Chapter 531 - Gran and Gramps (2) (2/2)

”One more…”, Mary kept it on the side and continued searching. ”And this one also…”

JoAnna took other two photos and showed first one to Jeff. ”What do you think?”

Jeff looked at the photo of a little girl while JoAnna looked at the next one.

Second photo was JoAnna and some man in the background. He was few steps behind her, but it didn't look that he posed for the photo, more like just passing through.

”Gran, who is this man?”

Mary looked at the photo. ”I don't know. James, do you?”

James glanced at the photo and shook his head.

JoAnna found that strange. ”You said I didn't leave your estate. How come you don't know who was there?”

Mary shrugged. ”Maybe a seasonal employee who helped with horses? We had a lot of people working there, and it was a long time ago.”

JoAnna nodded and looked at the third photo. It was seven kids posing together. ”Is this one of those playdates you mentioned?”

”Playdates?”, Mary didn't understand.

”Playdate is when kids gather to play together.”, JoAnna explained.

Mary nodded and took a mental note on what a 'playdate' is.

JoAnna looked at that photo carefully, and one face stood out. ”Jeff, honey… isn't this you?” She pointed at a boy who stood next to 5-year-old JoAnna. She was not sure, but she saw Jeff's photos from his childhood at his home, and this boy looked like him.

Jeff was still staring at the photo of a girl with two ice creams.

”Jeff?”, JoAnna touched Jeff's arm which was holding the photo.

He was startled and looked at JoAnna with a big smile. ”This is you.”

”Yes. That is me.”, JoAnna confirmed. ”And is this you?”, she showed him the group photo.

They both laughed after confirming that it's them. They did meet 17 years ago!

”Gran! Gramps! This is Jeff!”, JoAnna pointed at the boy on the picture. ”Can you believe that? We met on your estate 17 years ago!”, JoAnna exclaimed.

Jeff was grinning. He wanted to pull JoAnna closer and to kiss her, but her grandparents are there, so he didn't want to do anything inappropriate in front of them. Especially that old man, he should not be provoked. Jeff was happy that James is silent. Like this, he can just ignore him.

Jeff took JoAnna's hand and kissed back of her palm. 'This will need to do… for now.' He was looking forward to going back to the hotel and to hold JoAnna in his embrace. His 'Little J'.

”How nice!”, Mary exclaimed. ”If there is such thing as a happy coincidence, then this one must be one of those!”

James didn't comment. His expression was complex.

Mary confirmed that there were no other photos of JoAnna in that stack. She checked few trinkets that were kept for memories: few stamps, pen, two cocktail umbrellas, and one paper folded in four. It was a letter, written in a not so good handwriting, like a child wrote it.

Mary read it and smiled. ”Old man Hill, someone wanted you to give him a wife.” She extended her hand with the paper toward James.

”Just throw that away.”, James was not interested in taking it. And he didn't like that she called him 'Old man'.

”What is that?”, JoAnna took the paper from grandmother's hand.

JoAnna read it and put her hand over her mouth. ”J. W. stands for Jeffrey White…”, she whispered in her fingers.

Jeff leaned to read the letter in her hand and his eyes widened, threatening to pop out of their sockets:

” Old man Hill,

Take care of my Little J. When I grow up, I will come back to get her and make her my wife.

~ J. W. ”