Page 20 of In at the Deep End

Would you want to sit out there every evening?

Do you want colour all year round?

And with every response, he made notes on his phone. When he took a breath to drink his coffee, Owen asked the question he’d been wanting to pose since their talk the previous day.

“Your dad said—and I quote—‘He’s good around a garden, ever since he was old enough to hold a trowel.’ So was it Jeff who taught you everything you know?”

Matt smiled. “Not really. That was Granddad. He encouraged me a lot, and not just in gardening. He taught me practical skills. He took me to museums. We used to talk about old films.” His face tightened.

Owen’s breath caught. “Have I touched a nerve?”

Matt’s smile morphed into a sadder version. “He’s not doing so well.” Then he paused. “Except I’m lying to myself. He’s dying. Right now, he has carers going into the house four or five times a day, but it won’t be long before he has to go into a hospice. We could be talking a month or two at the most.”

The gardening bit struck a chord. “It’s Jeff’s father, isn’t it? He used to talk about him when we were at university. I think we even met at the graduation ceremony.” He’d seemed a good man.

Matt nodded. “Yeah.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Dad goes to see him every week, and lately, more often. He asked me if I want to go too. I said no.” Another hard swallow. “I feel bad about that, but… The thing is, I don’t want to see him like this. I’d rather keep him the way he is in my head.” His gaze met Owen’s. “Does that make sense?”

Owen’s stomach clenched. “Perfect sense. You want to remember him as he was.” Only, sometimes, there was no choice but to see a loved one in those circumstances.

When you were the only person he had in the world.

He took one glance at Matt’s drawn features. “Hey. Why don’t we stroll around the garden centre, and you can show me what your granddad taught you.”

Matt squared his shoulders. “Sounds good to me.” He finished his latte, then waved his phone. “And now I know where to start.”

As they headed towards the garden centre, Owen found himself smiling.

Yesterday he’d hired someone to look after a garden.

Today he was beginning to understand the man who’d be working in it.

Jeff raised a good son.

Except it wasn’t just Jeff.

Somewhere along the way, a grandfather had helped shape the man walking beside him. And every conversation with Matt seemed to uncover another layer.

Like any good story.

The deeper he dug, the more interesting it became.

“I’m going to drop Callum off first, then we’ll go to IKEA,” Owen said as they turned after the traffic lights.

“That works.” Matt chuckled. “I’m sure Callum would rather stick pins in his eyes than walk around IKEA looking at storage ideas.”

From the back seat, Callum snorted. “Wow. You learn fast.”

“And while we’re there, I thought I’d introduce you to Callum’s mum, Cynthia. Except everyone calls her Cyn.”

Matt stilled. “I imagined I’d stay in the car.”

“Trust me, she’ll want to meet you. Once she hears your surname, she’ll work it out.”

“Bet you a fiver,” Callum piped up.

“You’re on.”

“Mum mentioned her this morning,” Matt admitted.