’m checking trails and filling out paperwork. You should come upstate. Visit.”

“Maybe,” Niall temporized. He missed his brother, but unlike his twin, he’d had enough of outdoor life.

“Shoot,” Liam exclaimed as he angled his head and peered over Niall’s shoulder. “Looks like Ma’s upset.” He started in her direction then stopped and turned back, his eyes direct. “We’ll catch up later before I head back, okay?”

Niall nodded then watched his brother stride away. In the doorway to the family’s upstairs apartment, his mother turned in circles and wrung her hands, her eyes wide. He held himself back, wanting to help. But the last time he’d visited, she hadn’t recognized him. He wouldn’t risk getting her agitated like that in front of her relatives.

His tense shoulders relaxed when Liam led her to a table full of her siblings, her sudden smile reminding him of the mother she used to be. How was it possible to miss someone who was still with you? Yet he did, more so now that she didn’t always know him. Maybe she sensed he wasn’t the man she’d hugged the day he’d deployed.

He turned away from his family and scooped a plastic cup into an ice cooler. As soon as he finished this drink, he’d slip away, hopefully unnoticed. But when he raised a jug of soda to pour, his younger brother Conner sprayed him with a water gun.

“Hey!” He lunged and Conner darted away, laughing.

“Got you, loser!” But the boy sputtered in surprise when Niall closed the distance and dumped his ice down the back of Conner’s shirt.

“You need to cool off, kid.” He ruffled Conner’s bright red hair.

“I’ll be back, old man,” the teenager warned, stepping backward before turning and racing to join the rest of his cousins. Niall’s lips twitched. When he’d been Conner’s age, everyone over twenty had seemed ancient.

“Knock knock.” His nine-year-old sister, Ella, rapped her knuckles against his leg.

He looked down and couldn’t resist returning the wide smile that swallowed half of her tiny face. He tweaked her upturned nose.

“Who’s there?”

“Rita.” She clapped a hand over her mouth, but her giggle poured out anyway.

He tapped his chin, giving every appearance of thinking it over, though she’d told him this joke on Memorial Day.

“I give up. Rita who?”

“Rita lot of books!” She lowered her hands and the gaps between missing teeth showed as she snickered again. “Will you read to me at bedtime, Niall? Pleeeeeease. You do the Beast voice the best, and I want to read about Belle.”

He pictured socializing for the rest of the long afternoon, making small talk into the evening before he carried his yawning sister up to bed. But before he could shake his head, he caught her pleading look and softened. He couldn’t refuse Ella. Ever.

“Yes,” he growled in his best Beast voice. “But you must promise to stay with me forever.”

He held her tight until she broke free, laughing, and raced away, calling, “Never,” over her shoulder.

Kayleigh’s laugh at their lunch the other day came to mind as he poured his soda. She’d seemed fine—strong even. He’d given her his best advice and had seen for himself that she was doing okay. Since he couldn’t reveal information about her brother, there was nothing else he could do to help. Nothing except think about how good it’d been to see her again ’round the clock....

He bolted back his drink and returned Aunt Lucy’s wave. A few times, he’d considered returning Kayleigh’s calls about her business proposal before stopping himself. She hated secrets, and he held the biggest of all from her. Despite that, a part of him had wished things were different once he’d returned to his quiet apartment and missed her laugh.

But avoiding her was the right thing to do. By not encouraging Kayleigh to follow a dead-end path, he was doing her a favor. Like her brother, she was rushing headfirst into danger with her risky start-up idea. And while he couldn’t take back what had happened to Chris, he could stop Chris’s sister from making a fatal mistake.

So why, then, had he started researching dating apps? Sizing up the market? Even purchasing a few to investigate? It must be idle curiosity, since he had no intention of accepting her offer.

Working with her wasn’t going to happen.

Then, to his surprise, she appeared at their side gate. MaryAnne led the way, a tall woman with light brown hair beside her. Kayleigh, slender and graceful, followed holding hands with two boys, one too young to be in grade school. Were they her children? She’d mentioned an ex-fiancé, not an ex-husband. Something about the thought unsettled him.

Wearing a white tank top that showed off her smooth, sun-kissed skin, and jean shorts that topped lean legs, Kayleigh looked good. Better than good. Without thinking, he took a step in the group’s direction.

“Oh, there you are, Niall!” shouted MaryAnne.

He flinched. Idiot. He should have bolted for the house the minute he’d spotted them. Later tonight, he’d set his sister straight about ambushing him with surprise guests.

Before he could duck away, another brother, Daniel, tossed him a beach ball. He chucked it back to the group of preteens sitting in an aboveground pool and returned their wave. When he glanced back, the group had reached him.

“Hi, MaryAnne.” He forced his eyes to skim past Kayleigh when they wanted to linger. “Kayleigh.”

Her hands rested atop the two boys’ heads, and her eyes sparkled silver in the bright light. When a dark curl fell across her cheek, he watched as she tucked it behind her ear. “Hi, Niall. I ran into MaryAnne while visiting my grandfather, and she invited us over. It’s nice to see you again.”

His stomach rolled and he took a short breath before nodding, his expression neutral. It was good to see her again. But if he showed her any encouragement, she’d corner him with her business presentation. Better to put some distance between them, fast.

“Aiden’s got hamburgers and hot dogs over there.” He gestured to the grills. “Salads and chips are on the table.”

“Hot dog!” the smaller boy shouted, and he bounced up and down. “I want one!”

The older boy made a disgusted noise, his expression sullen. His thin arms crossed in front of his narrow chest, his longish, light brown hair hanging in front of his eyes.

“Of course, sweetie. Give Mommy a minute.” The tall woman held out her hand, her smile shy but warm. “I’m Beth Renshaw, Kayleigh’s sister-in-law, and these are my boys.” She pointed to the older one. “This is Josh and my youngest is Samuel. Thank you for having us over.”

“Niall.” He gripped her hand, then released it, his mind racing over these facts. Kayleigh only had one brother. Chris. So if this was her sister-in-law, then that meant—

His eyes flew from Josh to Samuel to Beth. Chris’s family. Seeing them cut like a saw through bone. He’d heard that Chris was married. Had children. He’d even thought about going to Chris’s funeral to see them and to find out if Kayleigh needed support. But his emotions had been too raw. He’d worried that he’d lose control of them and spill his guts to the only woman he’d ever opened up to. Now here they were, the collateral damage of his thoughtless actions. Two boys without a father. A wife without her husband. His breathing hitched. He’d caused this, and the guilt slashed through his gut.