Graham came thundering down the stairs with a smile on his face. “What do you think?”
“It’s cute.”
He laughed. “It’s small, but I like it. I’ve thought about buying a house, but I love living out here. Come on. I’ll show you the rest.”
Rennie followed Graham through the living room and out onto the deck. It was wide and comfortable with two adirondack chairs, which had afghans thrown over the armrests; a grill; and a space heater.
“I like to sit out here,” he told her as he motioned toward the heater. “It can be downright chilly, but it’s refreshing.”
Graham took Rennie back into the house. He showed her the all-too-small bathroom before taking her upstairs. She remembered Brooklyn saying something about building Graham a staircase, sometime in the fall. “Is this safe?” she asked as she put her foot on the first step and wiggled.
“It is. If not, blame your bestie.”
Rennie climbed up after Graham, and when she reached the second floor, her eyes went wide. The bedroom wasn’t grand by any means, but the view from the second floor was what caught her attention.
“You wake up to this every day?”
“I did this morning. I haven’t in a long time. I’ve kept my blackout curtains closed. But last night, I left them open, and this morning I watched the sunrise. It was the best damn feeling I’ve had in a long time, and I have you to thank for it.”
“Me?” She pointed her finger at her chest.
Graham nodded and stepped closer. For a brief moment, Rennie thought he was going to kiss her, but he brushed by her and went to the sliding glass door. He opened it and stepped out. She followed and placed her hands on the railings. The first-floor deck was nice, but the view from Graham’s bedroom was breathtaking.
“What did I do?” she asked him, needing to know what spurred the change in him.
“Rennie, I’ll never be able to thank you for what you’ve done for my family.”
“I didn’t—”
Graham held his hand up, and she stopped speaking. “You did, and you didn’t have to. You went to bat for Grady, protecting him from jail. I’m not sure where he would be if you hadn’t stepped in. I believe in the trickle effect. Because Grady is in a better place, my parents are happy. My dad, he bantered back and forth with my mom. He admitted he enabled Grady. These things may not mean much to someone on the outside, but they do to me. My family will never be the same, but we’re moving toward what hopefully is a new normal.”
“I don’t know what to say, Graham. I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary.” Even as she spoke the words, Rennie knew she lied. Usually, clients came to her. She never sought anyone out. But when the police came for Grady, she jumped into action, even though she knew nothing about criminal law.
Graham pulled Rennie into a hug, and her heart raced. She shouldn’t be excited by a hug, let alone his touch, but she was. Rennie rested her head against his chest, and she could hear his heart thumping. They held each other tightly, and the slight sway of the houseboat made it seem as if they were dancing. They hadn’t danced in years. The last time was at a frat party in their junior year of college. That was also the last time they had been intimate with each other. Graham met his girlfriend a week later.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Rennie asked as soon as she saw Graham sitting on the bench outside of her dorm room. She sat down next to him and set her backpack on the ground.
“I met someone.”
“Get out of town, Graham Cracker. Are you serious about her?”
He shrugged. “I like her a lot.”
“Tell me about her,” Rennie prodded.
“We met on the quad. I had to leap over her to catch a football. She screamed, and I thought I hurt her, so I checked on her.”
“Total pickup move. I’ve done it before.” Rennie laughed. Graham did as well.
“It worked. I’ve seen her every night since.”
Rennie’s shoulder bumped Graham. “Are you in love?”
He turned and looked at her so intensely she had to avert her gaze. She swallowed hard and waited for his response. “No, but I like her. I want to see where it goes.”
“Then I’m happy for you, Graham Cracker.”
Later that night, when Graham didn’t call her like he usually would, Rennie cried herself to sleep. Many times, over the years, she had wanted him to pick her. She wanted to be the one he kissed last before he went to sleep at night and the first when he woke. She never considered he would meet someone else, and now that he had, she knew they would never be the same again.