“The pilot can figure that out and set up a car to meet you.” When her brown eyes went even wider, he began to enjoy himself.
“You’re serious.” She shook her head as though she was trying to wake up from a deep sleep. “I guess I should be flattered that my time is so valuable to you.”
“You should be.” He allowed himself to smile as he touched the control panel on his bedside table. “Good morning, Ed. Get Kurt to fire up the small chopper.”
“I’ll be back as soon as possible,” Chloe told the driver of the black sedan that had been waiting for her at the airport. This trip was a commuter’s ultimate fantasy.
“Take your time,” he said, closing the car door he was holding for her.
Chloe jogged up the bluestone sidewalk and unlocked the front door of her small stucco-and-brick house. She loved the solid feel of the oak door. It spoke of security to her. Her grandmother got up early, so she didn’t hesitate to sing out, “Grandmillie, I’m home!”
Silence seemed to shudder through the house, making Chloe bolt for her grandmother’s downstairs bedroom. The door was open. Chloe sprinted through it to find the bed neatly made, with no sign that her grandmother had slept in it. She ran around to the other side of the bed, but Grandmillie wasn’t lying unconscious or disabled on the floor.
She heard the sound of water running and the bathroom door opening, and closed her eyes in a brief moment of relief. The steady rhythm of Grandmillie’s footsteps accompanied by the tap of her cane floated to her ears like the sweetest music.
“Grandmillie!” she said, walking into the hall and enveloping her grandmother in a hug.
“Good heavens, girl, you’ve only been gone for one night.” Grandmillie hugged Chloe back before extricating herself from the embrace.
“It was a long night,” Chloe said. Her grandmother was fully dressed, her hair neatly pinned into its usual French twist, her cane’s colors matching the royal blue and yellow of her blouse. That made everything right with Chloe’s world.
Grandmillie turned toward the kitchen. “You can tell me about it over some oatmeal and fruit.”
“Tempting, but I have to shower, change, and go back to work.” She didn’t mention that she’d be working in Trainor’s home. Although her grandmother mostly had moved with the times, on occasion she surprised Chloe with an old-fashioned reaction.
“I’ll have the oatmeal ready for when you’re done dressing.” Grandmillie was a strong believer in the importance of eating a healthy meal at the start of the day.
“Well, er, here’s the thing. There’s a car and a helicopter waiting for me.”
Grandmillie raised her eyebrows. “Did you say a helicopter?”
Chloe gave an embarrassed shrug, since she thought it was a ridiculous extravagance too. “My boss wants me back quickly.”
“He sent you here in a helicopter?”
“Actually, we landed at the Essex County Airport, and there was a car waiting for me.” Chloe was beginning to realize that Grandmillie wasn’t happy about something.
“Young lady, if your boss has you riding around in a helicopter, then he certainly could have provided a shower and a change of clothes. I know how those corporate offices are with their fancy gyms and locker rooms. You didn’t have to come all the way back to New Jersey just to freshen up.” Grandmillie put her hands on her hips, her cane jutting out at an angle that somehow indicated her annoyance. “You came back here to check on me.”
“That’s not true.” Chloe tried to deflect the lecture she knew was coming. “I wanted my own clothes after a night of sleeping on a cot in a strange place.”
“Remember our deal, Chloe? If my living here begins to interfere with your life in any way, I will sign myself into an assisted-living facility immediately.” Grandmillie gave her a stern look. “That persistent Dr. Cavill gave me his personal emergency cell phone number, and you made me swear to wear my medical alert necklace, which I am.” Grandmillie held up the stylish pendant that concealed the call button she could push in case she fell or had another problem that required assistance when Chloe wasn’t home. “I don’t appreciate being treated like an invalid, but I know your concern comes from the heart.”
“I’m glad you realize that,” Chloe said. “I don’t mean to worry, but after the insanity of last night, I needed to come home to you. I was feeling lost, and you’re my compass.”
“Nonsense,” Grandmillie said, but her expression softened. “You’ve got a good head on your shoulders.”